The San Antonio Spurs are 2-0 on the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is starting to feel the pressure.
The San Antonio Spurs are one of only three teams that have beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, and are the only team in the league that has beaten them twice. Perhaps the most glaring fact from their two wins over the league's best team is that Victor Wembanyama didn't start in either game, coming off the bench and providing an impact in limited minutes.
After the Spurs' most recent 130-110 win over OKC, it's clear that these games haven't been a fluke. The Spurs are right on par with the Thunder, and as they get healthy, they're only getting better.
OKC can feel the pressure of the Spurs breathing down its neck. The Spurs are only 3.5 games behind OKC in the standings and are closing the gap quickly.
"They played great, you know, on both ends of the floor from an energy standpoint, execution standpoint," praised Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. "I mean, they deserved to win the game through and through, obviously, that was a statement with the way they played. So, you know, they were the better team tonight."
The Spurs were led by Keldon Johnson's 25 points. In the NBA Cup win over the Thunder, Devin Vassell led them with 23 points. Wembanyama has been all over the place in both wins, but the Thunder have yet to see him at his best.
"He's a really, really good player, but, you know, he's not their whole team at all," Daigneault said of Wembanyama. "You know, they've got a lot of good guys. They've got good balance. They're well coached. As I said, they were super sharp tonight."
The Spurs have been one of the worst teams in the NBA over the last five seasons, but after their dominant start and statement wins already this season, they have upgraded from playoff hopefuls to title contenders.
"They're obviously really good, and they force you to play really good basketball if you want to beat them," added Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led all scorers with 33 points. "And if you want to win championships, that's what teams late in the season force you to do. You have to string good possessions together, good quarters together, good games together, and good series together. And they have that makeup. They make you do so. So it'll only make us better for when the games really, really matter."
The Spurs and Thunder will have a quick turnaround, traveling to OKC for a marquee Christmas game.
"I watched the NBA games growing up every single Christmas so that'll be super fun," said SGA of the next matchup. "Can't wait to experience that against a really good basketball team who just beat the [redacted] out of us."