Spurs edge Thunder in overtime to open Western finals
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The San Antonio Spurs erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit and outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in overtime on Monday, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference finals at Paycom Center.
Victor Wembanyama dominated the opener with 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks, capping his night with two late dunks and a decisive rejection at the other end. The rookie center’s performance upstaged Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who received the league’s MVP trophy during a pregame ceremony.
Oklahoma City forced the extra period when Chet Holmgren blocked Wembanyama’s potential game-winner at the end of regulation. In the first overtime, Gilgeous-Alexander slipped through traffic for a dunk over Wembanyama that put the Thunder up three, but the 7-foot-4 Spur answered by draining a pull-up three from near the logo to tie the score. San Antonio owned the second overtime, closing the game with a string of defensive stops and interior baskets.
Game 2 set for Wednesday
The series stays in Oklahoma City for Game 2 on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock).
Key numbers from Game 1
- Holmgren finished with eight points on 2-for-7 shooting. The All-Star big man averaged just 10.5 points against San Antonio in the regular season but posted 18.6 points on 60% shooting over the first two playoff rounds.
- The Thunder shot 37.2% from the field and 27.3% from three in the first half despite creating numerous open looks. They entered the series ranked third in postseason three-point accuracy (38.4%).
- Spurs rookie Stephon Castle committed 11 turnovers, including three in the fourth quarter and two in overtime. San Antonio still turned the ball over only eight other times.
- With veteran guard De’Aaron Fox sidelined by a high right ankle sprain, coach Gregg Popovich started rookies Castle and Dylan Harper. Their average starting lineup age of 22 years, 346 days was the youngest in conference-finals history.
- Wembanyama attempted just two threes on 25 shots, emphasizing post play to exploit size mismatches. During the season he averaged eight threes per 25 attempts.
Eastern matchup on deck
In the East, the No. 3 seed New York Knicks await the Cleveland Cavaliers after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers. Cleveland advanced by defeating the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in seven games. Dates for that series had not been announced as of Monday night.
San Antonio and Oklahoma City resume their best-of-seven clash Wednesday with the Spurs looking to extend their lead and the Thunder aiming to regain shooting rhythm in front of their home crowd.
Source: ESPN
