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OKLAHOMA CITY — Taking an ill-advised shot, Jalen Williams' panic floater set the scene up for one of Victor Wembanyama's early-career iconic shots. Up three with 26 seconds to go in overtime, OKC was left helpless and stunned as the seven-footer pulled up from Curry range. The deep 3-pointer rattled in as it shattered the reigning NBA champions' best shot to secure a win.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ate their first gut punch of the 2026 NBA playoffs with a 122-115 double overtime Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. They start this all-time Western Conference Finals in a 0-1 series hole.
A lot to break down and digest from this one. For those expecting an epic clash between two 60-win juggernauts, most of the NBA world left this game satisfied. For the Thunder and Spurs, their stress levels were probably dangerously high. To the point of near hospitalization.
The Thunder might be three rounds in, but the opening minutes showed they were in a different NBA playoffs. The Spurs jumped off to an early lead. They scored the first seven points. It didn't take long for OKC to wave the white flag on its traditional starting lineup, thanks to that.
Getting the ball funneled to him, Alex Caruso planted doubts in San Antonio's mind about whether this was the right strategy. He knocked down his outside jumpers. And then felt daring enough to go right at Wembanyama's grill for the driving layup. This wasn't Christmas, folks.
In his return, Jalen Williams picked up right where he left off. He went downhill against San Antonio's defense. Eventually, the Thunder answered with their own 17-5 run. All that said, we were tied at 27 points apiece through the first quarter — a quarter in which we knew we were in the middle of a classic.
The second quarter was much of the same story. The Spurs answered back and created distance. Thanks in large part to their shutdown defense. The Thunder only scored 17 points in the frame. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was extremely quiet as he was stuck in single-digit points.
The Thunder entered halftime in a 51-44 deficit. And it probably should've been larger. You can't really get away with a four-point first half by Gilgeous-Alexander. He was a minus-15 at that juncture of the game. And it certainly felt that way.
Regrouping, the Thunder went with Cason Wallace over Isaiah Hartenstein to start the second half. It didn't take long for OKC to throw the first major adjustment as its double-big look was just not attainable against Wembanyama and the Spurs. The move worked as OKC quickly mounted a 12-4 run to retake momentum.
As the ball ping-ponged around, Lu Dort knocked down a corner outside attempt. The Thunder had a 58-57 lead with a little under eight minutes left in the third quarter. Brand new ballgame. You easily take that position considering just how subpar OKC looked through the first half of this one.
From there, the Spurs took control of the game's pace. The Thunder never really looked comfortable in their halfcourt offense. Wembanyama's presence lingered in the back of their collective mind with each dribble and pass. Gilgeous-Alexander looked mortal with one of his worst playoff outings ever. Both teams put up 29 points in the third frame. That put OKC in an 80-73 hole. Gulp.
As the clock inched closer to triple-digit zeros with each passing second, Gilgeous-Alexander finally felt some urgency. He drove baseline through Wembanyama for the and-one layup. That put the Thunder just behind 89-84 with a little over five minutes to go. Entering clutch time, the two-time MVP winner had a chance to deliver.
Eventually, the Thunder got it to a 91-88 score with a little under four minutes to go. Caruso made it a one-point game as he evaded Wembanyama's block attempt. He then knocked down another outside jumper to give OKC the go-ahead lead. At 95-94 with a little under two minutes left, the Thunder were on the cusp of an all-time robbery win.
Those thoughts didn't last long as Julian Champagnie answered right back. That was the Spurs' M.O. — anytime it felt like the Thunder were about to get ahead, San Antonio had an immediate answer. Knotted up at 97 points apiece, Dylan Harper showed he had ice in his veins. He knocked down two free throws to OKC in a 99-97 hole with 37 seconds left in regulation.
In a three-play sequence manned by the two NBA superstars, Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama took turns scoring big-time buckets. The former made a pair of free throws on the other end to make it a 99-99 game with 33 seconds left.
