OKLAHOMA CITY — Head coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder had plenty to work with in their preparation to take down Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs for the first time this season. Wembanyama and the Spurs entered the Paycom Center with three wins under their belt, while Daigneault and the Thunder took advantage of the time between Christmas Day and Tuesday night to prepare.
Oklahoma City extended its winning streak in blowout fashion against the Spurs, beating them 119-98. After a game where Wembanyama finished with 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting, Daigneault talked about how the Thunder adapted to containing the 7-foot-6 phenom, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time against the defending champions.
“We haven't played against him very much. Part of learning the league is learning the really good players — he's obviously a really good player. I thought the last times we played him, we were a little jumpy against him,” Daigneault said. “We were like trying to get steals in the post instead of just trusting our fundamentals and trusting our team defense. I thought tonight we did a better job of trusting our fundamentals.
“It's not complicated against even the best players. We've played against Doncic in a playoff series, Jokic in a playoff series, Edwards in a playoff series; all those guys — it comes back to fundamentals. There's really no secret sauce. So, we just had to learn how to apply that to this team, and I thought we took a step forward with that tonight,” Daigneault concluded.
In Victor Wembanyama's first game against Mark Daigneault and the Thunder, where he wasn't on a minutes restriction, Oklahoma City keyed in on the Spurs' offensive attack after halftime, where OKC outscored its opponent 40-24 before the final frame. The Thunder kept the Spurs at bay throughout the fourth quarter before closing out the night with a 21-point win at home.
The Thunder improved its league-leading record to 34-7, while the Spurs, tied with the Denver Nuggets for second in the Western Conference, dropped to 27-13.
Jalen Williams on Thunder beating the Spurs
Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots beside San Antonio Spurs forward/center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at Paycom Center
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams says the Spurs make them better. Win or lose, Williams says Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs help the defending champions sharpen their sword, so to speak, which resulted in Mark Daigneault and the Thunder's win for the first time in four tries.
“They make us a better team when we play them — win or lose — we have to go about playing the right way every time we play them,” Williams said. “And it forces us to have to do other things in order to win. We were able to do that tonight. When you play teams like that, you just have to pay attention to detail throughout the whole entire game. Otherwise, the game will kind of get out of hand, and that was the case for this one.”
Williams and the Thunder learned from their mistakes.
“The last time we played them in San Antonio, we did a good job of it in the first half, and then, we had a stretch where we didn't do a good job of it,” Williams added. “And that's when it kind of got away. We were able to kind of nip it in the bud.”
Jalen Williams on beating the Spurs after three losses this season: “They make us a better team when we play them — win or lose — we have to go about playing the right way every time we play them
And it forces us to do other things to win” pic.twitter.com/OVZ7VByl3k
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) January 14, 2026
The Thunder will face the Rockets on the road on Thursday.