Thunder's defense, not offense, separated them from Spurs in 2025-26
OKC finished 64-18 and San Antonio 62-20 despite the Spurs outscoring the Thunder per game — the gap came almost entirely from Oklahoma City's stingier defense.
Published: · Figures as of September 20, 2026
Asked: How did the Thunder and Spurs compare on what they actually did in the 2025-26 regular season?
OKC won more, but San Antonio scored more — the margin came from defense
Oklahoma City finished 64-18 (1st in the league), San Antonio 62-20 (2nd), both in the Western Conference and both ahead of everyone else — a two-game gap built almost entirely on stopping teams, not scoring on them.
The scoring numbers are close to a wash. San Antonio actually outscored Oklahoma City per game, 119.8 to 119.0, and shot nearly identically from the field (48.3% for both). The separation is entirely on the other end: OKC allowed 107.9 points a game, San Antonio 111.5 — a gap of 3.6 points a game that accounts for most of the two-team difference in scoring margin (11.1 for OKC, 8.3 for San Antonio).
| OKC | SAS | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 64-18 | 62-20 |
| Points for/game | 119.0 | 119.8 |
| Points allowed/game | 107.9 | 111.5 |
| FG% | 48.4% | 48.3% |
| 3P% | 36.5% | 35.9% |
| FT% | 81.7% | 78.7% |
| Assists | 2,113 | 2,302 |
| Steals | 796 | 617 |
| Turnovers | 983 | 1,037 |
| Team | Scored (points per game) | Allowed (points per game) |
|---|---|---|
| OKC | 119.02 | 107.88 |
| SAS | 119.83 | 111.52 |
A few other things stand out beyond the top line: San Antonio was the better ball-movement team by volume (2,302 assists to 2,113) but also turned it over more (1,037 to 983), while Oklahoma City's defense generated far more takeaways (796 steals to 617, with nearly identical shot-blocking at 449 to 447). OKC was also the sharper free-throw and three-point shooting team, though neither gap is large (81.7% to 78.7% at the line, 36.5% to 35.9% from three).
Individually, the two best players anchored the difference in kind: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP averaging 31.1 points a game for Oklahoma City, while Victor Wembanyama won Defensive Player of the Year for San Antonio at 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and elite rim protection — which makes it a little surprising San Antonio's team defense still finished six points a game worse than OKC's, a gap that's really the story of the two teams' regular seasons.