Spurs center Victor Wembanyama watched from the bench before Monday night’s game in Oklahoma City as league commissioner Adam Silver awarded Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander his second straight NBA Most Valuable Player award. Voters placed Wembanyama third in voting, but the Spurs’ star ultimately outperformed the MVP in Game 1 and questioned the validity of the award with a career-defining 41-point, 24-rebound performance. The superstar Frenchman produced play after play late in the game to cement the Spurs’ 122-115 double-overtime victory that spoiled Gilgeous-Alexander’s celebration night.
The Spurs were 11 seconds away from a victory in regulation after Wembanyama backed his way to the rim and sank a floater to put San Antonio up by two points. Gilgeous-Alexander answered quickly with a drive to tie the game and forced an extra period of play after Thunder forward Chet Holmgren blocked Wembanyama at the buzzer.
The play of the game, and of Wembanyama’s young career, came at the end of the first overtime period, as the Spurs trailed Oklahoma City by three points with 30 seconds left. The 7-foot-5 Wembanyama calmly stepped into a three-pointer from five feet behind the arc and sank the bomb to tie the game and silence the raucous crowd. The Thunder never led again, as Wembanyama guided the Spurs through double overtime with nine points, including two dunks in the final minute. With the victory, the Spurs delivered the defending champions their first loss of this year’s playoffs and obtained an early home-court advantage in the franchise’s first Western Conference finals appearance since 2017.
San Antonio faced a pregame setback, as starting point guard De’Aaron Fox was sidelined an hour before the game with right ankle soreness. The Spurs instead fielded the youngest starting lineup in Western Conference finals history with rookie guard Dylan Harper starting. The second-overall pick from last year’s draft out of Rutgers University, Harper stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals. The steals total was the highest-ever in a playoff game for the Spurs.
The Spurs were aided by an off-night from the award-winner Gilgeous-Alexander, who shot 7-for-23 from the field, but veteran guard Alex Caruso put up 31 points to lead the Thunder’s scorers. The Spurs implemented a strategy that focused the defensive attention on Gilgeous-Alexander’s inside scoring and left shooters open on the perimeter. Caruso thrived with the increased space, shooting 8-for-14 from behind the arc. The 6-foot-5 guard also guarded Wembanyama in the paint, contributing to the ease of Wembanyama’s game-sealing dunks in double overtime. Spurs guard Stephon Castle delivered entry passes with pinpoint accuracy while Wembanyama elevated directly over the shorter Caruso.
The Spurs will have just one day off in Oklahoma City before Game 2, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Paycom Center.
