The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to San Antonio on Tuesday, Oct. 20, for a 8:30 p.m. season opener against the the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in May.
The Spurs eliminated the Thunder in seven games in the Western Conference finals, advancing to the NBA Finals before losing to the New York Knicks in five games. Oklahoma City played much of that series without two key contributors: All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams missed most of the series with a hamstring strain, and guard Ajay Mitchell was sidelined after Game 3 with a calf strain, according to Yahoo Sports.
Both teams are expected to be fully healthy for Tuesday's opener, Heavy reported. There is some uncertainty about the status of Spurs forward Tobias Harris, who signed a two-year, $30.8 million deal over the summer.
The verbal sparring is already underway.
Spurs wing Devin Vassell sent a pointed message ahead of opening night, according to Heavy. "Two teams not liking each other at all, and I think we have a couple of those right now," Vassell said. "Pretty self explanatory. I don't think I have to say any names, but you'll see. And I think it starts on Oct. 20."
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back reigning MVP, set the tone for Oklahoma City's side of the rivalry months earlier. After the Thunder beat the Spurs 119-98 at Paycom Center in January, Gilgeous-Alexander said, "This wasn't our Super Bowl," according to Thunderous Intentions.
Teammate Jalen Williams struck a similar note after that same January game. "If you have to ask if it's a rivalry, it probably ain't one," Williams said, per Thunderous Intentions.
The bad blood has a physical edge. During Game 3 of the conference finals on May 22, Vassell confronted Mitchell after a hard foul on Spurs guard Stephon Castle, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The play drew a Flagrant 1 foul on Mitchell and technical fouls on both players. Castle had been fouled on a dunk attempt about 40 seconds earlier by Alex Caruso, and Vassell said the back-to-back contact crossed a line.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama added fuel in December when he described San Antonio's style as "pure and ethical basketball" after the NBA Cup semifinal win over Oklahoma City, ESPN reported. The comment drew widespread attention as a possible dig at the Thunder's physical defense. Wembanyama later clarified he was contrasting the Spurs' approach with "lots of isolation ball" and "sometimes kind of forced basketball" around the league.
NBA general managers see the two clubs as the West's best. In the league's annual GM survey released Oct. 15, the Spurs received 50% of votes to win the 2027 NBA title and the Thunder received 43%, according to MySanAntonio.com. Wembanyama collected 23 of 29 MVP votes. Gilgeous-Alexander was the runaway pick as the league's best point guard at 67%.
Tuesday's game tips off at 9:30 p.m. Central at Frost Bank Center as part of the NBA's opening-night triple-header.
