VICTOR Wembanyama erupts for 41 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 122-115 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their NBA Western Conference best-of-seven finals series.
PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of JOSHUA GATELEY/agence france-presse
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LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Victor Wembanyama outdueled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead the San Antonio Spurs to an epic 122-115 double-overtime triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference finals on Monday.
Wembanyama scored 41 points and pulled down 24 rebounds, forcing the second overtime with a dazzling three-pointer and delivering nine of the Spurs’ 14 points in the second overtime as San Antonio handed the defending champion Thunder their first defeat of these playoffs.
“It was, like, sheer willpower,” 22-year-old Wembanyama told broadcaster NBC.
The French star played 49 minutes, producing a pair of dunks and a crucial block late in the second overtime to seal the victory.
With the triumph at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center, the Spurs stole homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven series that will send the winner to the NBA Finals.
Wembanyama admitted the sight of Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander receiving his second straight Most Valuable Player trophy before the game made the clash more personal “for sure.”
He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors but finished third in the MVP voting announced on Sunday.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the sight of Gilgeous-Alexander lifting the MVP award “100 percent” motivated his star.
“He’s competitive,” Johnson said. “If you’re a competitor and you see another competitor get rewarded with what you want...”
But “Wemby” said the main message of the night was that the young Spurs “are ready to go in any environment, in any place, against anybody.”
“And even though we’ve still got a lot to learn, our effort should be over anybody else’s and tonight we were relentless.”
Rookie Dylan Harper, starting in place of injured De’Aaron Fox, scored 24 points and snagged seven steals for San Antonio. Stephon Castle added 17 points and 11 assists as the Spurs extended their season dominance of the Thunder.
