The NBA Cup was designed to inject volatility into the early season, to create moments where structure gives way to surprise. On this night, it delivered exactly that. The San Antonio Spurs, written off by many as a developmental team still learning how to win consistently, stunned the league by eliminating the Oklahoma City Thunder from NBA Cup contention.
The result landed with force because of who Oklahoma City has been this season. The Thunder entered the Cup as one of the NBA’s most dominant teams, pairing elite efficiency with depth, youth, and a style of play that overwhelms opponents over 48 minutes. They had looked, for much of the fall, like the model of modern roster construction: a superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, interchangeable defenders across positions, and an offense that rarely beats itself. That profile made them not just a favorite to advance, but a popular pick to win the entire tournament.
San Antonio didn’t beat them by trying to mirror that identity. The Spurs won by disrupting it.
From the opening possessions, the game tilted away from Oklahoma City’s preferred rhythms. San Antonio slowed the tempo selectively, contested driving lanes with size, and forced the Thunder into a half-court game where every advantage had to be earned. Oklahoma City still generated quality looks, but the Spurs consistently made the second and third options uncomfortable. What usually feels inevitable with the Thunder instead felt labored.
At the center of it all was Victor Wembanyama, whose influence went far beyond the box score. His presence altered spacing on both ends, shrinking Oklahoma City’s margin for error. Drives that normally end at the rim became kick-outs under duress. Defensive rotations that are usually automatic for the Thunder had to account for a seven-foot-four problem solving multiple actions at once. Even when Wembanyama wasn’t directly involved in a play, he was shaping it.
Just as important was San Antonio’s composure. This was not a fluke built on unsustainable shooting or chaotic pace. The Spurs executed with clarity, trusted their reads, and resisted the kind of rushed decisions that often creep in when a young team senses an upset. They treated the moment not as a novelty, but as an opportunity.
For Oklahoma City, the loss is jarring without being damning. The NBA Cup is unforgiving by design. One off night, one opponent willing to bend the game in a different direction, and a contender’s run can end abruptly. That doesn’t erase what the Thunder have shown over a larger sample, nor does it diminish their standing as the league’s most serious team.
That reality is part of why the Cup is starting to matter.
For San Antonio, this win carries weight beyond advancement. It’s a signal that the rebuild is no longer theoretical. The Spurs didn’t just compete; they imposed a game plan on one of the NBA’s best teams and saw it through. Moments like this accelerate belief inside a locker room. They also recalibrate how the rest of the league prepares for you.
The Spurs didn’t eliminate just a team. They eliminated an assumption – that the Thunder’s march through the NBA Cup was inevitable. In doing so, they reminded everyone why the tournament exists in the first place: not to crown the safest favorite, but to reward the team bold enough, prepared enough, and fearless enough to seize one night and make it count.
