A logo three, double overtime chaos and a historic stat line: how Wembanyama shocked Oklahoma City in Game 1

Yin and yang, continuity and change, give and take. For many, the Western Conference Finals were the real NBA Finals before the Finals, the series expected to produce the next champion. It pitted a 64-win team against one with 62 victories, two franchises that dominated the regular season with an iron grip, dismantling opponents at will and leaving destruction in their wake.

But the favorites were still the Thunder. They were the defending champions, they had the league MVP, and they arrived unbeaten in the playoffs, cruising to an emphatic 8-0 record after sweeping the Suns and Lakers. Now, though, came a true contender. A team capable of challenging them. Probably the only one capable of stopping a franchise many had already crowned champion. Or almost.

The Spurs wanted to be that alternative. They were back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and in the conference finals for the first time since 2017. This was no longer the dynasty led by Tim Duncan with Gregg Popovich on the sideline, but the essence remained. Mitch Johnson had done an excellent job surrounding Victor Wembanyama, the unicorn who also happens to be the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. The player destined to dominate the sport, by consensus or by force. And Popovich watched proudly from behind the scenes as the competitive spirit survived like a beautiful storm after years of drought. With, it must be said, more influence than first appeared, including a video session that helped spark a reaction from the team.

A series everyone expected to define the NBA title race

San Antonio had faced a tougher road than Oklahoma City to reach this stage: 4-1 against Portland and 4-2 over Minnesota. But they arrived in Oklahoma City with one major advantage – they had gone 4-1 against the Thunder in the five meetings between the teams this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander faced off against the French giant, who also had a fascinating matchup waiting inside against Chet Holmgren. Everything seemed tied to a legacy waiting to be built in a series that generated enormous conversation before it even started and will keep doing so in the days ahead.

Because this was, very likely, a matchup that would produce the next NBA champion. Two physical, overwhelming teams dominant on both ends of the floor. Brilliant in both substance and style. And a story ready to be written that already felt destined to linger in memory.

But one thing was the promise of the series. Another entirely was what unfolded on the court.

Thunder and Spurs delivered an unforgettable game, with San Antonio winning 122-115 in double overtime. The quarter-by-quarter scores were absurdly tight: 27-27, 17-24, 29-29, 21-28, 7-7 and 14-7. Three tied periods, and the other three decided by seven points or fewer.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander forced the first overtime with a brilliant late move during a stunning Thunder comeback after trailing almost the entire night. The second overtime happened because of Victor Wembanyama. With 27 seconds left in the first extra period, Oklahoma City botched a possession and the ball landed in the hands of the French star, who dribbled up the floor himself before burying a three-pointer from well beyond the logo. It immediately recalled Stephen Curry’s famous deep shot in Oklahoma City years ago. Back then Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook wore Thunder jerseys. Now, things are different. The result, however, was the same.

Victor Wembanyama delivers a performance for the history books

There would be no third overtime because Wembanyama finished the job himself. The French superstar produced one of the greatest performances ever seen in a conference finals game: 41 points, 24 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks while shooting 14-for-25 from the field, 1-for-2 from three and 12-for-13 from the free-throw line.

He became the first player with at least 35 points and 20 rebounds in a conference finals game since 1993. He was also the first player to do it in his conference finals debut since Wilt Chamberlain in 1960. And it marked just the fourth 40-point, 20-rebound game in conference finals history. All while posting a +16 plus-minus in nearly 49 minutes on the floor.

With the entire arena on its feet and every possession feeling monumental, the unicorn delivered a historic blow that also handed San Antonio home-court advantage. The Thunder lost their first playoff game, their fifth game this season against the Spurs and just their eighth home game since the regular season began.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not rise to the moment, and this series may become a defining chapter in his legacy. Facing arguably the first true heavyweight opponent Oklahoma City has seen in the playoffs over the past two seasons, the MVP struggled badly. He finished with 24 points, 12 assists and 5 steals but shot only 7-for-23 from the field and 2-for-7 from three, while committing four turnovers and scoring only two points across the two overtimes. Wembanyama alone had nine points and four rebounds in the second overtime.

Holmgren also endured a brutal night against his growing nemesis, finishing with just eight points and eight rebounds. Jalen Williams scored 26 points and Alex Caruso added 31, hitting eight threes, but it was not enough.

