Victor Wembanyama shone brightly as he propelled the San Antonio Spurs to an exhilarating Game 1 triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
The Spurs emerged victorious against the defending NBA champions with a 122-115 win after a grueling double overtime on Monday night, taking the lead in the series.
The standout performance came from their towering 7-foot-4 French sensation, who dazzled with a remarkable 41 points and 24 rebounds over an exhausting 49 minutes on the court.
During a post-game interview on NBC, his teammate Stephon Castle interrupted to boldly proclaim Wembanyama as “the best player in the f***ing world.”
“It was a great effort from everyone,” remarked Wembanyama, who made history by becoming the youngest player, at 22 years and 134 days, to achieve at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game.
Wembanyama secured the win for the Spurs with two decisive dunks in the final minute, including one that resulted in a three-point play, as the Spurs captured home-court advantage and bested the Thunder for the fifth time out of six encounters this season.
A dominant Victor Wembanyama lifted the Spurs to an epic Game 1 victory over the Thunder
The Spurs beat the reigning NBA champions 122-115 on Monday night to put themselves ahead
The French prodigy put up 41 points and 24 rebounds across a draining 49 minutes of play
Dylan Harper finished with 24 points and a team playoff-record seven steals, while Castle had 17 points, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each scored 13 and Julian Champagnie added 11 for the Spurs, who were without De´Aaron Fox because of ankle stiffness.
Alex Caruso scored 31 points, the second-highest scoring game of his career, off the bench for the Thunder – whose nine-game playoff winning streak dating to Game 7 of last season’s Finals was snapped.
Jalen Williams returned from a six-game absence caused by a hamstring strain and scored 26 points for the Thunder, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – on the night he got his second straight Most Valuable Player trophy – had 24 points and 12 assists but shot seven for 23.
It was the sixth Game 1 in NBA playoff history to go into double overtime – the first since a Spurs-Warriors game in 2013. And as the clock ticked toward midnight, Wembanyama decided enough was enough.
Game 2 is Wednesday at Oklahoma City.
‘It was a war of wills,’ Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. ‘The levels of mental toughness exuded by both teams … we needed every second from everybody that played.’
The Spurs were up by 10 with 9:10 left in regulation, wasted it all, then survived a frantic final stretch where the lead changed hands twice and the game was tied three times in a span of less than two minutes.
Wembanyama had an off-balance chance to win it on the last play of regulation, but Chet Holmgren swatted it away. In overtime, Wembanyama more than atoned – connecting on a tying 3-pointer from well behind the arc with 28 seconds left to tie the game and send it to a second OT.
‘We have to get better from this game,’ Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
It was a chastening night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after he was handed his MVP award
Wembanyama was mobbed by his teammates after coming up clutch in double overtime
Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst first half, shooting-wise, in nearly three years – one for five from the field, four points.
It was the first time since October 29, 2023, a span of 270 appearances including playoffs, that he didn’t have at least two field goals before halftime.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama was doing whatever he wanted – dunking over trios of defenders, flexing at times, finishing the half with 14 points and 10 rebounds, looking perfectly comfortable in his debut on this stage.
And the Spurs’ lead was only seven at the break, 51-44.
Gilgeous-Alexander got a couple shots to fall in the third, and the Thunder even briefly reclaimed the lead. But the Spurs were unfazed and the margin was still seven. San Antonio was ahead 80-73 going into the fourth.
