OKLAHOMA CITY – When the first overtime ended with the Spurs trailing by three and 27 seconds left, Victor Wembanyama walked to the top of the arc and buried a 28-foot bomb to force double overtime. That shot, planted near the OKC logo, was the night in a nutshell.
San Antonio outlasted Oklahoma City 122-115 in two overtimes Sunday to open the Western Conference Finals with a win, as Wembanyama finished with 41 points, 24 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks in 49 minutes. At 22 years and 134 days old, he became the youngest player in NBA history to post 40-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a playoff game – and the second player ever, alongside Wilt Chamberlain, to do it in a Conference Finals debut.
A Rookie Co-Pilot Who Stole the Show
Dylan Harper was equally absurd. The rookie finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals – the last figure a conference finals record for a rookie. He became the first player since Larry Bird to post a 20-10-5-5 line in a Conference Finals game, and the first rookie since Magic Johnson in 1980 to record at least 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals in a single playoff game.
Harper’s seven steals – in a Conference Finals game – against a Thunder offense that ranked among the league’s best is the kind of thing that quietly rewrites what we expect from Year 1 players.
Double Overtime, Two Heroics
OKC had every chance to close this out. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back MVP, finished with 38 points and kept the Thunder close throughout. But in the second overtime, Wembanyama personally outscored Oklahoma City 9-7 – hitting all three of his field goal attempts, pulling down four rebounds and swatting a shot.
The sequence after his tying three-pointer was methodical: rebound, block, bucket, block again. San Antonio outscored OKC 17-7 across both overtime periods.
Fox Out, Wemby Carries the Load
De’Aaron Fox missed Game 1 with right ankle soreness, a significant absence that put even more weight on Wembanyama’s shoulders. The French center never flinched. With Fox’s status for Game 2 still uncertain, San Antonio will again lean heavily on its 22-year-old cornerstone – who, for what it’s worth, played 49 minutes and showed zero signs of fatigue in crunch time.
The Spurs lead the series 1-0. Game 2 takes place Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
Sources: ESPN, CBS Sports
