The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs with little challenge and without a loss.
But they didn’t face anything like Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
A Spurs team that beat the Thunder four times in five regular-season games smothered OKC’s normally potent offense for most of regulation Monday night, then held on in a 122-115 double-overtime thriller to secure Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
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Wembanyama posted a monster game with 41 points, 24 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks while playing 49 minutes, the most of his basketball career. And he wasn’t out of gas at the end.
Wembanyama pulled up for a fearless deep 3 in the final minute of the first overtime to send the game to the second extra session after the Thunder had stolen momentum.
He then dominated the second overtime to ensure San Antonio would not leave Game 1 without a win. He iced the win with a late and-1 dunk over his personal rival, Chet Holmgren.
That dunk countered Holmgren’s late block in regulation of a would-be game-winner from Wembanyama that sent the game to overtime.
Ultimately Holmgren’s block just delayed the inevitable as Wembanyama ensured the Spurs would not leave Game 1 without a win.
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He closed out the game with another dunk and a late block to put the finishing touches on the wild victory. On the heels of a season in which he broke out to match and perhaps even exceed the enormous expectations in the NBA, this was his best performance yet.
And the Thunder’s effort to secure a second straight NBA championship is officially on notice.
Wemby joins Hall of Fame list
Wembanyama’s effort Monday night put him in elite company. Per Stathead, his 40-20 effort is the seventh in NBA history in the conference finals or beyond, putting him alongside Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charles Barkley, Moses Malone, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal.
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He’s also the youngest player to post 40-20 in playoff history and the first Spur to do so since David Robinson. He did it all on a night when he watched commissioner Adam Silver hand the MVP trophy to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pregame.
“I still got a lot to learn and I feel like I want to get that trophy many times in my career,” Wembanyama told reporters after the game.
‘He has a rare desire’
Head coach Mitch Johnson, meanwhile, sang Wembanyama’s praises.
“He has a rare desire to step into every moment that’s in front of him,” Johnson told reporters. “I think he’s showed in his three years in a lot of different situations and a lot of different circumstances that he is going to attack those moments.”
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Wembanyama’s counting stats and late-game heroics don’t tell the whole story. For most of the night, a normally potent Thunder offense had little answer for San Antonio’s defense, which forced Oklahoma City into one of its worst offensive efforts of the season.
Wemby anchored smothering Spurs defense
The Spurs jumped out to an early 12-3 lead, not allowing a Thunder bucket until an Alex Caruso 3 with 8:46 remaining in the first quarter. Caruso and Jalen Williams were the only reliable sources of Oklahoma City offense early as the Spurs flustered Gilgeous-Alexander and erased Holmgren as an offensive threat.
Holmgren didn’t attempt a field goal until a corner 3 in the final minute of the first half. He and Gilgeous-Alexander combined for nine first-half points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.
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Both picked up their efforts after halftime, and OKC rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime. But San Antonio’s defense ultimately proved too much to overcome.
Victor Wembanyama posted a performance for the ages after watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accept the MVP trophy.
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
Thunder players were repeatedly wary of Wembanyama’s length when they got near the basket. And Oklahoma City’s All-Stars largely had a night to forget. Gilgeous-Alexander double-doubled with 24 points and 12 assists. But he shot 7 of 23 from the field in an uncharacteristic inefficient night.
Holmgren shot just 2 of 7 from the field while largely matched up with Wembanyama and finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
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Caruso (31 points, 8 of 14 from 3) and Williams (26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) kept the Thunder afloat Monday night as Oklahoma City shot 40.6% from the field and turned the ball over 14 times.
The Thunder built their championship brand on defense and led the NBA in defensive rating during the regular season. But it’s the Spurs who are leading that category in the playoffs.
Wemby wasn’t alone
The Spurs started the game with bad news out of the gate when All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox was a late scratch with a lingering ankle injury. That meant standout rookie Dylan Harper would start after making just four starts during the regular season.
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The No. 2 pick out of Rutgers met the moment. Harper was San Antonio’s second-leading scorer and finished the game with his own monster line, posting 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals with just 1 turnover.
He repeatedly leveraged his 6-6 frame to overpower outmatched defenders at the rim.
And he joins Barkley, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Anthony Roberts as just the fifth rookie in NBA history to post a 20-point double-double in the conference finals.