San Antonio’s depth overwhelms Oklahoma City

While the Thunder had only three players score in double figures, the Spurs had six. Alongside Wembanyama, Devin Vassell added 13 points and 6 rebounds, Keldon Johnson scored 13, Julian Champagnie posted 11 points and 9 boards, and Stephen Castle finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists despite committing 11 of San Antonio’s 21 turnovers.

Special mention belongs to Dylan Harper: 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals – a Spurs playoff rookie record. He overwhelmed Luguentz Dort and made life miserable for Ajay Mitchell, who had averaged more than 20 points per game against the Lakers but managed only four in this opener.

There were no excuses for Oklahoma City. San Antonio shot just 30% from three and committed a huge number of turnovers, yet still dominated the boards 61-40, including 15 offensive rebounds, nine of them by Wembanyama alone. The Spurs also showed remarkable maturity for such a young roster playing in its first deep postseason run.

This became the coronation ceremony for Wembanyama, who continues proving criticism means nothing to him. Concerns about workload, games played or minutes restrictions cannot hide the extraordinary level he has reached. It was one of those performances that enters NBA history instantly.

Now attention turns to the defending champions and the adjustments they must make if the NBA is to avoid seeing an eighth different champion in eight seasons. How can the Thunder stop playing from behind? How can they punish San Antonio’s turnovers, improve their shooting or break through the first defensive line without losing their offensive flow? How can they get more from Shai, who already struggled when the Lakers pressured him defensively in the previous round?

And above all: how on earth are they supposed to stop Victor Wembanyama? A generational player already writing his story in gold letters. The kind nobody forgets.

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Oklahoma City Thunder

Stats

7 Chet Holmgren
8 Jalen Williams
55 Isaiah Hartenstein
5 Luguentz Dort
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
9 Alex Caruso
11 Isaiah Joe
3 Jared McCain
25 Ajay Mitchell
44 Nikola Topić
22 Cason Wallace
21 Aaron Wiggins
6 Jaylin Williams
34 Kenrich Williams

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
7 Chet Holmgren	40	8	8	2	6	0	1	1	2	2/2	0/3	2/4	0	3
8 Jalen Williams	37	26	7	3	4	3	2	1	1	3/3	10/22	1/3	0	2
55 Isaiah Hartenstein	12	2	2	0	2	2	1	1	2	2/2	0/1	0/0	0	2
5 Luguentz Dort	22	5	3	1	2	1	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	1/5	0	4
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	51	24	3	0	3	12	4	5	1	8/9	5/16	2/7	0	3
9 Alex Caruso	31	31	2	0	2	1	2	2	2	1/3	3/5	8/14	0	3
11 Isaiah Joe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
3 Jared McCain	18	7	2	0	2	1	2	0	0	0/0	2/3	1/3	0	3
25 Ajay Mitchell	33	4	4	0	4	5	0	2	0	0/0	2/4	0/1	0	5
44 Nikola Topić	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
22 Cason Wallace	28	8	6	3	3	0	1	2	0	0/0	1/1	2/5	0	0
21 Aaron Wiggins	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/3	0	0
6 Jaylin Williams	10	0	3	0	3	0	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1
34 Kenrich Williams	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0

San Antonio Spurs

Stats

30 Julian Champagnie
24 Devin Vassell
1 Victor Wembanyama
5 Stephon Castle
2 Dylan Harper
40 Harrison Barnes
18 Bismack Biyombo
11 Carter Bryant
3 Keldon Johnson
7 Luke Kornet
0 Jordan McLaughlin
8 Kelly Olynyk
22 Mason Plumlee
43 Lindy Waters III

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
30 Julian Champagnie	44	11	9	2	7	1	1	1	2	0/0	1/1	3/11	0	3
24 Devin Vassell	50	13	6	1	5	2	3	1	2	0/0	2/3	3/9	0	2
1 Victor Wembanyama	48	41	24	9	15	3	3	1	3	12/13	13/23	1/2	0	4
5 Stephon Castle	48	17	6	2	4	11	11	1	0	6/7	4/8	1/6	0	3
2 Dylan Harper	46	24	11	1	10	6	1	7	0	7/7	7/13	1/7	0	3
40 Harrison Barnes	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	0
18 Bismack Biyombo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
11 Carter Bryant	13	3	2	0	2	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	1/2	0	2
3 Keldon Johnson	21	13	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2/2	1/3	3/6	0	1
7 Luke Kornet	9	0	3	0	3	1	1	0	0	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	1
0 Jordan McLaughlin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
8 Kelly Olynyk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
22 Mason Plumlee	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
43 Lindy Waters III	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0