And then Wembanyama worked his way inside the paint before he spun around for a floater that rattled in. Down 101-99 with 11 seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander matched his moment with a baseline driving layup to tie it up once again. Sprinkling in a Disney-esque moment, Chet Holmgren loudly swatted away Wembanyama's potential game-winner. A moment that felt huge for him, considering how out of sorts he was most of the night.
The Thunder scored 28 points in the fourth quarter. That was enough to force overtime in a 101-101 game. Considering the circumstances, OKC entered a must-win scenario before Game 1 started. And 48 minutes later, it found itself in a double-must-win scenario considering how the game played out.
Over three minutes into overtime, the Thunder finally went up on the Spurs. After Caruso forced a turnover, Williams was a one-man fastbreak. He sprinted all the way for a transition dunk. That put OKC up 106-105 with 1:52 left in OT. Getting the switch on Devin Vassell, Gilgeous-Alexander spun around him and threw down a rare two-handed dunk.
At that point, the Thunder had a 108-105 lead with 57 seconds left in overtime. Just a three-point lead, but it felt quadruple its size. And that's when Wembanyama had the bucket of his career so far. He calmly knocked down the near-midcourt outside jumper in transition. The OKC crowd was in shock. I mean, a seven-footer typically doesn't possess that type of range.
Still in shell-shock, Williams couldn't return the favor on the other end. Both teams had seven adventurous points in overtime. Tied at 108, we entered our second overtime period. This time, the Spurs were back in the driver's seat. No more of this your-turn-my-turn style.
Wembanyama went straight to the rim to break the tie. He then went to the free-throw line to put the Thunder in an even bigger hole. Down 112-108 with three minutes left, OKC played catch-up the rest of the way. Williams helped them get painfully close with an outside jumper. In a 115-114 score with 81 seconds left, the 22-year-old NBA superstar converted an and-one dunk over Holmgren to put this one away.
At that juncture, the Thunder were in a 118-114 deficit with a minute left. Gilgeous-Alexander couldn't muster up any superhero magic as the Spurs completely locked him down. Both when he hunted his shot and when he tried to become a playmaker. OKC only had seven points in the second overtime period and were doubled up by San Antonio.
Appropriately enough, the Thunder couldn't avoid any postgame criticism for their poor play through three quarters. By the time they finally found something, it was too late. The Spurs thoroughly outplayed them in this NBA playoff matchup that looked eerily similar to their five regular-season dates.
The Thunder shot 41% from the field and went 17-of-45 (37.8%) from 3. They shot 16-of-19 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 41 baskets. Three Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander struggled with 24 points and 12 assists. Williams had 26 points and seven rebounds. Caruso added to his folklore with an eye-popping 31 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Spurs shot 43% from the field and went 13-of-43 (30.2%) from 3. They shot 27-of-29 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 41 baskets. Six Spurs players scored double-digit points.
Wembanyama had an all-timer with an unreal 41 points and 24 rebounds. I mean, that's just legendary stuff that invokes names like Wilt. Harper showed the moment wasn't too big for him with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Castle had 17 points and 11 assists. Vassell and Keldon Johnson each scored 13 points. Champagnie tallied 11 points and nine rebounds.
You don't want to hit the red-alarm button yet, but oh boy — can't help but raise your level of concern if you're the Thunder. It's one thing to lose Game 1. It happens. They did so a couple of times last year en route to an NBA championship. But to lose it like this when you were the inferior team from tip-off to final buzzer sans a few glimpses? I mean, that's just flat-out bad.
Regular-season matchups rarely translate to the NBA playoffs, but the Spurs have had the Thunder's number all year. And that continued at the highest stakes in the Western Conference Finals. Think OKC needs to do some serious soul-searching after this. Particularly, from your two All-Star players this year, in Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren.
