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The Oklahoma City Thunder entered Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals having not lost an NBA Playoffs game since Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year.
But they hadn’t faced Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs yet, and the 7-foot-4 big man finished with a remarkable stat line — 41 points, 24 rebounds, three blocks and 12 made free throws — in a thrilling 122-115 double-overtime victory over the series-setting Thunder. FOX Sports recorded Wembanyama with 41 points and 24 rebounds, and the final score of the period confirmed the 122-115 double overtime result.
Like two heavyweights in the final round of a boxing match, haymakers were thrown left and right by the Spurs and Thunder, and Wembanyama had a big hand in that late in the fourth quarter when he drained a turnaround three-pointer with 11.5 seconds left on the clock to give San Antonio a 101-99 lead.
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Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the league’s most valuable player before the series began, came through in the clutch at the opposite end. With 3.1 seconds left in the game, his drive to the basket ended with a game-tying layup to force overtime.
The Spurs built a four-point lead in overtime, but Alex Caruso, who came off the bench to lead the Thunder with 31 points, knocked down his eighth three of Game 1 to cut the lead to one for San Antonio.
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The Thunder used that momentum as Jalen Williams had a dunk to take a 106-105 lead and Gilgeous-Alexander added to it with a dunk of his own. However, “Wemby” was at the center of San Antonio’s late-game response Monday night, and perhaps his most important bucket was a shot from far beyond the arc.
Wembanyama took the ball from Stephon Castle and added to the guard’s assist total with a 27-foot three near the Oklahoma City logo to tie the game at 108 with 27 seconds left. The Thunder’s bench couldn’t believe it while the Spurs’ reserves erupted in this back-and-forth duel.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter of Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Williams couldn’t hit a three-pointer at the other end, and despite making a nice play, Caruso tipped over Dylan Harper’s alley-oop attempt to Castle with just 0.7 seconds left in overtime to keep the score tied.
Needing one more extra period, Wembanyama took the game into his hands. He scored nine points in double overtime as the Spurs tightened up defensively, with Wembanyama and Devin Vassell coming up with key blocks late on.
Castle finished with 11 assists to lead the Spurs in that category, while rookie guard Dylan Harper made key contributions with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a game-high seven steals in the win. The Spurs did all of this without veteran guard De’Aaron Fox, who they hope will be back for Game 2.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket against Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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Williams had 26 points for Oklahoma City, while Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting with 12 assists and five steals.
It’s been a dominant run for the Thunder up to this point, but if this Game 1 is any indication of how this series will turn out, the Western Conference Finals could have a long and dramatic series ahead of them.
