The Oklahoma City Thunder have dominated competition to begin the 2025-26 NBA season. However, one team seems to be a thorn in their side. Although they hold a 26-4 record, the San Antonio Spurs are responsible for two of the Thunder’s losses. Kendrick Perkins, however, refuses to let the Spurs hype overlook another Western Conference juggernaut.
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San Antonio put the basketball world on notice in their massive upset over Oklahoma City in the NBA Cup semifinals. Last night, the Thunder walked into the Frost Bank Center seeking revenge. Instead, the Spurs continued to assert their authority over the defending champions.
The Spurs put forth another dominant performance en route to a 130-110 victory. It has been six years since the Spurs reached the playoffs, yet Kendrick Perkins has a lofty outlook on this young team.
“I think the Spurs are legit contenders,” Perkins said on ESPN’s Get Up. That is extremely high praise for a team that completely missed the Play-In just a season ago.
However, he halted the praise there and proceeded to shift his attention to another team that has gone toe-to-toe with the Thunder.
“The biggest threat is still the Denver Nuggets,” Perkins proclaimed. “When you look at Denver, Nikola Jokic is playing at an MVP level right now, as expected. Jamal Murray is averaging a career high right now. These guys are just clicking on all cylinders.”
OKC’s dominance and the Spurs’ ascension have led to the Nuggets slipping from people’s attention. Denver currently holds a 21-8 record, while missing some key players, such as Aaron Gordon, for an extended period of time. Regardless, they are still taking care of their competition.
Perkins highlighted Jokic, who, to no surprise, is having another amazing season. The Serbian superstar is averaging 28.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game. His rebound and assist averages sit atop the entire league.
His running-mate, Jamal Murray, is having the best season of his career as well. The Canadian guard is averaging 25.1 points and 6.9 assists per game. His production has been so great that Murray may receive his first All-Star selection.
It’s also worth noting that the Nuggets have played the Thunder at a high level and nearly came away with a victory. In the 2025 postseason, these two teams faced off in the second round. The series went to seven gruelling games, which ultimately resulted in the Thunder prevailing.
Nonetheless, the series was so close that it was anyone’s for the taking. It isn’t a bold assumption to believe the Nuggets are capable of performing the same or better against the Thunder in a second go-around.
