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OKLAHOMA CITY — Victor Wembanyama put on one of the most remarkable performances in NBA playoff history Monday night, posting 41 points and 24 rebounds in 49 minutes to lift the San Antonio Spurs past the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in double overtime in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center.
The Thunder entered the series unbeaten in the playoffs, having swept Phoenix and the Lakers in the first two rounds. But they had no answer for Wembanyama, who dominated from the opening tip and refused to let the Spurs lose even when the Thunder made their late pushes.
With San Antonio leading by two in the final minute of the first overtime, Wembanyama pulled up from logo range and buried a deep three to send the game to a second overtime. In the second extra period he took over completely, throwing down an and-1 dunk over Chet Holmgren and adding a late block to seal the win.
Holmgren had blocked what appeared to be a Wembanyama game-winner at the buzzer in regulation — but that only delayed the inevitable.
The performance put Wembanyama in elite company. His 40-20 game is just the seventh in NBA history in the conference finals or beyond, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charles Barkley, Moses Malone, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal. He is the youngest player to accomplish the feat in playoff history and the first Spur to do so since David Robinson.
All of this came on a night when Wembanyama watched league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accept his trophy before tip-off.
“I still got a lot to learn and I feel like I want to get that trophy many times in my career,” Wembanyama told reporters afterward.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson praised his star’s mentality. “He has a rare desire to step into every moment that’s in front of him,” Johnson said.
San Antonio also received a monster performance from rookie Dylan Harper, who stepped into the starting lineup after All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox was a late scratch with an ankle injury. Harper finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals, becoming just the fifth rookie in NBA history to post a 20-point double-double in the conference finals, joining Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Anthony Roberts.
For the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points and 12 assists but shot just 7 of 23 from the field in an uncharacteristic off night. Alex Caruso paced OKC with 31 points on 8-of-14 shooting from three, while Jalen Williams added 26 points. Holmgren finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds on 2-of-7 shooting.
Oklahoma City shot 40.6% from the field and committed 14 turnovers — a recipe for disaster against the Spurs, who led the NBA in defensive rating during the playoffs.
Fox’s availability for Game 2 is uncertain, but Harper’s play ensures he has earned his minutes going forward.
Game 2 is Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on NBC.
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