Wemby's defensive presence shut down OKC's offense, transforming a close game into a decisive Spurs victory.
The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have quickly turned into must-watch TV, and Tuesday night was another reminder why.
That is, until the fourth quarter, when San Antonio slammed the door and left OKC staring at its most lopsided loss of the season. The Spurs pulled away late to win 130-110 at Frost Bank Center, handing the Thunder their fourth defeat and dropping the Bricktown Ballers to 26-4.
For three quarters, it had the feel of a heavyweight fight.
Oklahoma City tried to land its usual runs, the kind that bury teams with pace, spacing, and precision. San Antonio answered every time, calmly, physically, and with the kind of defensive edge that travels in April and May.
Then, in the final frame, the Spurs stopped trading punches and started throwing haymakers, forcing OKC into a white-flag finish that didn't resemble their earlier losses this season.
The biggest difference was the Spurs' defense, and it starts exactly where you think it starts, with Victor Wembanyama. When he's anchoring the back line, everything in front of him gets easier.
San Antonio's point-of-attack defenders can pressure harder, crowd driving lanes, and funnel ball-handlers into the paint knowing there's a seven-foot wall waiting at the rim.
That setup smothered Oklahoma City's rhythm, stalled their offense, and pushed a normally careful Thunder team into more turnovers than they're used to seeing.
OKC can survive missed shots, but it can't survive empty possessions, and San Antonio squeezed those out of them.
Even on a night when the Thunder offense looked more ugly than dangerous, Lu Dort was one of the few bright spots. His shooting has been ice-cold for stretches this season, but he showed real life in this matchup, drilling five threes to keep OKC hanging around when the game threatened to get away earlier.
More importantly, it's a trend. He's now hit more than three threes in each of his last two games, a small but meaningful sign for a Thunder team that needs his spacing when defenses load up.
The uncomfortable takeaway for Oklahoma City is Chet Holmgren.
He’s flashed an All-Star ceiling this year, but in these two matchups with San Antonio, he's been neutralized. Wembanyama's presence has made the paint a no-fly zone, and the Spurs took advantage inside, finishing at a ruthless clip around the rim.
Holmgren managed just seven points and three rebounds on 30 percent shooting, and OKC simply needs more if it wants to trade blows with the West's best.
These teams do it again on Christmas Day, in a standalone national TV spotlight. If Tuesday was the warning shot, the sequel is going to feel like a playoff preview unless the OKC finds answers fast.