Welcome to the NBA playoffs, OKC. The first two rounds were a test trial. This is the real deal. And the Spurs have proven to be in the same tier as you all year. And through one game, the Thunder are already behind the eight-ball by losing homecourt advantage. Let's see how Game 2 looks, but this is one of those losses that feels like a million.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilegous-Alexander: D-minus
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Hoping to put the Thunder ahead with three-plus minutes to go, Gilgeous-Alexander created space from Harper. He went with his patented stepback 3-pointer. No dice. On a night filled with kill-shot attempts, none could go down for the two-time MVP winner as the excruciating moments piled up.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting, 12 assists and three rebounds. He shot 2-of-7 from 3 and went 8-of-9 on free throws. He also had five steals.
I mean, you're just not going to win many high-intense playoff games when Gilgeous-Alexander plays this poorly. It's honestly a testament to OKC's depth that he had a chance to escape with late-game heroics. But the 27-year-old was completely out of character in this one — and it feels like you got to credit Wembanyama's presence for that.
Absolutely zero luck on Gilgeous-Alexander's jumper. It was a mid-range feast as he avoided the paint like most great scorers do when Wembanyama is on the floor. Without his bread-and-butter drives to the basket, he was left scrambling to figure out other dimensions in the halfcourt to get his points.
Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander had a grotesque four points in the first half. He only had 10 through three quarters. He just had no rhythm in his looks. San Antonio's superb-athletic backcourt gave him fits. He couldn't create the separation he usually does in his sleep. It took him until the fourth quarter to finally get going and look like the MVP that he is.
Sparking OKC's late comeback, Gilgeous-Alexander had a dozen points in the fourth quarter. He finally had his first big moment of the series when he tied things up at the end of regulation with a baseline drive. Riding all of the momentum, the Thunder's fate were in his hands in overtime.
Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander only had two points in the two overtimes. Maybe it was exhaustion or just not finding the right angles or crests to attack, but he couldn't turn into the late-game hero he usually is for the Thunder. Instead, he faded into the background as all of his potential big-time shot attempts fell short.
If you're the Thunder, you're hoping this is about as bad as it'll get for Gilgeous-Alexander. It's difficult to envision him playing any worse. I know this game had a lot to unpack in its cinematic 58-minute thriller, but you can really dumb down the final result to OKC's top two players putting up a combined stinker.
Chet Holmgren: F
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Hovering on the weakside, Holmgren's help conjured up a redemption moment that fits your prototypical Disney movie script. He emphatically swatted away Wembanyama's potential game-winner at the end of regulation. Finally, a positive moment for the 24-year-old. Alas, it was all for naught.
Holmgren finished with eight points on 2-of-7 shooting and eight rebounds. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had two blocks and one steal.
I might be late to the party, but I think it's fair to finally say it — Holmgren has a Wembanyama problem. Anytime the Thunder match up with the Spurs, his game regresses from All-NBA-caliber to somebody you can't fully trust to be on the floor at times. It happened in their regular-season games. And has now happened in their first NBA playoff clash.
Holmgren was a complete ghost as a scorer. All of those fancy stats that said he was an elite play-finisher went out the window. Sitting at five points at halftime, he only had three more the rest of the way — in a game where he logged 41 minutes. Not only was the offense a no-show, but the defense fell apart.
Holmgren's top quality is his rim protection. We all know that. It's what's helped him become a household name and a top-two pick. But against the Spurs, he was pushed around too easily. For context, San Antonio shot an unreal 54% from inside the paint. They got anything they wanted down low. Just look at Wembanyama's efficient 40-burger for proof.
And while Holmgren tasted a sample of redemption with his help block to force overtime, that was really it in terms of positive from a three-hour game. Not exactly what you want to see from your second-best player this season. I really don't know what else the Thunder can do. This has been an ongoing problem for years. And now it's being shown on the biggest stage possible.
