The OKC Thunder may have only been eliminated from NBA Cup contention, and, in turn, are still in play for the league's all-time wins record and becoming the first back-to-back champion since the 2018 Warriors, but their semifinals loss to San Antonio still stings.
Especially after hearing Spurs star Victor Wembanyama's comments on one of the most polarizing aspects of the contest.
Heading into Saturday's matchup, the wunderkind center was asked by NBA on Prime's Taylor Rooks about his ongoing supremacy battle with Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, a widely publicized one-on-one rivalry that dates back to their respective rookie campaigns.
In a somewhat surprising manner, Wembanyama seemingly side-stepped the question by thrusting his attention solely on Oklahoma City superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, saying "he's our main focus" and essentially suggesting Holmgren has greatly benefited from playing alongside the point guard, noting that "anybody is hard to guard when you have to help on the MVP."
Victor Wembanyama avoids rivalry talk with Thunder big Chet Holmgren
Though the two have spoken somewhat fondly of one another over the years, with Holmgren going on record describing Wemby as a "really good player," it appears the Spurs star, in particular, has used this individual rivalry as somewhat of a motivation to continue elevating his game.
From ESPN's Michael C. Wright revealing last year that "Victor will not even say the man's name" to, just this past October, Marc Spears stating that Holmgren's NBA title run from last season "motivated" the All-Star, it seems that, behind the scenes, there's some real animosity, though, in many ways, it appears to be a one-way street.
Perhaps this approach was a driving force in Wembanyama's response to Rooks' question -- after all, he seemingly followed the trend highlighted by Wright of not actually uttering Holmgren's name.
The end result turned into a hard-fought, 111-109 loss for the Thunder, with the 21-year-old paving the way with 22 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. On the opposite end, however, Chet gave the big man a real run for his money as the game's most impactful player, registering 17 points, seven boards, and a block himself.
Ultimately, it wasn't enough to lead Oklahoma City to victory, as the Spurs have now officially punched their ticket to a matchup against the Knicks in Tuesday's NBA Cup Championship.
Needless to say, Wembanyama won this battle against Chet. However, the one-on-one war is far from over.
In fact, with his remarks, it's only become more intense, making their upcoming Christmas Day matchup true must-see TV.