AP
May 19, 2026
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Victor Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds, Dylan Harper finished with 24 points and a team playoff-record seven steals, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in a double-overtime classic to open the Western Conference finals Monday night.
Wembanyama sealed it with a pair of dunks in the final minute, one of them leading to a three-point play as the Spurs stole home-court advantage and beat the Thunder for the fifth time in six meetings this season.
Stephon Castle had 17 points, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each scored 13 and Julian Champagnie added 11 for the Spurs, who were without De’Aaron Fox because of ankle stiffness.
“A great effort – from everybody,” said Wembanyama, who, at 22 years, 134 days, became the youngest player with at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was 22 years, 343 days when he had a 40/20 game in the 1970 NBA Finals.
Alex Caruso scored 31 points, the second-highest scoring game of his career, off the bench for the Thunder – whose nine-game playoff winning streak dating to Game 7 of last season’s Finals was snapped.
Jalen Williams returned from a six-game absence caused by a hamstring strain and scored 26 points for the Thunder, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – on the night he got his second straight Most Valuable Player trophy – had 24 points and 12 assists but shot 7 for 23.
It was the sixth Game 1 in NBA playoff history to go into double overtime – the first since a Spurs-Warriors game in 2013.
And as the clock ticked toward midnight, Wembanyama decided enough was enough.
Game 2 is Wednesday at Oklahoma City.
“It was a war of wills,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “The levels of mental toughness exuded by both teams … we needed every second from everybody that played.”
The Spurs were up by 10 with 9:10 left in regulation, wasted it all, then survived a frantic final stretch where the lead changed hands twice and the game was tied three times in a span of less than two minutes.
Wembanyama had an off-balance chance to win it on the last play of regulation, but Chet Holmgren swatted it away. In overtime, Wembanyama more than atoned – connecting on a tying 3-pointer from well behind the arc with 28 seconds left to tie the game and send it to a second OT.
“We have to get better from this game,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst first half, shooting-wise, in nearly three years – 1 for 5 from the field, four points. It was the first time since Oct. 29, 2023, a span of 270 appearances including playoffs, that he didn’t have at least two field goals before halftime.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama was doing whatever he wanted – dunking over trios of defenders, flexing at times, finishing the half with 14 points and 10 rebounds, looking perfectly comfortable in his debut on this stage.
And the Spurs’ lead was only seven at the break, 51-44.
Gilgeous-Alexander got a couple shots to fall in the third, and the Thunder even briefly reclaimed the lead. But the Spurs were unfazed and the margin was still seven. San Antonio was ahead 80-73 going into the fourth.
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Zack CiminiContrarian with Chutzpah
+500 (67%)
Last 18 NBA Player Props
Over 16.5-103
Stephon Castle • Points • Player Prop
Picked May 18 @ 7:46 pm, 1 unit on DraftKings
WIN
During the five regular season matchups against the Thunder, Stephon Castle scored 19 or more points in four games. Castle may be a first time postseason player, but he has elevated his play. Through the first two rounds he is averaging 20 points in the playoffs, and this is while averaging just 32 minutes. The Thunder are a great defensive team, but look for Castle to be one of the Spurs not impacted. Take his over.
Zack’s Pick
Larry HartsteinThe Maestro
#1
+2307 (62%)
Last 133 NBA Player Props
Over 3.5-128
Dylan Harper • Rebounds • Player Prop
Picked May 18 @ 7:15 pm, 1 unit on FanDuel
WIN
Dylan Harper continues to play a big and important role for the Spurs. He cleared this prop total in all six games of the Timberwolves series. I would play this up to -135.
Larry’s Pick
1
2
3
4
OT
2OT
T
2 Spurs 1-0
27
24
29
21
7
14
122
1 Thunder 0-1
27
17
29
28
7
7
115
Game 1
SA leads 1-0
Paycom Center Oklahoma City, OK
TOP SCORERS
V. Wembanyama C
41PTS
24REB
3AST
A. Caruso PG
31PTS
2REB
1AST
Spurs
STARTERS
PTS
REB
AST
PF
V. Wembanyama
41
24
3
4
D. Harper
24
11
6
3
S. Castle
17
6
11
3
D. Vassell
13
6
2
2
J. Champagnie
11
9
1
3
BENCH
PTS
REB
AST
PF
K. Johnson
13
0
0
1
C. Bryant
3
2
1
2
H. Barnes
0
0
0
0
L. Kornet
0
3
1
1
B. Biyombo
–
–
–
–
K. Olynyk
–
–
–
–
M. Plumlee
–
–
–
–
J. McLaughlin
–
–
–
–
L. Waters III
–
–
–
–
H. Ingram
–
–
–
–
E. Miller
–
–
–
–
Total
122
61
25
19
Thunder
STARTERS
PTS
REB
AST
PF
J. Williams
26
7
3
2
S. Gilgeous-Alexander
24
3
12
3
C. Holmgren
8
8
0
3
L. Dort
5
3
1
4
I. Hartenstein
2
2
2
2
BENCH
PTS
REB
AST
PF
A. Caruso
31
2
1
3
C. Wallace
8
6
0
0
J. McCain
7
2
1
3
A. Mitchell
4
4
5
5
I. Joe
0
0
0
0
A. Wiggins
0
0
0
0
J. Williams
0
3
0
1
K. Williams
–
–
–
–
N. Topic
–
–
–
–
Total
115
40
25
26
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