The Christmas Day showcase for the defending NBA champions this year featured one of the few teams to actually beat them this season, and still the Thunder remain winless against them.
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-102 on the road to hand a lump of coal to the home crowd on Christmas.
The Spurs haven’t just beaten the Thunder this year, they’ve throughly dominated them, and have won every matchup the two teams have had this year. Three of Oklahoma City’s five losses have come against these Spurs, which has to have Thunder fans shaking in their boots.
Oklahoma City suffered its second largest loss of the season – a 15-point defeat at the hands of the Spurs – who handed the Thunder their largest loss of the year just two days prior.
Despite Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench in this game as well, the big man still had a massive impact, recording 19 points and 11 rebounds. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 29 points, while Harrison Barnes continued to provide veteran aggressiveness in a showdown between two of the youngest teams in the league. Barnes added 15 points of his own, giving him 35 over the team’s last two games against OKC.
Here’s what happened during the NBA’s Christmas Day game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs:
Spurs vs. Thunder highlights
Spurs vs Thunder final player stats
Spurs scoring leaders
De’Aaron Fox 29 points, Stephon Castle 19 points, Victor Wembanyama 19 points
Spurs rebound leaders
Victor Wembanyama 11, Keldon Johnson 7
Thunder scoring leaders
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 22 points, Isaiah Hartenstein 12 points, Alex Caruso 12 points
Thunder rebound leaders
Isaiah Hartenstein 12, Chet Holmgren 12
Spurs vs Thunder final team stats
FG%: Spurs 54%, Thunder 39%
3PT%: Spurs 38%, Thunder 28%
FT%: Spurs 76%, Thunder 68%
Rebounds: Spurs 49, Thunder 48
Assists: Thunder 23, Spurs 20
Turnovers: Thunder 7, Spurs 12
Steals: Thunder 7, Spurs 3
Blocks: Thunder 6, Spurs 4
FINAL: Spurs 117, Thunder 102
The San Antonio Spurs (23-7) scored their third consecutive victory against the reigning NBA champions this season and moved to just 2.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (26-5) at the top of the Western Conference standings.
Thunder hot to start fourth
Less than two-and-a-half minutes into the fourth, the Thunder have found a groove. The reigning champs have rattled off six straight points to begin the quarter, and have been gathering offensive rebounds as well to reduce San Antonio’s lead to just 10 points.
The Thunder were so dominant in that short stretch that the Spurs were forced to use a timeout. Hopefully that small break will be enough to shift the momentum back in the Spurs’ favor.
End Q3: Spurs 95, Thunder 79
The San Antonio Spurs continued to take advantage of OKC’s offensive woes. The Thunder really struggled with the three-ball in the third quarter, particularly Alex Caruso who finally hit his first field goal of the afternoon with just over a minute left in the quarter.
The Spurs have dominated pace of play, forcing several bad shots from OKC and not letting the Thunder get away with committing offensive fouls. The Spurs find themselves up 16 heading into the final quarter. De’Aaron Fox leads all scorers with 25.
Spurs take advantage of OKC offensive struggles
On three of OKC’s last four offensive possessions, the Thunder have turned the ball over due to offensive fouls. Jalen Williams committed two of them, with Isaiah Hartenstein committing the final foul.
The only other possession in that span wasn’t much prettier, requiring two offensive rebounds by Hartenstein before Williams could cap the possession off with a midrange floater.
San Antonio has taken advantage of these offensive flubs, extending their lead to 17. Spurs lead 85-68.
Spurs vs. Thunder halftime stats
FG%: Spurs 61.4, Thunder 47.9
FT%: Spurs 61.5, Thunder 57.1
3PT%: Spurs 43.8, Thunder 33.3
Rebounds: Spurs 25, Thunder 29
Assists: Spurs 12, Thunder 12
Turnovers: Spurs 6, Thunder 4
Blocks: Spurs 3, Thunder 1
End Q2: Spurs 69, Thunder 60
After a solid first quarter, one that ended with an 11-0 San Antonio run, the Spurs have built a solid lead headed into halftime.
Oklahoma City’s shooting cooled in the second period, and the defensive impact Victor Wembanyama created can’t be overlooked. Though he recorded just 1 block in the quarter, Wembanyama’s presence down low constantly affected the shots the Thunder tried to take in the paint and near the rim.
That was compounded by Oklahoma City’s inefficient shooting from downtown in the period; the Thunder made just two of their eight 3-point shot attempts in the second. This is the issue when playing the Spurs: when scoring in the low block becomes difficult, making perimeter shots becomes essential.
Thunder guard Alex Caruso, in particular, has struggled from deep, failing to hit any of his eight shots from 3-point range.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spent a chunk of the period on the bench, but he has been the most consistent OKC player, scoring 16 points.
De’Aaron Fox continues to lead the Spurs in scoring with 21 points. Stephon Castle has added 13 points and 4 assists. Victor Wembanyama has added 9 points and 6 rebounds.
End Q1: Spurs 41, Thunder 36
After a thrilling finish in the first Christmas Day game, the Spurs and Thunder picked things right up in the second leg of the slate, though it was the Spurs who ended the period on an 11-0 run.
Both teams played quick and loose, which allowed consistent shot-making to follow; both teams combined to shoot a ridiculous 30-of-48 (62.5%) from the floor in the first period.
The numbers were also impressive from beyond the arc: (9-of-18; 50%).
Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox set the tone early and knocked down 5-of-6 shots to lead all players with 13 points. Fellow Spurs guard Stephon Castle added 9 points.
Victor Wembanyama (calf strain) came off the bench as San Antonio continues to manage his minutes and played 4:08 in the first period, scoring 5 points and collecting 1 rebound. He was active and physical and appeared to frustrate OKC players.
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, each of whom had 9 points.
Is Victor Wembanyama playing vs Thunder
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is not starting San Antonio’s Christmas Day contest, but he’s available to come off the bench. The team has made it clear they’re managing his minutes since he strained his left calf on Dec. 13.
Jalen Williams off to fast start
Thunder guard Jalen Williams has made all three of his shot attempts in the early going as the Thunder have jumped out to an 18-12 lead with 8:10 to go in the first quarter.
OKC is currently on a 10-2 run.
What time is Spurs vs. Thunder Christmas game today?
The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the San Antonio Spurs in one of five NBA on Christmas games on Thursday, Dec. 25 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The game will take place at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Watch NBA Christmas games with Fubo
How to watch Spurs vs. Thunder NBA Christmas game: TV, live streaming
The game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will be broadcast nationally on ABC and ESPN and can be live streamed via Fubo.
Date: Dec. 25, 2025
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
TV: ABC, ESPN
Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, Fubo
Spurs vs. Thunder odds
The Oklahoma City Thunder are favored to beat the San Antonio Spurs, according to DraftKings odds as of Dec. 24.
Line: Thunder -9.5
Over/under: 232.5