San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama says he’s “feeling great” as he prepares to return from a 12-game injury absence for Saturday’s NBA Cup semi-final against the powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder.

The French phenom, sidelined since November 14 with a left calf strain, will rejoin the Spurs just in time to face a Thunder squad that has matched the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors’ record start of 24-1 over their first 25 games this season.

“Right now, I’m feeling great,” Wembanyama told reporters in Las Vegas, where the semi-finals are being held ahead of the Cup final on Tuesday. “I’m ready to go.”

The Spurs, 9-3 during Wembanyama’s absence, have shown they can thrive without him, signaling progress after six seasons without a playoff appearance. Currently fifth in the Western Conference, they trail second-placed Denver Nuggets by just one game.

But the Thunder have been nearly unstoppable. Since their only loss on November 5 in Portland, Oklahoma City has won 16 straight games, with NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 32.6 points per game. They arrive in Vegas fresh off a 138-89 thrashing of the Phoenix Suns in the Cup quarter-final, the largest margin of victory in franchise history.

Reflecting on the opportunity to claim the in-season tournament, Gilgeous-Alexander said: “It would be phenomenal. Whenever you get a chance to play for something and win, it’s always the goal. It’s always the same feeling.”

Despite their blistering start, the Thunder approach each game with a grounded mindset. “We go out there with, I think, a hunter’s mentality,” Gilgeous-Alexander explained. “We are trying to be a better version of ourselves every night we go out there, and we like to hunt in that form.”

The Spurs, led by All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and rookie Dylan Harper, with Keldon Johnson providing energy off the bench, earned their semi-final spot by defeating LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Johnson highlighted the importance of the Cup as a proving ground: “As a group, it’s important for us to show the rest of the NBA that we are a legit team. And what better way in this first part of the season to make some noise in the Cup and go have a run at it for real.”

In Saturday’s other semi-final, the New York Knicks face the Orlando Magic in a matchup billed as an early Eastern Conference playoff preview. The Magic won two of the first three encounters between the teams this season, while the Knicks took the most recent clash.

Karl-Anthony Towns of New York said the game provides a good measure of progress: “Tomorrow is a good game for us to show how far we’ve come in discipline, game plan, execution, and system execution.”

The Cup’s knockout format requires players to juggle the tournament with the ongoing regular season. Knicks star Jalen Brunson emphasized the mindset needed: “It’s a journey. Regardless of who we’re playing, where we’re playing, or the circumstances—Cup games or not—it’s an opportunity for our team to go out there and compete.”