You just hope this is just Holmgren's floor. But Wembanyama has haunted him for years now. Maybe matching up those two more often can produce better results, but that's based more on hope and small-sample theater than anything else. This was just a flat-out bad outing for the 24-year-old.
The BLOCK is hot in downtown OKC
We're going to OTpic.twitter.com/oPBpv54Ywq
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 19, 2026
Jalen Williams: C-plus
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Hoping for the dagger, Williams instead played a role in Wembanyama's career-defining shot. Feeling himself after a transition dunk to put the Thunder ahead, his pull-up jumper was way off. So off that it fueled the Spurs' fastbreak offense to allow their MVP finalists to nail the Curry-esque outside jumper and tie things up.
Williams finished with 26 points on 11-of-25 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had one block and one steal.
Say what you want about Williams' shot selection and aggressiveness in the two overtime periods, but he's near the bottom of the reasons why the Thunder dropped this one. Among their triumvirate, he was the only one who looked like his usual self from the jump with 10 points in the first quarter — which is poetic, considering his month-long absence from a hamstring strain.
Like everybody else who has run into the Spurs, Williams dealt with the same migraine of problems against Wembanyama. When the seven-footer was on the floor, he had to completely rethink his usual line of thinking when it comes to slicing through defenses and getting to the rack.
Wembanyama's rim protection has left a trail of broken brains. Nobody has quite yet figured out the best way to solve his calculus-esque presence. And Williams was no different. At least he left it all on the floor. Others would take the passive route and pass up contested shots. The 25-year-old showed he's not afraid to put up an inefficient night.
Like everybody else on the Thunder, Williams had his handful of storybook moments that would've been given a brighter spotlight if they handled business. Instead, his go-ahead transition jam in the first overtime will get lost in NBA history as Wembanyama and the Spurs snatched this game's story.
We'll see how the Thunder respond in a big-time Game 2. But if you're looking to make complaints about some of Williams' shot attempts in overtime, you'd better first bring up how bad Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren were. The All-NBA talent played well enough to come away with a win. It was the rest of OKC sans Caruso who didn't carry their weight.
Alex Caruso: A-plus
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Left completely open at the top of the key, Caruso made the Spurs pay for their game plan once again. In a flow state, he swished in the outside jumper to put the Thunder ahead by one point with under two minutes left in regulation. If the results were flipped, the 32-year-old would've been the talk of all the national sports shows.
Instead, the Thunder wasted away one of his best games ever. Caruso finished with 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting, two rebounds and one assist. He shot 8-of-14 from 3 and went 1-of-3 on free throws. He also had two steals and two blocks.
I mean, c'mon. This one stings. Real bad. Churning along through a down year in the regular season, Caruso has more than made up for his Christmas woes. The Spurs entered this game daring him to shoot as many as he wants from the outside. And they lost that bet. Badly.
Fitting the textbook definition of a playoff riser, Caruso had his best scoring outing since he joined the Thunder. Knocking down outside look after outside look, he had 16 points in the first half. Feeling himself, he had a couple of blue-collar driving layups through Wembanyama and company.
In a now-or-never scenario, Caruso added to his total with eight big-time points in the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander found him for all of his attempts as the Spurs played a risky number game to put all of their attention on the two-time MVP winner. Eventually, he found himself surpassing the 30-point total. Unreal.
You see why the Thunder have compared Caruso to their version of Andre Iguodala on the Golden State Warriors. Any regular-season shortcomings you might grow frustrated with can be put in the bin. The two-time NBA champion has proven playoff round after playoff round that he lives for these moments.
It's just extremely frustrating to see Caruso's epic 30-ball go in vain with a gut-punching double-overtime loss. If the Thunder eventually fall to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, it feels like Game 1 will be the chapter they rue the most and spend the whole summer reliving in their thoughts.
Welcome to the Carushow indeed pic.twitter.com/9B75SqRbst
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 19, 2026
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder can't stop Wembanyama in 122-115 2OT Game 1 loss to Spurs
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