The San Antonio Spurs stole Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City on Monday night, beating the top-seeded Thunder 122-115 in a double-overtime classic powered by a Victor Wembanyama performance the ESPN broadcast team struggled to find words for.
Wembanyama finished with 41 points, 24 rebounds, nine of them on the offensive glass, three blocks and a career-high 45 minutes played. Alex Caruso, the converted-Spur and former Thunder defensive ace, dropped 31 points one shy of his nine-year career best in a losing effort, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander never found his rhythm and shot 7-of-23 from the field.
"Bill Russell type numbers here. Wilt Chamberlain type numbers," the ESPN call said as the final buzzer sounded. "Welcome to the Western Conference Finals. But you are being treated to an epic show by one of the greatest young players in our game."
The defining sequence came in the final 60 seconds of the second overtime. With San Antonio nursing a four-point lead, Wembanyama swatted Cason Wallace at the rim, then on the next trip up the floor finished a high lob from Castle for the dagger.
"He's unbelievable, folks. He's unbelievable," the ESPN broadcast called as Wembanyama hung on the rim. "A 41-point night in Game 1. And Stephon Castle, his 11th dime of the evening as well."
With the Thunder needing a stop and a quick score down six, Jalen Williams attacked the rim only to be engulfed at the cup by Wembanyama again. The shot clock died on the swat. Williams was returning from a 25-day hamstring layoff and the Thunder were playing their first game since sweeping the Lakers; the rust showed.
Wembanyama's wingspan, measured at 11 feet six inches, allowed him to alter shots that defenders never thought he could reach, and the Spurs leaned on it all night. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the previous youngest player to record a 40-20 game in a conference final. Wembanyama, at 22, joined him.
ESPN's sideline reporter relayed the moment on the bench when George Kittle, the 49ers All-Pro tight end and self-described Thunder fan, was asked what he had just watched. "Have you ever seen anything like Wemby young?" the broadcast asked. Kittle's answer was a single word: "Never."
Gilgeous-Alexander struggled all night with foul trouble and a Spurs defense that funnelled him into Wembanyama at the rim. The reigning MVP missed 16 of 23 attempts and rarely got his patented mid-range game going. Caruso did all he could, leading the Thunder with 31 on 11-of-19 shooting, but Oklahoma City could not generate enough secondary scoring after Williams (12 points on shaky efficiency) shook off the rust.
The Spurs are now favourites in a series they came in as underdogs. They won the regular-season series 4-1 against Oklahoma City, including a stretch of three wins in 12 days in March that Spurs coach Mitch Johnson had told reporters "feels like a lifetime ago" before tip-off. Coach Johnson, channelling Gregg Popovich, had said San Antonio would arrive in Oklahoma City "with the appropriate fear." The Spurs played that way, then went a step further.
Game 2 is in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. The Thunder, who had not lost in these playoffs, now face the very real prospect of going down 0-2 at home to a team that has not been bothered by their building all year.
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*Originally published on [NBA News Global](https://nbanews.global/article/wembanyama-41-24-spurs-thunder-double-overtime-game-1-wcf-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
