In Las Vegas, the NBA Cup delivered a marquee semifinal worthy of the neon. Victor Wembanyama came back from a strained left calf, played only 21 minutes, and still tilted the floor like a superstar. His San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-109, snapping OKC’s 16-game win streak and sending the Spurs to the Cup final. The pro-Spurs crowd greeted him with “M-V-P” chants, and his impact matched the noise.

How the Spurs flipped a heavyweight semifinal

Oklahoma City came out fast, winning the first quarter 31-20 and looking like the 24-1 juggernaut they’ve been for weeks. San Antonio steadied in the second, taking that frame 26-18 to pull back within reach. The third quarter was the hinge: Spurs 32, Thunder 28, and the game felt different — slower, more physical, more San Antonio’s pace.

From there it was about execution in a tight finish. The Spurs did just enough, despite a rough shooting night from deep and a mountain of turnovers, to hold off a late push from the league’s hottest team. The final horn hit at 111-109, and a red-hot Thunder team finally cooled.

“Wemby in 21 minutes > a 16-game streak. That’s impact.”

Wembanyama’s short shift, massive swing

Wembanyama had not played in 12 games. San Antonio went 9-3 while he healed, a sign of real growth around their young star. Even so, the team placed him on a minutes limit for this semifinal. He only needed 21 minutes to change the math.

His line was clean and loud: 22 points, nine rebounds, and a game-best +21 plus-minus. For fans, plus-minus shows how a team performs while a player is on the court; San Antonio outscored OKC by 21 in Wemby’s minutes. That is serious value in a two-point game.

Beyond the numbers, his presence bent the game. The Thunder had to account for his length and touch on every trip. The crowd felt it too, letting the “M-V-P” chant build with each key moment. On a night when points were hard to come by for both sides, his minutes were the difference between a good effort and a trip to the final.

Help around the star: Vassell, Fox, and Castle deliver

The Spurs needed more than one hero, and they got it. Devin Vassell led with 23 points. De’Aaron Fox added 22. Rookie guard Stephon Castle matched them with 22 of his own. That balanced scoring mattered on a night when shots did not fall from outside.

• Spurs shooting: 38-for-92 from the field (41.3%)
• From three: 9-for-37 (24.3%)
• At the line: 24-for-27 (88.9%)
• Turnovers: 25

Those numbers tell a clear story: San Antonio missed threes and gave the ball away, but stayed calm and cashed in at the stripe. In a two-point game, the 24 made free throws loomed large. The poise was notable, too. Even when the Thunder turned up the pressure, the Spurs kept finding a way to scrape out the next play.

“25 turnovers and 24% from deep… and a win? That’s composure.”

Thunder take their first real bump — and stay elite

It took a special performance to stop Oklahoma City. The Thunder entered at 24-1, winners of 16 straight, with their last loss all the way back on Nov. 5 in Portland. They now sit at 24-2 (.923), and the streak is done, but the team is not dented. They pushed until the final seconds.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his MVP-level season with 29 points and five assists. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams added 17 points each. OKC had answers all night and looked like itself for long stretches. The difference was a handful of possessions and the Spurs’ edge in free throws.

There’s also the Las Vegas quirk. This is the Thunder’s second straight loss on this stage; they also fell in last year’s NBA Cup final to Milwaukee, 97-81. That is a stat more than a trend, but it will linger until OKC lifts a Cup here.

What this means for the NBA Cup final

San Antonio is through to the final, and that matters for a young group learning to win pressure games. They just beat a 24-1 team while navigating a minutes limit for their best player. That is a confidence builder you cannot fake.

For Wembanyama, the ramp-up is clear. If this was the floor — 21 minutes with a +21 — the ceiling in the final will be the story to watch. The Spurs went 9-3 without him. With him back, their ambition jumps a level.

“OKC isn’t broken — they just met a wall named Victor.”

Numbers that shaped the night

• +21: Wembanyama’s plus-minus in only 21 minutes. The game turned when he played.
• 24-of-27: Spurs at the free throw line. The margin in a two-point game.
• 25: San Antonio turnovers. They survived them with defense, composure, and free throws.
• 16: The win streak OKC brought into the game — now snapped.
• 31-20: Thunder’s first-quarter edge. San Antonio answered in the second and third.

Final word

This semifinal had stakes, stars, and nerves. The Thunder are still the standard; one loss does not change that. But the night belonged to San Antonio. Wembanyama returned, the crowd roared, and the Spurs found winning plays through mistakes and tough shooting. That is what tournament basketball looks like.

Now the Spurs head to the final with belief and a blueprint. Keep the game simple. Trust their depth. Let their 7-foot-4 star bend the court, even in short bursts. Saturday showed that can be enough against anyone — even a team that had not lost since early November.