At last, the Thunder have taken down the Spurs.
The dominant defending champions have had their way with just about everyone this season outside of San Antonio. Oklahoma City and the Spurs faced off for the fourth time this season on Tuesday, and prior to that game, San Antonio had defeated the Thunder in all three games, including by double digits in their last two matchups.
This time around, OKC came out on top by beating the Spurs 119–98. The Thunder pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring San Antonio 40–24 to put them on well track for the win. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to their fourth straight win 34 points, five rebounds, five assists and a career-high four blocks.
Though Oklahoma City finally got a win over San Antonio this season, Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t make a big deal out of the victory.
“Tonight wasn’t our Super Bowl,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. “It wasn’t anything other than another game on an 82-game season. We got to find ways to get better. We’ve could’ve done things better tonight and we’ll continue to do so and learn from it.”
Shai after the Dub: "Tonight wasn't our Super Bowl" 😭pic.twitter.com/ZM9ZPL0wG3
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 14, 2026
Gilgeous-Alexander clarified those comments during his postgame press conference, saying, “It’s never about the other team. It’s about us. We’ve gotten to where we’ve gotten because we’ve focused on ourselves. That’s the only thing every night that stays a constant.”
SGA on his ‘This isn’t our SuperBowl’ comment: “It’s never about the other team. It’s about us.” pic.twitter.com/ISIa0XqnXf
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) January 14, 2026
The 27-year-old star did acknowledge that they went into the game with some “added juice” after previously losing to the Spurs three times.
“You kind of have no choice. We all knew it when we woke up this morning. This team had gotten the better of us the last few times we played them,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That doesn’t happen to this group. Doesn’t happen a lot, I can’t remember the last time it’s happened. Uncomfortable feelings and adversity is where you find who you are. We showed it tonight. From here on it’s just about getting better.”
The Thunder now move to 34–7 on the season and 1–3 against the Spurs. They will next face the Spurs on Feb. 4 in San Antonio.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Finally Beating Spurs: ‘Tonight Wasn’t Our Super Bowl’ .
