Victor Wembanyama scored 41 points and grabbed 24 rebounds, leading 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.
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Victor Wembanyama outduelled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead the San Antonio Spurs to an epic 122-115 double-overtime triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder in game one of the NBA Western Conference finals.
Wembanyama scored 41 points and pulled down 24 rebounds in the thrilling game on Monday. He forced the second overtime with a dazzling three-pointer and delivered nine of the Spurs’ 14 points in the second overtime as San Antonio handed the defending champion Thunder their first defeat of these playoffs.
“It was, like, sheer willpower,” 22-year-old Wembanyama told broadcaster NBC after the game.
The French star played 49 minutes, producing a pair of dunks and a crucial block late in the second overtime to seal the victory.
With the triumph at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center, the Spurs stole home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series that will send the winner to the NBA Finals.
Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama celebrate after the game [Jesse D Garrabrant/Getty Images via AFP]
Wembanyama admitted the sight of Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander receiving his second straight Most Valuable Player trophy before the game made the clash more personal “for sure”.
Victor Wembanyama scored 41 points in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The final score of Game 1 was 122-115 in favor of the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs won by outscoring the Thunder in double overtime, with Wembanyama contributing crucial points and a key block.
This victory gives the Spurs home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series, increasing their chances of advancing to the NBA Finals.
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He earned Defensive Player of the Year honours but finished third in the MVP voting announced on Sunday.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the sight of Gilgeous-Alexander lifting the MVP award “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.”
Rookie Dylan Harper, starting in place of injured De’Aaron Fox, scored 24 points and snagged seven steals for San Antonio. Stephon Castle added 17 points and 11 assists as the Spurs extended their season dominance of the Thunder.
Oklahoma City, trying to become the first team to repeat as champions since Golden State in 2017 and 2018, piled up a league-best 64 regular-season wins but dropped four of five contests against the Spurs – who won 62 regular-season games to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to 24 points, shaking off a sluggish start to key the Thunder’s bid to rally from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder [Morgan Givens/Getty Images via AFP]
Alex Caruso scored 31 points to lead the Thunder and Jalen Williams returned from a six-game injury absence to score 26.
Oklahoma City trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder clawed back and it was knotted at 99-99 with 33.2 seconds left when Wembanyama spun in for a basket that put San Antonio up 101-99.
Gilgeous-Alexander then tied it up with a layup and Chet Holmgren blocked Wembanyama’s potential game-winner at the buzzer.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s dunk put the Thunder up 108-105 with 57.6 seconds left in the first overtime.
But Wembanyama drilled a transition three-pointer to tie it, and they went to the second extra session.
“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.”
The Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns and LeBron James’s Los Angeles Lakers in the first two rounds, will try to bounce back when they host game two on Wednesday before the series shifts to San Antonio for games three and four on Friday and Saturday.
The winner of the series will face either the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.