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Thunder's top defense meets Spurs' top rebounding in San Antonio

Oklahoma City protected the ball better than nearly everyone last season. San Antonio rarely forced a turnover and finished first in defensive rebounding.

Thunder allowed 105.8 points per 100 possessions, best in the NBA
Spurs grabbed 77.3% of defensive rebounds, first in the league
Thunder rebounded 22.3% of their own misses, 28th of 30

Published October 20, 2026 at 10:01 AM1 min read How this story was written

Final

Oklahoma City Thunder

San Antonio Spurs

Box score and plays

The Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18 last season), owners of the NBA's best defense, visit the San Antonio Spurs (62-20), the league's top defensive rebounding team, on Tuesday, October 20, with tip-off at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Oklahoma City allowed 105.8 points per 100 possessions last season, first in the NBA, and held opponents to an effective field-goal percentage of 51.9%. San Antonio scored 117.4 per 100, fourth in the league, so the Spurs' offense meets the stingiest defense there is.

The glass tilts toward San Antonio. The Spurs collected 77.3% of available defensive rebounds, first in the league. The Thunder got only 22.3% of their own misses, 28th, and find few second chances.

The Thunder turned the ball over on 10.8% of their possessions, second-best in the league. The Spurs forced turnovers on just 11% of opponent possessions, 27th, so San Antonio's defense seldom takes the ball away.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points and 6.6 assists for Oklahoma City last season. Victor Wembanyama put up 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks a night for San Antonio, and Stephon Castle added 7.4 assists.

The Thunder list Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber as out, both with an expected return of Thursday, October 22. Otega Oweh is also out. The Spurs list Tobias Harris as out until Friday, October 23, and Jayden Quaintance until Thursday, December 3.