Wembanyama hits 38-foot three to force OT, finishes with 41 points and 24 rebounds

Victor Wembanyama put San Antonio ahead in the Western Conference finals on May 18 with one of the biggest games of his postseason career. The Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in double overtime at Paycom Center after Wembanyama finished with 41 points and 24 rebounds. NBA.com listed Game 1 as a Spurs road win that gave San Antonio a 1-0 series lead, with Game 2 set for May 20 in Oklahoma City. ### How did the game turn on one shot from 38 feet? Victor Wembanyama forced overtime with a 38-foot three-pointer late in regulation, capping a night in which San Antonio repeatedly went back to him in high-leverage possessions. Multiple postgame reports described the shot as the play that changed the game’s direction, after Oklahoma City had been in position to protect home court in the opener. (nba.com) The final score was 122-115 after two overtime periods, and the extra sessions gave Wembanyama more room to add to a stat line that already stood out. NBA.com’s game page shows the Spurs closing the opener at Paycom Center with the series now 1-0 in their favor. ### Where does 41 points and 24 rebounds place Wembanyama historically? The 41-point, 24-rebound line made Wembanyama the youngest player in NBA postseason history to post at least 40 points and 20 rebounds, according to coverage published after the game. (aol.com) Olympics.com reported that the previous youngest player to reach that threshold was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (nba.com) At age 22, Wembanyama also joined a much shorter list of players to post a 40-20 game this deep in the playoffs. CBS Sports said he became the first player since Charles Barkley in 1993 to record a 40-point, 20-rebound game in the conference finals, while USA Today reported he matched Wilt Chamberlain with a 40-point, 20-rebound conference finals debut. (olympics.com) ### Who else shaped San Antonio’s Game 1 win? Dylan Harper gave San Antonio another major lift with 24 points and a team playoff-record seven steals, according to Associated Press coverage carried by U.S. News and NBC News. Those extra possessions mattered in a game that stretched well beyond regulation and demanded repeated defensive stops. (cbssports.com) Oklahoma City still got strong scoring nights of its own. NBA.com’s game summary highlighted Jalen Williams’ 26-point game, and Fox Sports’ game page pointed to Alex Caruso’s 31 points in the loss. The Thunder, however, finished Game 1 down 0-1 in the best-of-seven series. ### Why was this result such a big swing in the series? Oklahoma City opened the series at home as the top seed, and San Antonio’s win immediately flipped home-court advantage. (usnews.com) The web briefing for May 19 described the result as San Antonio stealing Game 1 in Oklahoma City, creating early pressure on the Thunder in the Western Conference finals. (nba.com) The opener also set the tone for a series already framed around Wembanyama and Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Postgame coverage focused on late-game execution and on Wembanyama’s role in carrying San Antonio through the final possessions of regulation and both overtimes. (oklahoman.com) ### What comes next in the series? Game 2 is scheduled for May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, according to NBA.com’s series page. The Spurs enter that game with a 1-0 lead after taking the opener 122-115 in double overtime. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com)