Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs won four of five meetings against Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder. Three of the Spurs’ victories came by double-digit margins, including a 117-102 beatdown of the defending champs in Oklahoma City on Christmas Day. The two teams are likely headed for a titanic confrontation in the Western Conference playoffs.
In the “Dan Patrick Show” on Tuesday, the host tossed in his thoughts about that potential mouthwatering matchup:
“OKC doesn’t want San Antonio. They’re gonna do their best to avoid them ‘cause Victor Wembanyama can’t wait to play against Chet Holmgren.”
Heading into Tuesday’s games, the Thunder (57-15) own the best record in the Western Conference and the entire NBA. The Spurs are keeping in step with a 54-18 mark, three games behind the defending champions.
Luka Doncic’s LA Lakers (46-26) are at No. 3, trailing the Spurs by eight games. With nine games remaining for each team, the Thunder and the Spurs are likely to secure the top two seeds in their conference. If the seedings hold true, San Antonio and Oklahoma City won’t face each other until the conference finals.
The upstart Spurs look ready to make noise in the playoffs. They have the best record since February, and Victor Wembanyama is showing why he deserves serious consideration for MVP.
The basketball world wants to see Wemby, who relishes going up against Chet Holmgren, get his toughest test against the loaded Thunder. San Antonio and OKC might just oblige the fans to determine the conference champion.
Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs Can Still Overtake Thunder for Best Record in NBA
While Victor Wembanyama and Co. dominated the OKC Thunder in the regular season, the playoffs could be different. The inexperienced San Antonio Spurs need every advantage they can have against the defending champs. Hosting the Thunder in the playoff series could be crucial for the Spurs.
With nine games remaining, the Spurs, three games behind the Thunder, still have a chance of claiming the No. 1 seed. San Antonio has the 10th toughest schedule remaining, according to Tankathon. The Spurs’ strongest opponents to end the season are the Denver Nuggets (twice), the Philadelphia 76ers and the LA Clippers. Denver, Philly and LA are playing for playoff positioning, so all three will not give an inch to San Antonio.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have the toughest schedule to close the regular season in either conference. OKC still has the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, LA Lakers (twice), Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns lined up.
If Victor Wembanyama’s team and Oklahoma City end the regular season with the same record, the tiebreaker will go to San Antonio. The Thunder likely don’t want to face the team that dominated them in the regular season to host them in the playoffs.
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