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Sports Illustrated

Sport

Dan Lyons, Brigid Kennedy & Blake Silverman

Spurs at Thunder Game 1: Wemby Carries San Antonio to Victory in Action-Packed WCF Opener

Spurs Thunder NBA Western Conference Western Conference Finals (Organization) San Antonio (Organization) OKC Timberwolves Game 1 Suns

The opener to the NBA’s conference finals round pitted a matchup that has been circled for quite some time: The Thunder vs. the Spurs, No. 1 vs. No. 2, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Victor Wembanyama, with the eventual winner headed to the NBA Finals. Monday night’s Game 1 lived up to the hype with 10 lead changes and plenty of highlight plays throughout, and San Antonio eventually prevailed with a 122–115 double-overtime victory thanks largely to Victor Wembanyama’s incredible night.

Wembanyama saw Gilgeous-Alexander receive his second MVP trophy before the game and he must’ve taken that personally after he finished third in MVP voting. The ball was tipped and Wembanyama controlled both ends of the floor for the great majority of the game. He finished with 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks in a career-high 49 minutes in what turned into a declarative statement that he has what it takes to win a title as soon as this year.

San Antonio was without De’Aaron Fox after he was ruled out with an ankle sprain just ahead of tipoff, which sent rookie guard and No. 2 pick Dylan Harper into the starting lineup. Harper had 24 points and 11 rebounds, while his backcourt mate Stephon Castle added 17 points and dished 11 assists.

Although Gilgeous-Alexander was inefficient from the field, the Thunder stuck around and forced the Spurs to the absolute brink in what was an instant-classic battle for the NBA’s newest and best rivalry. Alex Caruso was huge off the bench after a slow start for Oklahoma City. He had a playoff career-high 31 points and fell just one shy of his best scoring game ever. On top of that, he made huge plays on the defensive side that kept the Thunder in it until the gas ran out.

Wembanyama’s greatest moments of the night came after he was blocked by Chet Holmgren to end regulation in a tied ballgame. He didn’t let that hinder the rest of the way as he tied up the game in the first overtime with a three-pointer from the logo after a 7–0 Thunder run to force one more extra frame. He took over at an even greater level from there to wrap up the game and bring his team three wins away from the NBA Finals.

Here are three takeaways from what was arguably the game of the year:

How was this only Game 1?

Monday’s tilt was a grueling contest between the top two teams in the Western Conference. We saw two overtimes and plenty of epic moments, none greater than what Wembanyama showcased.

The Spurs were the only team that had the Thunder’s number during the regular season, as San Antonio was 4–1 against Oklahoma City, while the Thunder went 63–14 against everyone else. Even if that remains the case after the Spurs’ Game 1 win on the road, this series is already living up to the expectations after just one game. It has the starpower with Wembanyama, this season's NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and the newly minted two-time MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City has to topple the NBA’s most exciting young core to defend its title.

Wembanyama played 49 minutes in Game 1, the most he has played in any game over his three-year career, and he willed his team to a signature win by controlling both ends of the floor. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points in a whopping 51 minutes, but he was inefficient throughout, connecting on just seven of his 23 field-goal attempts. The two-time MVP and the second-leading scorer during the regular season likely won't let the off shooting night hang over his head.

That's one game of this Western Conference finals series in the books, with more instant classics to come. And let's face it, these teams could be battling each other for Western Conference supremacy for years to come.

Victor Wembanyama: New series, same dominance

Wembanyama scored 41 points and grabbed 24 rebounds with three blocks in what was an unbelievable showing in the biggest game of his career thus far. He controlled the game on both ends from start to finish and completely altered the Thunder’s offensive flow solely by his presence in the paint.

If that wasn’t enough, he made his first and only three-pointer of the night in the waning moments of the first overtime to tie the game and force double OT. After a Thunder miss, the 7’4” big man pulled up from 28 feet and drained it in what turned out to be the final points of the first overtime.

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA JUST DID WHAT?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/wPJJWuOjRN
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 19, 2026

His steady presence near the hoop caused Thunder scorers to settle and/or rush less-than-ideal shots as opposed to driving for a shot at the rim. Wembanyama also outdueled Oklahoma City big men Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. That forced Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to adjust his approach and put guard Alex Caruso, twice named to the NBA All-Defensive Team, mostly on Wembanyama. Caruso is a great defender and had numerous big moments in Game 1, but that presented an incredible height advantage for Wembanyama, which he took advantage of.

Game 1 was Wembanyama’s night even though Gilgeous-Alexander was presented with his second MVP award pregame. Now we wait and see how SGA and company counter in Game 2.

IT WAS WEMBY'S NIGHT.

41 PTS. 24 REB. 49 MIN. SAS W. pic.twitter.com/mctJ3LmXDY
— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2026

Despite loss, Thunder showcased their depth

It would be easy to look at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's off shooting night (7-for-23) and use it as a knock against the Thunder. If the team's best scorer isn't performing lights-out, what chance does OKC have against a young and hungry Spurs squad headlined by Victor Wembanyama? Turns out, their chances are still very strong even on those nights SGA's shot is off. That's the power of the Oklahoma supporting cast.

In his 2026 playoff debut, Jalen Willians amassed 37 minutes and 26 points, plus seven rebounds. His impact will only grow throughout the series as he gets back in the groove after a long stretch recovering from a hamstring injury. Alex Caruso, meanwhile, exploded with a playoff career-high 31 points and made a number of key plays throughout, including his block of what could have been Stephon Castle’s game-winning shot in the first overtime, or his defense vs. Wembanyama that helped send the game to OT in the first place. Just as importantly, he helped the Thunder keep pace with the Spurs despite their slow start early in the game.

ALEX CARUSO STOPS THE LOB

DOUBLE OVERTIME

🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/FBffqtieig
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 19, 2026

And although they're in smaller roles, Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace came off the bench to help the team as well. All three played meaningful minutes Monday night and contributed to the game in their own way. Mitchell, for example, had just four points, but he had four rebounds, five assists, two steals and a +7 when he was on the floor.

All this is to say, don't make the mistake of reducing the Thunder to Gilgeous-Alexander and his complementary options. Those around him are every bit as capable at showing up in big moments, and the way they played tonight is proof of that.

As for SGA, let's not forget he still posted a double-double with 24 points and 12 assists. Even his stat lines on his poor shooting nights can be impressive.

Spurs at Thunder Game 1: Live updates, scores, highlights and more

The Spurs gave the Thunder real trouble in the regular season

The two sides of Monday night's Game 1 faced off five times during the regular season, with all five games contested in a pretty narrow window between December 13 and February 4. San Antonio took four of the five of those meetings.

The Timberwolves and Suns were the only other teams to snag multiple victories over the Thunder during the regular season, when they won two games apiece.

The full list of results between San Antonio and OKC this season:

Date	Location	Thunder	Spurs
Dec. 13	Las Vegas	109	111
Dec. 23	San Antonio	110	130
Dec. 25	OKC	102	117
Jan. 13	OKC	119	98
Feb. 4	San Antonio	106	116

Perhaps most concerning for the Thunder: Wembanyama was far from 100% for most of the above games. He came off the bench for the three December contests as he was on a minutes restriction and recovering from a calf strain. He never played more than 28 minutes in a game against OKC this season, and averaged just over 25 per game. Still, his numbers were impressive, as he scored 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest.

Although San Antonio continues to be careful with Wemby’s workload, expect him to be unleashed against his rival Chet Holmgren and the Thunder in this series.