Victor Wembanyama is back at the top of the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year race. The Frenchman surged into pole position again following another impressive stretch on the defensive end.

Over the past 13 days, the Spurs — relative upstarts who are probably ahead of schedule on a path to legitimate title contention — have defeated the Thunder three times. The losses have come on a neutral floor (in the NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas), on the road in San Antonio and at home in Oklahoma City.