Wenbanyama scored 41 points as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals.
Published May 19, 2026
Victor Wembaneyama defeated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, leading the San Antonio Spurs to an epic 122-115 victory in double overtime over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wenbanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds in Monday’s thrilling game. He made a spectacular 3-pointer to force a second overtime, scoring nine of the Spurs’ 14 points in the second overtime, and San Antonio handed the defending champion Thunder their first playoff loss.
“It was like pure willpower,” Wenbanyama, 22, told broadcaster NBC after the match.
The French star played 49 minutes and clinched the victory with two dunks and a key block late in the second overtime period.
The victory at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City gave the Spurs home court advantage in a best-of-seven series that sends the winner to the NBA Finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander MVP motivates Wenbanyama
Wembaneyama admitted the matchup “definitely” became personal after watching Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander win his second consecutive Most Valuable Player trophy before the game.
He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors but finished third in MVP voting announced Sunday.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said watching Gilgeous-Alexander hoist the MVP award “100 percent” motivated the star.
“He’s competitive,” Johnson said. “If you’re a competitor and you see another competitor getting what you want…”
But ‘Wenby’ said the main message of the night was that the young Spurs were “ready to fight in any environment, in any location, against anyone”.
“And we still have a lot to learn, but our effort should be better than anyone else’s, and tonight we were relentless.”
For San Antonio, rookie Dylan Harper, who started in place of injured De’Aaron Fox, had 24 points and seven steals. Stephon Castle added 17 points and 11 assists as the Spurs extended their season advantage over the Thunder.
Oklahoma City, seeking to become the first team since Golden State in 2017 and 2018 to win back-to-back championships, amassed a league-best 64 regular-season wins, but dropped four of five against the Spurs, who won 62 regular-season games and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 24 points and was key for the Thunder as they looked to erase a slow start and recover from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
“I didn’t play my best game.”
Alex Caruso led the Thunder with 31 points, and Jaylen Williams returned from a six-game injury absence with 26 points.
Oklahoma City trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder fought back and Wenbanyama spun for a basket with 33.2 seconds left to give San Antonio a 101-99 lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander then tied it with a layup and Chet Holmgren stopped Wembaneyama’s potential game-winning run at the buzzer.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s dunk with 57.6 seconds left in the first overtime gave the Thunder a 108-105 lead.
However, Wenbanyama made a transition 3-pointer to tie the game and send the game into a second overtime session.
“I know what my teammates can do and what we can do as a team,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t play our best game tonight.
“But sometimes it happens… You have to work hard at everything, not get discouraged, and just be who you are.”
After dominating the Phoenix Suns and LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers in the first two rounds, the Thunder will look to bounce back by hosting Game 2 on Wednesday before the series moves to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Saturday.
The winner of the series will face either the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
