San Antonio Spurs beat Thunder

San Antonio opened the Western Conference finals with a 122-115 double-overtime win over Oklahoma City on Monday, taking Game 1 on the road at Paycom Center. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 41 points and 24 rebounds, according to NBA.com, as San Antonio erased the Thunder’s home-court edge at the start of the series. Dylan Harper added 24 points and a team playoff-record seven steals for the Spurs, Yahoo Sports reported. Oklahoma City, the top seed in the West, now trails 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. ### How unusual was Wembanyama’s stat line? Victor Wembanyama’s 41-point, 24-rebound night put him in rare postseason company. USA Today reported he became only the second player, alongside Wilt Chamberlain, to post at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a conference finals debut. Yahoo Sports reported he also became the youngest player to record a 40-20 game in the playoffs. (nba.com) CBS Sports reported that Wembanyama also set playoff career highs in scoring, rebounds and minutes. The same report said he became the first player since Charles Barkley in 1993 to post a 40/20 game in the conference finals and joined David Robinson as the only Spurs players with a 40-point, 20-rebound playoff game. ### How did San Antonio win a game in Oklahoma City? (usatoday.com) San Antonio won despite Oklahoma City making 17 3-pointers to the Spurs’ 13. Fox Sports’ box score showed the Spurs made the difference on the glass and at the foul line, finishing with a 61-40 rebounding edge and going 27-for-29 on free throws. San Antonio also scored 52 points in the paint and collected 15 offensive rebounds. (cbssports.com) Dylan Harper’s seven steals gave San Antonio extra possessions, and Yahoo Sports said they set a Spurs playoff record. NBA.com’s game summary listed the final as 122-115 after two overtimes, with the Spurs outlasting Oklahoma City deep into the fourth quarter and beyond. ### What did the result change in the series? Monday’s result flipped home-court advantage immediately. (foxsports.com) Sporting News described the win as San Antonio’s chance to make a statement in Game 1, and the Spurs did that by leaving Oklahoma City with a 1-0 lead. Yahoo Sports had framed the matchup before the series as a meeting between the defending champion Thunder and a rising Spurs team built around Wembanyama. (sports.yahoo.com) Oklahoma City entered the round as the West’s top seed, while San Antonio came in as the No. 2 seed, according to Yahoo Sports’ series preview. That made the opening split in Oklahoma City one of the immediate stakes of the matchup, and San Antonio secured it in the first game. (sportingnews.com) ### What comes next, and when? CBS Sports’ playoff schedule lists Game 2 for Wednesday, May 20, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. The game is scheduled in Oklahoma City, with the Thunder trying to level the series before it shifts to San Antonio. NBA.com’s official game page shows San Antonio leading the Western Conference finals 1-0 after the May 18 opener. The next result will determine whether the Spurs return home with a two-game lead or whether Oklahoma City resets the series before Game 3. (sports.yahoo.com) (nba.com) (cbssports.com)