It was a battle all night long but the San Antonio Spurs finally emerged victorious 122-115 over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The San Antonio Spurs rode into the Paycom Center Monday looking to do what no team had been able to so far this postseason: Beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. It took some extra time but the Spurs did just that with a 122-115 victory.
San Antonio started the matchup in blazing fashion, scoring the first 10 points following the opening tip. The Thunder rolled back into it throughout the opening quarter, even taking the lead before both teams ended knotted at 27.
The second quarter saw the Spurs and Thunder trade blows before San Antonio grabbed a seven-point lead late and took that cushion into the locker room. That proved to be the storyline for the rest of the game, as the Spurs kept going out in front just for OKC to roar back.
With time ticking down, Victor Wembanyama fought through the lane and laid in a tough go-ahead shot. Not to be outdone, Shai Gligeous-Alexander ran the baseline to tie things up with 3.1 to go. Looking for the win, Wemby had his shot swatted by Chet Holmgren.
In the extra period, the slugfest continued. San Antonio took an early lead before a 7-0 run put the Thunder in front by three. Wembanyama then drained a deep three to equalize the heavyweight fight again. Jalen Williams tried a three-pointer of his own with no luck. With things all knotted at 108, it moved to double-overtime.
Wemby took over in double-overtime, as he went for the final five points for San Antonio to put the thrilling game on ice after a marathon at the Paycom Center.
Outside of the late-game heroics, Wembanyama was an absolute force for the Spurs, as the superstar tallied a double-double before halftime. He went on to finish with 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks. It was his seventh double-double of the postseason and fourth of 20 points or more. Wemby's 41 points were his highest of the playoffs so far.
Cementing his status as the No. 2 in San Antonio, Stephon Castle surged to the tune of 17 points and 11 assists. While the usual duo of Wemby and Castle met the moment, there were some unsung heroes that stepped up on the biggest stage.
With De'Aaron Fox taking the night off to nurse an ankle sprain, rookie Dylan Harper slid into the starting lineup. He continued to be a powerhouse in the playoffs for the Spurs, as he arguably has been the biggest breakout for San Antonio this postseason, despite spending most of his minutes off the bench.
In his first career playoff start, Harper notched 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals. Alongside Harper, Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson tacked on another 13 points in relief. It was a massive showcase of the rotation San Antonio has to rival the notorious lineup of Oklahoma City.
Speaking of the depth of the Thunder, they had a huge night from an unconventional player of their own. Alex Caruso nearly single-handily kept the Thunder in the matchup, scoring 10 of their first 12 points. He heated back up late to lead all Thunder scorers with 31 points off the bench, which included a game-high eight three-pointers.
Freshly minted two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander began slow but rounded into form as the matchup weathered on. He finished with a solid 24 points and 12 assists, which is an acceptable performance to surrender by the Spurs defense.
Meanwhile, Williams shouldered much of the load for the Thunder. In his first game back from an injury suffered in round one against Phoenix, he did not miss a beat and had 26 points to finish second amongst Oklahoma City scorers.
The Spurs did the unimaginable by not only defeating the Thunder but doing it inside their own building. San Antonio now holds the 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, with home-court advantage potentially on the side of the Spurs. However, there are still plenty of games left to go, as San Antonio and Oklahoma City will square off again on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. to wrap up the opening stint at the Paycom Center.
