Spurs beat Thunder 122-115 2OT

San Antonio opened the Western Conference finals with a 122-115 double-overtime road win over Oklahoma City on Monday night, surviving 58 minutes behind Victor Wembanyama’s 41 points and 24 rebounds. The Spurs took a 1-0 series lead at Paycom Center after outscoring the Thunder 14-7 in the second overtime. Dylan Harper added 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a Spurs playoff-record seven steals, according to the Associated Press and game reports. Oklahoma City, the top seed in the West, dropped its first game of the series after a night that stretched into two extra periods. ### How did San Antonio get out of Oklahoma City with Game 1? Victor Wembanyama delivered the game’s defining performance, finishing with 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks in what multiple game reports described as a playoff career high in minutes. NBC Sports’ live coverage said Wembanyama forced a second overtime with a long 3-pointer, then scored nine points in the second extra session as San Antonio pulled away. The Spurs also won the possession battle. FOX Sports’ box score showed San Antonio finished with 61 rebounds to Oklahoma City’s 40 and scored 28 points off turnovers. The Spurs committed 21 turnovers themselves, but they offset that with 15 offensive rebounds and 52 points in the paint. (nbcsports.com) ### Which Spurs supporting numbers stood out behind Wembanyama? Dylan Harper’s line was nearly as unusual as Wembanyama’s. The Associated Press reported Harper had 24 points and seven steals, a Spurs playoff record, while also adding 11 rebounds and six assists. That gave San Antonio a second major source of production on a night when the game went deep into overtime. (foxsports.com) San Antonio’s depth showed up in the margins rather than in another 30-point scorer. FOX Sports listed the Spurs at 27-for-29 from the free-throw line, compared with 16-for-19 for Oklahoma City, and that efficiency helped keep them even before the late surge. (wvnstv.com) ### What made the finish turn into a double-overtime game? NBC Sports reported Wembanyama hit a deep 3-pointer to tie the game and force the second overtime, extending a matchup that had already swung repeatedly in the first extra period. In the second overtime, San Antonio held Oklahoma City to seven points and closed the game with Wembanyama controlling both the scoring and the glass. (foxsports.com) The final margin did not reflect how tight the game remained deep into the night. USA Today and Yahoo Sports both described the opener as a thriller, with San Antonio only separating once the second overtime began. ### Was De’Aaron Fox available for San Antonio? (nbcsports.com) Pre-game injury reports said De’Aaron Fox was out for San Antonio entering Game 1, making the Spurs’ road win more notable because it came without one of their top guards. The web briefing for this story cited Sports Illustrated and Heavy reports that had Fox listed among San Antonio’s unavailable players before the opener. (usatoday.com) That left Wembanyama and Harper carrying a larger share of the offense and ballhandling. The Associated Press account focused on those two as the central drivers of the win, with Harper’s steals and all-around line complementing Wembanyama’s scoring and rebounding. (wvnstv.com) ### What comes next in the series? The NBA’s official playoffs page lists the Western Conference finals as ongoing with San Antonio leading 1-0 after Game 1. Additional schedule listings published Monday said Game 2 remains in Oklahoma City before the series shifts sites later in the round. Wednesday, May 20, is the next scheduled game between the Spurs and Thunder, according to NBC Sports’ game coverage and other schedule reports published after the opener. (wvnstv.com) The teams return to the floor in Oklahoma City with San Antonio holding the early edge and Oklahoma City trying to avoid a 2-0 deficit before the series moves on. (nbcsports.com) (nba.com)