Thunder edged Spurs in 2025-26 on defense and steals, not scoring
OKC finished 64-18 to San Antonio's 62-20 despite nearly identical shooting and being outscored per game by the Spurs — the gap came from allowing fewer points and forcing more steals.
Published: · Figures as of September 28, 2026
Asked: How did the Thunder and Spurs compare on what they actually did in the 2025-26 regular season?
The Thunder won more, but on a better defense, not more offense
Oklahoma City finished 64-18, two games clear of San Antonio's 62-20, and it's the Thunder's defense that separated the two clubs — not their shot-making, which was nearly identical.
Regular season, 2025-26:
| OKC (64-18) | SAS (62-20) | |
|---|---|---|
| Points scored/game | 119.0 | 119.8 |
| Points allowed/game | 107.9 | 111.5 |
| Point differential/game | +11.15 | +8.30 |
| FG% | 48.4% | 48.3% |
| 3P% | 36.5% | 35.9% |
| FT% | 81.7% | 78.7% |
| Rebounds/game | 44.1 | 47.0 |
| Assists/game | 25.8 | 28.1 |
| Steals/game | 9.7 | 7.5 |
| Blocks/game | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| Turnovers/game | 12.0 | 12.6 |
| AST/TO | 2.15 | 2.22 |
San Antonio actually outscored Oklahoma City by 0.8 points a game and out-rebounded and out-assisted them, but the Thunder allowed 3.6 fewer points a game and forced far more steals (9.7 to 7.5), which is where their extra 2.85-point margin per game comes from. Shooting splits were essentially a wash across all three levels.
| Team | Points Scored (points per game) | Points Allowed (points per game) | Margin (points per game) |
|---|---|---|---|
| OKC | 119.0 | 107.9 | 11.15 |
| SAS | 119.8 | 111.5 | 8.3 |
Both clubs ended the year at the top of the West and the league: OKC 1st in the league and its conference, San Antonio 2nd in both. Individually, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won regular-season MVP and Victor Wembanyama won Defensive Player of the Year, which lines up with what the team numbers show — an OKC team built on takeaways and defense, a Spurs team anchored by Wembanyama's own two-way profile but leaking more points overall.
DataBaller's power ratings (carried over from the finished season, confidence 0.5, as of September 24) put Oklahoma City at +13.2 points against an average opponent and San Antonio at +8.5 — a real gap in projected strength, consistent with the defensive margin above. Both teams' records also sit "in line" with what their scoring margins support, per the team sustainability read, so neither was riding unusual luck: OKC's actual win total was about 1.4 wins below its margin-implied rate, San Antonio's about 2.1 wins above, both within the normal band.