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After 143 days, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder will meet again on Tuesday night, renewing a rivalry that culminated in a seven-game Western Conference finals showdown.
Both teams have learned a lot of lessons since then.
This matchup is special. Not just for the Spurs and Thunder, for the NBA. Whenever the Spurs and Thunder meet, basketball fans have plenty of reasons to tune in. Spurs-Thunder games have a history of becoming hardwood classics, a tradition that stretches well beyond the Victor Wembanyama and Sha-Gilgeous Alexander era.
The rivalry dates back to the early 2010s, when Tim Duncan's Spurs battled a young Thunder core led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
In the 2012 Western Conference finals, the Thunder overcame a 2-0 series deficit to eliminate the Spurs in six games. Two years later, San Antonio returned the favor, defeating Oklahoma City in six games on its way to the 2014 NBA championship.
The Thunder struck again in 2016, eliminating a 67-win Spurs team in the Western Conference semifinals. The series marked the final playoff appearance of Duncan's legendary career.
Nearly a decade later, a new generation has brought the rivalry back into the national spotlight.
Led by Wembanyama, the Spurs defeated Oklahoma City 111-109 in the 2025 NBA Cup Semifinals before overcoming the defending champions in seven games in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
On the other side of the court, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren have helped establish the Thunder as one of the NBA's premier teams, setting the stage for another chapter in a rivalry defined by two championship aspirations.
The Spurs will open their season with a new look.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson confirmed De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper will start alongside Devin Vassell and Wembanyama, putting San Antonio's much-discussed three-guard lineup to its first regular-season test.
“We’re planning on starting that same crew (in the opener),” Johnson told reporters.
The experiment has shown promise during the preseason, but questions remain about how the three guards will work together. Fox and Harper are both natural playmakers, and finding the right balance between them could be one of San Antonio's biggest challenges.
However, there is room for optimism. The trio showed improved chemistry during the preseason, outscoring opponents by 26 points in just over 22 minutes together.
While it's a small sample size, the early results suggest San Antonio's three-guard experiment could pay off with more time on the court. The starting five could also change as the season progresses, depending on how the group performs and which combinations work best.
On the other side, Oklahoma City is expected to start Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace alongside Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
The Thunder will be without longtime defensive standout Lu Dort following his offseason trade to Atlanta, giving Wallace a larger opportunity in the backcourt.
Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, Luke Kornet and Carter Bryant provide depth for the Spurs, while the Thunder can turn to Alex Caruso, Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell and Jaylin Williams off the bench. Caruso is always a big part of this Thunder team, consistently bringing a spark off the bench on both sides of the court.
San Antonio will be without veteran forward Tobias Harris, who is recovering from a left calf strain suffered during training camp. Rookie Jayden Quaintance is also sidelined with a knee injury.
"He's not ready to play tomorrow," Mitch Johnson said Monday of Harris.
The veteran forward has made progress in his recovery, but still has more on-court work to complete before making his Spurs debut. His absence could extend beyond opening night.
Oklahoma City will also enter the matchup shorthanded, with Nikola Topić, Thomas Sorber and rookie Otega Oweh ruled out. Still, the Thunder's expected starting group remains intact.
For both teams, Tuesday offers the first opportunity to see how their new rotations hold up in meaningful competition. More importantly, it’s the first step to what both teams hope is a title run.
Castle, for one, is ready for the wait to end.
"It's been short, but I just feel like it's been forever," Castle said of the offseason "As we've been getting closer during open gym, training camp, all that ... you know what's on the schedule. You're waiting for it. So we're glad it's finally here."
Perhaps no matchup draws more attention than Wembanyama against Holmgren.
The two big men have been compared since entering the league, and their rivalry has only grown as both have developed into some of the NBA's brightest young stars.
Actually, their history goes back even further.
In 2021, the two faced off in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup final, with Holmgren representing the United States and Wembanyama playing for France. Team USA escaped with an 83-81 victory, despite Wembanyama recording eight blocks.
Five years later, the two are still battling. Only now, the stakes are much higher.
Their last playoff meeting told two very different stories.
Wembanyama averaged 27.3 points during the Western Conference Finals, while Holmgren struggled to find his rhythm, averaging just 10.7 points. In Game 7, the Thunder star was held to four points and four rebounds as San Antonio punched its ticket to the NBA Finals.
For Holmgren, a new season presents an opportunity to turn the page. For Wembanyama, it's another chance to show why he has become one of the league's most feared players.
The stakes extend beyond their individual matchup.
Two-time MVP Gilgeous-Alexander remains one of the league's most dangerous scorers, while Fox and Castle will be tasked with helping San Antonio match Oklahoma City's pace and physicality. Vassell will look to show his growth as more than just 3-and-D wing.
And then there's Harper.
The second-year guard is ready to prove himself. After spending the offseason working on his shooting, Harper averaged 14.8 points during the preseason, shooting an impressive 57.1% from beyond the arc.
For Harper, opening night is an opportunity to show that his offseason work can translate to the regular season. And for the Spurs, it's an early chance to see just how much their young guard can contribute alongside Fox and Castle.
The Thunder haven't forgotten how their season ended, either. After winning the championship in 2025, Oklahoma City watched its hopes of going back-to-back disappear on its home court.
San Antonio knows that feeling of heartbreak, too.
After surviving seven games against the Thunder, the Spurs reached their first NBA Finals since 2014. What followed was a painful five-game series against the New York Knicks, where San Antonio repeatedly surrendered double-digit leads.
The Spurs had come so far, only to fall short when it mattered most. For Wembanyama, the experience only strengthened his desire to win.
"I want to win so bad," Wembanyama said after eliminating Oklahoma City. "It's like my life depends on it."
That hunger hasn't gone anywhere. But the Spurs learned that talent and determination alone aren't enough to win a championship. Execution, consistency and physicality all played a role in their Finals defeat, and San Antonio has spent the offseason emphasizing those details.
Now, the challenge is putting those lessons into practice.
The Spurs have already proven they can compete with the best teams in the league. Now, they get to prove they can sustain that level of play for an entire season, especially when the pressure rises.
Their first test won't be an easy one.
"It's going to be physical. They're going to play fast, as they always do ... they're a good team. They're going to make some tough shots," Castle said of the Thunder. "Knowing that, coming into the game ... (if we) trust what we do for the whole 48 (minutes), I think we'll be fine."
One game won't determine either team's season. But for two Western Conference contenders with unfinished business, Tuesday is an opportunity to begin writing the next chapter.
For the Spurs, it's the first chance to show that the lessons of last June weren't learned in vain.
Ahead of the highly anticipated opener, here’s everything you need to know:
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