Spurs snap Thunder’s playoff win streak, win Game 1 in double OT thriller

The noise inside Paycom Center was deafening long before tipoff. Thunder fans arrived expecting the defending NBA champions to make another statement. Oklahoma City had spent the season looking untouchable, rolling through the Western Conference behind back-to-back MVP guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the league’s deepest roster. Across the floor stood a young San Antonio Spurs squad that many believed was simply happy to be ‘ahead of schedule’.

By the end of Monday night, the Spurs had changed the conversation entirely.

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Behind a legendary performance from Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs outlasted the Thunder 122-115 in double overtime to steal Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and home-court advantage along with it.

For nearly three hours, the game swung wildly between chaos and brilliance. Every time Oklahoma City appeared ready to seize control, the Spurs answered. And every time the crowd erupted, Wembanyama quieted it.

The 7-foot-4 superstar delivered the type of playoff performance that instantly becomes part of franchise history: 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks while playing nearly 49 exhausting minutes. He scored inside, stretched the floor from deep and protected the rim as if he were everywhere at once.

And when San Antonio needed him most, he became unstoppable. Late in the first overtime, with the Thunder threatening to finally pull away, Wembanyama buried a massive three-pointer that resembled Stephen Curry, stunning the arena into silence. It was the kind of shot championship players make: fearless, timely and crushing for the opponent on the other side.

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“He has a rare desire to step into every moment that’s in front of him. He has some rare God given ability,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said of his star player after the game.

But this wasn’t a one-man effort.

Without De’Aaron Fox, who missed the game with an ankle injury, the Spurs needed someone else to embrace the moment. Rookie guard Dylan Harper not only started, but he answered the call. Making his first playoff start, Harper attacked Oklahoma City’s defense without hesitation. He…

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Publish date : 2026-05-19 04:49:00

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