Wembanyama scores 41, Spurs stun Thunder in double-overtime thriller

Victor Wembanyama outdueled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 122-115 double-overtime victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference finals.

Wembanyama scored 41 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in Monday’s game. He forced the second overtime with a stunning three-pointer and scored nine of the Spurs’ 14 points in the second extra period, handing the defending champion Thunder their first loss of the playoffs.

“It was, like, sheer willpower,” Wembanyama, 22, told broadcaster NBC after the game.

The French star played 49 minutes, recording two dunks and a key block late in the second overtime to seal the victory.

With the win at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center, the Spurs took home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series, with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals.

Wembanyama acknowledged that seeing Gilgeous-Alexander receive his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award before the game made the matchup more personal “for sure.”

Wembanyama earned Defensive Player of the Year honors but finished third in the MVP voting announced Sunday.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the sight of Gilgeous-Alexander lifting the MVP trophy “100 per cent” motivated his star.

“He’s competitive,” Johnson said. “If you’re a competitor and you see another competitor get rewarded with what you want…”

But “Wemby” said the main message of the night was that the young Spurs “are ready to go in any environment, in any place, against anybody.”

“And even though we’ve still got a lot to learn, our effort should be over anybody else’s and tonight we were relentless,” he said.

Rookie Dylan Harper, starting in place of injured guard De’Aaron Fox, scored 24 points and recorded seven steals for San Antonio. Stephon Castle added 17 points and 11 assists as the Spurs extended their season-long dominance over the Thunder.

Oklahoma City, attempting to become the first team to repeat as champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, posted a league-best 64 regular-season wins but lost four of five meetings with the Spurs. San Antonio won 62 games to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 24 points, overcoming a slow start to lead the Thunder’s comeback from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Alex Caruso scored 31 points to lead the Thunder, and Jalen Williams returned from a six-game absence due to injury to add 26 points.

Oklahoma City trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter but fought back to tie the game at 99-99 with 33.2 seconds remaining. Wembanyama then spun for a basket to put San Antonio ahead 101-99.

Gilgeous-Alexander tied the game with a layup, and Chet Holmgren blocked Wembanyama’s potential game-winner at the buzzer.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s dunk gave the Thunder a 108-105 lead with 57.6 seconds left in the first overtime.

But Wembanyama drilled a transition three-pointer to tie the game, sending it to a second overtime.

“I know what my teammates are capable of, what we’re capable of as a team when we bring it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s just unfortunate I wasn’t able to bring my best game tonight.”

“But that’s how it goes sometimes … you’ve got to roll with the punches, don’t get discouraged and stay true to who you are,” he added.

The Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns and LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers in the first two rounds, will attempt to bounce back when they host Game 2 on Wednesday. The series will then shift to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Saturday.

The winner of the series will face either the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.