Thunder Opens Season With 116-104 Win Over Spurs Behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

NBA Opening Night as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has Big Night

The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their NBA season with a statement victory, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 on Tuesday night behind 32 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder got an early measure of revenge against the team that ended their title defense dreams last season, controlling most of the contest before holding off a second-half push from San Antonio.

Jared McCain added 20 points while shooting 6-for-8 from 3-point range as Oklahoma City led for all but the opening five minutes. The Thunder established control with a dominant second quarter, building a 21-point halftime advantage before San Antonio rallied to make the game competitive in the second half.

For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama endured a difficult night, finishing with 12 points while making just 1 of 13 shots from the field. Despite the disappointing shooting performance, San Antonio showed resilience after falling behind by as many as 26 points, briefly threatening to turn the game around before Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain helped Oklahoma City regain control.

Thunder Take Control After Heated Second Quarter Scuffle

The rivalry between Oklahoma City and San Antonio showed little sign of cooling off after nearly five months apart. The teams last met May 30, when the Spurs defeated the Thunder 111-103 in Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, ending the Thunder’s hopes of defending their championship.

Emotions boiled over three minutes into the second quarter when De’Aaron Fox received a Flagrant 1 foul for throwing Chet Holmgren to the floor after the two became entangled in the paint. The collision sparked a major scrum involving players from both teams, with Wembanyama and Jaylin Williams needing to be separated after pushing each other. Wembanyama, Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams each received technical fouls for their involvement in the altercation.

Oklahoma City responded by taking command of the game. The Thunder scored nine consecutive points following the confrontation, with Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams combining for five points during the run. Harrison Barnes stopped the surge with a 3-pointer, but Oklahoma City quickly answered with 13 straight points, capped by a Cason Wallace 3-pointer that extended the lead to 59-33. The Thunder outscored the Spurs 31-16 in the second quarter and carried a commanding 65-44 advantage into halftime.

Wembanyama Struggles as Spurs Rally in Second Half

Wembanyama struggled to find his shooting touch throughout the night, missing his first 12 attempts from the field. His difficult stretch included an alley-oop attempt that was blocked by 7-foot-3 rookie Aday Mara.

The Spurs star finally connected on an alley-oop from Fox as time expired in the third quarter, accounting for his only made field goal of the game. His 1-for-13 shooting performance marked his fewest made field goals since he went 2-for-5 against Minnesota on May 10.

San Antonio nevertheless found life after halftime, opening the third quarter with a 23-9 run to cut a deficit that had reached 26 points to single digits. The Spurs’ surge put pressure on Oklahoma City and briefly threatened to change the momentum of the season opener.

Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain answered when their team needed them most, combining for 25 points in the second half to keep the Thunder in front and prevent San Antonio from completing the comeback. Oklahoma City’s ability to respond to the Spurs’ rally underscored the team’s offensive depth and composure in a matchup that carried the intensity of a playoff game.

Next Basketball Games for the Thunder and Spurs

Oklahoma City will look to carry its winning momentum into Thursday night’s home matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder began their title defense with a victory over a familiar postseason rival, setting an early tone for the season.

San Antonio will attempt to bounce back Friday night when the Spurs host the Houston Rockets in Austin. After reaching the Western Conference finals last season, the Spurs will have an early opportunity to regroup following a difficult shooting night from Wembanyama and a second-quarter collapse that proved too costly to overcome.