In a highly anticipated matchup, Chet Holmgren led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. The game, which pitted last year’s Rookie of the Year runner-up against the winner, Victor Wembanyama, turned into a defensive masterclass by Holmgren and the Thunder.

Holmgren downplayed the rivalry, calling it “a form of advertisement” for the NBA. He instead focused on the team’s mission to win games.

The 22-year-old Thunder center dominated on both ends of the court. He scored 19 points and limited Spurs shooters to just 10 points on 4-for-17 shooting when he was the primary defender.

”We won tonight on the defensive end,” Holmgren said. “It wasn’t perfect on offense. I feel like we were very solid almost throughout the whole game on the defensive end.”

The Thunder’s defense was relentless, recording 18 steals and forcing 22 Spurs turnovers. Six Thunder players had multiple steals, tying a franchise record since the team moved to Oklahoma City.

Wembanyama struggled, scoring a career-low 6 points on 1-of-5 shooting. The Spurs rookie admitted he needs to improve his preparation.

”I’m not getting easy shots,” Wembanyama said. “I have to be way better at preparing.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich praised the Thunder’s defense, calling them “a playoff team that’s very possibly going very deep into the playoffs.”

As the season progresses, all eyes will be on how these two young stars continue to develop and impact their teams’ performances.