West’s best square off as surging Spurs host Thunder

The San Antonio Spurs will return home with a six-game winning streak in hand but will have to play even better to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

The game will be the first of a home-and-home set for the Western Conference leaders, with the follow up on Christmas Day in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder lead the league with a 26-3 mark but have dropped two of their past four games.

San Antonio, which is a surprising 21-7 this season, has won 13 of its past 16 contests that count in the standings.

The Spurs already defeated the Thunder once this season, 111-109 on Dec. 13 in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.

San Antonio has won six games in a row for the first time since March 2019. The team has not posted seven consecutive regular-season wins since December 2015.

San Antonio's most recent outing was a 124-113 victory vs. Washington on Sunday, as De'Aaron Fox racked up 27 points and Luke Kornet scored 12 of his 20 points in fourth quarter to help outlast the Wizards. Kornet also had 12 rebounds in the win while teammate Stephon Castle collected 18 points and 11 assists.

"We need to be better in the second half," Fox said. "We gave away a 20-point lead. You don't want to end up being in a dog fight like it was."

Victor Wembanyama, who came off the bench for the fifth straight game as he works back from a calf injury, added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs.

"Just not as consistent as we like, but again, we got it done," coach Mitch Johnson said after Sunday's victory. "Obviously (the Thunder) are the reigning champs and are who they are, so I'm expecting a very competitive, high-level game."

Wembanyama is questionable for Tuesday's game as he tries to get to full strength after missing a dozen contests because of his injury.

The Thunder will head to San Antonio for the second game of a home-road back-to-back on the heels of a 119-103 win over Memphis on Monday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished two assists short of a triple-double in the win, racking up 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Thunder. Jalen Williams added 24 points and Ajay Mitchell 16.

Oklahoma City played without starters Isaiah Hartenstein (calf injury) and Chet Holmgren (illness), as well as key reserves Jaylin Williams (heel injury), defensive ace Alex Caruso (finger sprain), and Aaron Wiggins (right adductor soreness). Their availability for Tuesday's game is to be determined.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said his team's NBA championship in 2024-25 and its success this season comes down to fundamentals.

"Some of the bigger-picture things we emphasize, like competitive mentality and professionalism," Daigneault said. "The idea is for those things to be win-win. Theoretically, those things should help us be successful as a team, but it should also help every single player individually build their career."

Reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander went further with an explanation.

"Every night has controllables you can take care of that help you put yourself in a position to win the game," he said. "It's as simple as it always is."