Fox’s status for Game 2 Wednesday night and beyond is unclear, but Harper’s earned his minutes moving forward whether in the starting lineup or off the bench.
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And thanks largely to Harper and Wembanyama, the Spurs will return to San Antonio for Game 3 having stolen home-court advantage regardless of Wednesday’s result.
But there’s nothing about this team that suggests it will be satisfied with a 1-1 split in Oklahoma City.
Live coverage is over42 updatesMon, May 18, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
Jason Owens
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:46 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Game 2 of the series is set for Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. It’s going to be hard to live up to these expectations…
WCF Game 2
Thunder vs. Spurs
When: Wednesday, May 20 | 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Paycom Center | Oklahoma City
TV: NBC
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:44 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Victor Wembanyama had a wild night. He finished with 41 points and 24 rebounds, which made him just the seventh player in league history to record a 40-20 game in a conference finals or later.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:43 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Finally, we’re done here. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs have survived a long, all-timer in Oklahoma City to grab the early 1-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
What a start to this series.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:38 PM PDT
Ryan Young
After a Jalen Williams 3 at the other end, Victor Wembanyama just dunked through Chet Holmgren and drew the foul.
That put the Spurs back up by four with 61 seconds left.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:33 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Dylan Harper just took a huge shot to the face there after making a layup, and remained down for quite some time holding his nose.
It was reviewed, but deemed accidental. Harper did hit the free throw, however, so the Spurs are up by four with 2:04 left.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:30 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Wemby just threw down an easy dunk to open the second overtime. He’s already well over 44 minutes played, which is a career-high for him in the regular season or postseaosn.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:25 PM PDT
Ryan Young
What’s five more minutes? We’re headed to the second overtime, tied up 108-108.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:21 PM PDT
Ryan Young
My god, Wemby. He just pulled up from the logo, and we’re suddenly tied up again.
What. A. Shot.
We’ve got 26.3 seconds left.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:17 PM PDT
Ryan Young
The Spurs scored the first four in the extra period, but Alex Caruso hit a 3 and then Jalen Williams broke open a fast break dunk to send the Thunder out in front.
This game isn’t slowing down. We’ve got about 90 seconds left.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:09 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Chet Holmgren just blocked Victor Wembanyama at the buzzer! What incredible timing.
Let’s go to OT.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:06 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Well, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just did the same thing. He drove past Stephon Castle and got the layup to fall.
We’re tied again with 3.1 to go.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:05 PM PDT
Ryan Young
After SGA tied the game up again from the stripe, Victor Wembanyama took the game into his own hands. He just backed Jalen Williams down and dropped in a bucket perfectly.
They’ve got a 2-point lead with about 11 seconds left.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 8:01 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Dylan Harper sank a pair of free throws after a brutal foul from Chet Holmgren — the Thunder nearly forced a shot clock violation before the foul — and the Spurs are up by two with 37 seconds left.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 7:56 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Right away after taking a huge hit from Victor Wembanyama, Alex Caruso drains a 3.
The Thunder are back in the lead with 90 seconds left.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 7:56 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Victor Wembanyama just lowered his shoulder and rolled right into Alex Caruso and landed on top of him. That sparked a review with just two minutes left.
It was a quick review, and only a common foul.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 7:50 PM PDT
Ryan Young
The Thunder are right back in this thing. After a 9-2 run, the Spurs’ lead has been cut to just three with 3:52 left.
Here we go…
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 7:44 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Well here comes SGA. He just got around Victor Wembanyama and managed to convert a huge and-one. If he makes the free throw, we’ve got a four point game.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 7:32 PM PDT
Ryan Young
The Spurs aren’t slowing down, and keep pushing their lead back to double digits every time the Thunder look like they’re about to make a move.
With about 8 minutes left on the clock, OKC is running out of time here…
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 7:25 PM PDT
Jason Owens
The Thunder didn’t capitalize on the non-Wemby minutes, and he re-entered the game with San Antonio holding a 70-67 lead.
From there, the Spurs finished the third quarter on a 10-6 run and will enter the fourth quarter with an 80-73 lead. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has just 10 points. OKC needs a big fourth quarter from its MVP to mount a rally.
Mon, May 18, 2026 at 7:11 PM PDT
Jason Owens
The Spurs answered the Thunder run and are back on top, 66-63. Can they maintain their advantage while Wemby’s on the bench? The Thunder need to take advantage when Wemby’s out of the game.