Wembanyama's 41 Points Lift Spurs – Thunder in Game 1
spurs – thunder turned on one player in Game 1. Victor Wembanyama scored 41 points and pulled down 24 rebounds as San Antonio beat Oklahoma City 122-115 in double overtime on Monday night at Paycom Center.
The Spurs now lead the season series 5-1 after taking the opener on the road against the reigning champs. Wembanyama did it in nearly 49 minutes, then finished the game with a reverse alley-oop dunk and a block four seconds apart.
Wembanyama's late burst
Wembanyama’s best sequence came before the final blow. He hit a 28-foot transition 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds left in the first overtime, a shot that kept San Antonio alive when the game was slipping toward Oklahoma City.
He then closed it himself. The reverse alley-oop dunk came first, and the block followed four seconds later, ending a double-overtime game that had already stretched his night close to 49 minutes.
Mitch Johnson's praise
Mitch Johnson did not hide how the Spurs viewed the performance afterward. “He has a rare desire to step into every moment that’s in front of him,” the coach said.
Johnson added, “I think he’s showed in his three years in a lot of different situations and a lot of different circumstances that he is going to attack those moments. He has some rare, God-given ability.”
That line fit the numbers. At 22 years old, Wembanyama became the youngest player ever to post a 40-20 playoff game, and his 41-point, 24-rebound line gave San Antonio the edge in a series that had been framed as a matchup between the NBA’s two best teams.
Paycom Center pressure
The road setting sharpened the result. San Antonio walked out of Paycom Center with a 122-115 win and a 1-0 series lead, while the Thunder had to absorb the first loss after a game that pushed into two overtimes.
For the Spurs, the opener already set a clear burden on Oklahoma City. One game later, the defending standard in the West has to answer a night in which Wembanyama controlled the glass, hit a big three, and ended it at both rims.
