The Western Conference finals opened with an instant classic Monday night, as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in a double-overtime battle to steal home-court advantage and take a 1-0 series lead.
At the center of it all was Victor Wembanyama, who delivered one of the greatest playoff performances in franchise history with 41 points and 24 rebounds. The 22-year-old superstar sealed the victory with two emphatic dunks in the final minute of the second overtime, including a thunderous three-point play that silenced the Oklahoma City crowd and capped a historic night.
Wembanyama became the youngest player ever to record at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who accomplished the feat during the 1970 NBA Finals at 22 years, 343 days old.
San Antonio, playing without injured guard De’Aaron Fox because of ankle stiffness, leaned on its young core throughout the marathon contest. Rookie guard Dylan Harper added 24 points and set a Spurs playoff record with seven steals, while Stephon Castle scored 17 points. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each chipped in 13 points, and Julian Champagnie contributed 11.
The Thunder saw their nine-game playoff winning streak snapped despite a strong effort from several key contributors. Alex Caruso erupted for 31 points off the bench, the second-highest scoring output of his career, while Jalen Williams returned from a six-game absence caused by a hamstring strain to score 26 points.
On the same night he received his second consecutive NBA MVP award, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled through one of the coldest shooting starts of his career. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points and 12 assists but shot just 7-for-23 from the field. He managed only four first-half points on 1-for-5 shooting, marking the first time since Oct. 29, 2023 — a span of 270 appearances including playoffs — that he failed to make at least two field goals before halftime.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama dominated from the opening tip. He attacked the rim relentlessly, dunked over multiple defenders and controlled the glass while energizing the Spurs on both ends. By halftime, he already had 14 points and 10 rebounds as San Antonio carried a 51-44 lead into the locker room.
The Spurs maintained control through much of the second half and led 80-73 entering the fourth quarter. They stretched the margin to 10 points with just over nine minutes remaining in regulation before Oklahoma City stormed back behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams.
The lead changed hands twice and the game was tied three times over the final frantic minutes of regulation. Wembanyama appeared poised to win it at the buzzer, but Chet Holmgren blocked his off-balance attempt to force overtime.
In the first extra session, the Spurs star responded in spectacular fashion. With San Antonio trailing late, Wembanyama buried a deep game-tying 3-pointer from well beyond the arc with 28 seconds remaining to force a second overtime.
Wembanyama dominated the second overtime period with his rim protection, rebounding and late-game finishing, while Harper’s defense disrupted Oklahoma City’s offense at every critical moment. San Antonio ultimately closed the game on a decisive run to secure its fifth win in six meetings against the Thunder this season.
The game marked just the sixth Game 1 in NBA playoff history to go to double overtime and the first since a Spurs-Warriors postseason matchup in 2013.
Game 2 of the Western Conference finals is set for Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.
