Wembanyama’s 41 lift Spurs past Thunder in double-OT opener

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in double overtime on Monday in Oklahoma City to take a 1-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference finals. Victor Wembanyama powered the Spurs with 41 points and 24 rebounds in 49 minutes, driving decisive stretches in both extra periods and sealing a statement road win.

The result flips home-court advantage to San Antonio in the best-of-seven series. Wembanyama forced a second overtime with a deep three-pointer and scored nine of the Spurs’ 14 points in the final extra session, adding a late block as the visitors closed it out.

Rookie guard Dylan Harper added 24 points and seven steals for San Antonio, while Stephon Castle contributed 17 points and 11 assists. The victory is the defending champion Thunder’s first playoff defeat of this postseason.

Wembanyama dominates the clutch stretches

Oklahoma City erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to reach overtime. In the final minute of regulation, Wembanyama finished at the rim for a brief Spurs lead before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied it, and Chet Holmgren blocked Wembanyama’s potential winner at the horn. The Thunder edged ahead late in the first overtime, but Wembanyama answered with a transition three to extend the game again.

Wembanyama, this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, faced newly crowned MVP Gilgeous-Alexander in a marquee duel. The 22-year-old Frenchman punctuated his night with a pair of emphatic finishes and a key block in the second overtime as San Antonio outlasted the West’s top seed on its floor.

Thunder suffer their first loss of these playoffs

Alex Caruso led Oklahoma City with 31 points, while Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24. Jalen Williams returned from a six-game injury absence to score 26, helping the Thunder recover from their late deficit before fading in the second overtime.

Oklahoma City posted a league-best 64 wins in the regular season and swept its first two playoff series, but has now dropped four of five meetings to San Antonio this season. The Spurs, who won 62 regular-season games to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019, continued that head-to-head edge with timely shot-making and defense in the clutch.

The opener also carried symbolic weight: Gilgeous-Alexander received his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony, while Wembanyama, who finished third in that voting, reinforced his rapid rise with a dominant postseason performance on the road.

Game two is scheduled for Wednesday in Oklahoma City before the series shifts to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Saturday. The winner will face either the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.