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The Oklahoma City Thunder reached Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals without losing an NBA Playoff game since Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year.
But they had yet to face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, 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 double-overtime victory, 122-115, over the Thunder to set the tone for this series. FOX Sports listed Wembanyama with 41 points and 24 rebounds, and the final score of the period confirmed the 122-115 score in double overtime.
Like two heavyweights in the final round of a boxing match, the Spurs and Thunder threw hay left and right, and Wembanyama had a big hand late in the fourth quarter when he hit a 3-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 during 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 league MVP before the start of the series, came out ahead on the opposite end. With 3.1 seconds left in the game, his run to the basket ended with a tying layup to force overtime.
The Spurs took a four-point lead into overtime, but Alex Caruso, who came off the bench and led the Thunder with 31 points, hit his eighth 3-pointer of Game 1 to cut the lead to one for San Antonio.
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The Thunder built on that momentum, as Jalen Williams dunked for a 106-105 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander added another dunk. “Wemby,” however, was at the center of San Antonio’s late-game response Monday night, and perhaps his biggest basket was a shot from well beyond the arc.
Wembanyama took the ball from Stephon Castle and added to the guard’s assist total with a 27-foot 3-pointer near the Oklahoma City logo to tie the game at 108 apiece with 27 seconds left. The Thunder bench couldn’t believe it, as the Spurs’ reserves exploded 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 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Williams couldn’t make a 3-pointer at the other end, and despite making a great play, Caruso knocked down Dylan Harper’s alley-oop attempt toward Castle with just 0.7 seconds left in overtime to keep the score where it was.
Needing one more extra time, Wembanyama took the game into his own 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.
Castle finished with 11 assists to lead the Spurs in that category, while rookie guard Dylan Harper made vital contributions with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals in the win. The Spurs were doing all of this without veteran guard De’Aaron Fox, who they expect to return 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 1 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 scored 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 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.
