By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY — 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 on 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 in the best-of-seven series 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.
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 NBA 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 when he got his second straight league MVP trophy – had 24 points and 12 assists but shot 7 for 23 from the field.
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 night in Oklahoma City.
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.
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.
SGA RECEIVES MVP TROPHY
Gilgeous-Alexander’s trophy case is a little more jammed.
A day after the Oklahoma City guard was revealed as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season, he received the Michael Jordan Trophy from Commissioner Adam Silver before Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
It was the fourth individual trophy for Gilgeous-Alexander in just under a year – and three of those were hand-delivered by Silver.
“In the 80-year history of the NBA, only a few select players have won back-to-back MVPs,” Silver said in a brief on-court ceremony. “Shai, you now join that elite group. Congratulations.”
Gilgeous-Alexander hoisted the trophy for a few seconds, before placing it back on a table at midcourt so it could be carried off – by a person wearing white gloves.
Not counting the 2025 Western Conference finals MVP award (which didn’t come from Silver), there was last year’s MVP trophy, then the 2025 NBA Finals MVP award, and now this MVP trophy – all done at midcourt in Oklahoma City, with the roar of Thunder fans drowning out all other noises.
“There’s actually not a day that goes by that I’m not incredibly grateful for this team,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I’m not out there dribbling the ball. We have a great team. And Shai’s a huge part of that, obviously, and the thing he leads the charge with is he’s a great guy. He’s got a great makeup.”
Gilgeous-Alexander was honored with Wembanyama standing nearby. The 22-year-old Frenchman, a first-time finalist for MVP, was third in the voting behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Nikola Jokic.
“I think Victor being in the top three for his age is remarkable,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I also think very appropriate. It is well-earned and he’s done more than enough to earn that from the voters. I think Shai has had a remarkable year, a remarkable run, which extends past just this year. And I think the voters reflected that.”
The NBA redesigned many of its trophies and awards in 2022, including the MVP trophy – which is when it was named for Jordan.
The trophy is filled with nods to Jordan, including its height of 23.6 inches and its weight of 23.6 pounds – tributes to his jersey number and the six NBA championships he won with the Chicago Bulls.
It has a five-sided base, for Jordan’s five MVP awards, and the base is set at a 15-degree angle – for Jordan’s 15 seasons. The crystal basketball atop the statue has 23 points, and the namesake badge is six-sided for the six championships.
Gilgeous-Alexander is seeking his second title.
“The thing I appreciate most about him is not what he’s doing – he gets the MVP for what he does – but it’s how he does it,” Daigneault said. “That, to me, is most special.”
More to come on this story.