Spurs vs. Thunder score, live updates, how to watch: NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, DPOY Victor Wembanyama face off in Game 1

This is a play that only Victor Vembanyama can make.

The Spurs star caught a ball in the post with his back to the basket and two OKC defenders around him. In the same motion, he reached up and threw a dunk between two defenders, barely missing his legs.

After allowing the Thunder to come back, the Spurs regained control with a 42–35 lead.

With Dylan Harper replacing the injured De’Aaron Fox, the Spurs have the youngest starting lineup in Conference Finals history tonight. So far, it has given San Antonio a 36-29 lead heading into the second quarter.

After trailing 11–2, OKC went on a 9–0 run and took a 22–19 lead at the end of the first game. And the game would go into the second quarter tied at 27 points apiece after an entertaining first quarter.

Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams had 10 points each for OKC. Stephen Cassel led San Antonio with 11, while Wembley had six points and five rebounds.

A strong start to the most awaited series of the playoffs.

The Thunder are struggling early, but Alex Caruso is single-handedly keeping them afloat.

He has all seven Thunder points as the Spurs take a 12–7 lead. And now he’s guarding Wemby, giving up nearly a foot of advantage in height in the process.

No problem for Caruso, who fired a pass to Wembey for a transition layup on the other end.

The Spurs started 3-of-9 from the field, but they dominated the ball. At the first TV timeout, San Antonio already had a 9–2 rebounding edge and an 11–3 lead.

The Thunder started 0-for-4 from the floor as the Spurs took a 7-0 lead. And Thunder fans don’t sit until the first OKC bucket.

Alex Caruso relieved him with a 3-pointer at the 8:45 mark for the first Thunder points of the game.

So far, so good for Spurs. Stephen Cassel started the game with 3. Victor Wembanyama then got fouled on a jump shot for a pair of free throws and followed it up with a putback layup to put San Antonio up 7–0.

A good start for a Spurs team playing without starting point guard De’Aaron Fox.

The conference finals matchup couldn’t get any bigger than this. We are just moments away from the most anticipated series of the playoffs. let’s go.

Speaking of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander…he was awarded his trophy by Commissioner Adam Silver before Game 1 introductions. It’s now officially a habit for the two-time NBA MVP.

With De’Aaron Fox out, Dylan Harper will begin the biggest game of his rookie season so far in the San Antonio backcourt.

What a spot for the standout guard with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stalking him from the Thunder backcourt and a trip to the NBA Finals at stake.

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder is about to end in 15 minutes!

The game will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.

The Thunder were the top team in the NBA this season, finishing the regular season with a 64–18 record.

The Spurs were the league’s second-best team with a 62–20 regular season record.

Their matchup in the 2026 Western Conference Finals marks the first time since 1998 that there has been an NBA playoff series between two teams that have combined for at least 62 regular-season wins.

In 1998, the Chicago Bulls faced the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals. Both teams went 62–20 during the regular season that year.

However, all things considered it This is what the basketball world dreamed of when the Spurs announced themselves to the world in Vegas nearly six months ago. The courage and boldness to not only compete with the reigning champions at their level but surpass them – even if just momentarily – provides a confrontational roadmap that takes us to the present day. The Western Conference Finals – with the return of Thunder star Jalen Williams – will be a test unlike any other for the Spurs.

This season they have won four out of five meetings, it means everything and nothing else. Both sides have made their thoughts and feelings about each other clear; An appreciation of ethical values, how prize racing should be defined and where the real benefits lie. But San Antonio has built a brand on belief, and only four wins separate it from the Finals.

“Of course, we are confident,” Wembanyama said of another date with basketball’s best. “But we need to maintain the right level of confidence. Right now, I am not even thinking about it, I am just thinking about recovery. We will see about it in the next few days, but it will be the same as always – prepare, take care of your body, scout, watch film and focus.”

Read more on why Spurs look set to take on the league’s defending champions.

The Spurs will be without De’Aaron Fox tonight against the Thunder due to a right ankle injury. However, the hope is that he can return on Wednesday night.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama made history last week.

With 12 blocks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 22-year-old broke the official NBA record for most blocked shots in a playoff game.

Wembley’s block party came in a losing effort, but the team’s official social media account ensured a remarkable performance, posting a list of his Game 1 accomplishments, the chief of which was: “Most blocks ever in an NBA playoff game.”

From social media to national TV broadcasts, Wembanyama’s historic defensive shift was a major talking point in NBA circles. The 7 feet 4 inches tall center did something that no player had done before.

There’s just one problem.

Credible evidence is emerging that Wilt Chamberlain blocked too many shots in NBA playoff games. There are documented reports that he bested Vembanyama’s “official record” several times.

Read more.

During the regular season, the Spurs were 14th in 3s attempted (37.9) and 15th in conversion rate (35.9%). In the playoffs, his frequency has decreased (32.5), but his efficiency has increased (38.4%, third-best). This is partly due to Cassel’s improvements as well as the presence of Julien Champagne.

The Thunder use a very compact defensive shell, keeping all five players close to each other to protect the rim, funnel action towards the middle and create chaos. What he does is, because no plan is perfect, corners are left open. The second spectrum defines “open” shots, where the nearest defender is four to six feet away; Oklahoma City allows the third-most such shots per game, but because opponents are shooting only 35.4% on them, the gamble pays off several times over. The Spurs, tied with the Knicks, led the league in corner 3s during the regular season and shot nearly 40%, which ranked eighth among all teams. However, in the playoffs, these numbers have diminished, taking fewer corner 3s and converting only 33% of them, which is fourth worst among playoff teams.

Getting more production from Devin Vassell is a good start, but the Spurs have to clean it up or Oklahoma City will beat them in the half court.

read more: Spurs-Thunder preview

The San Antonio Spurs selected Rutgers rookie Dylan Harper with the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft…and after a relatively quiet regular season, averaging 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, he has emerged as a key contributor in the postseason.

Through 11 playoff games, Harper is shooting 56.6% from the field, with two games with over 24 points and two double-doubles. As a rookie in the 2025–26 regular season, Harper only had two 24-point efforts without a single double-double.

He is tied with the Timberwolves’ Naz Reed for the lead among all players in points off the bench this postseason with 151, while playing 46 fewer minutes. 😳 Will he keep it up in Game 1?

NBA fans are getting the series they were hoping for: a Western Conference Finals clash between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

These teams form the NBA’s emerging premier rivalry and have already played five times in the regular season – with one extra game due to the NBA Cup Semifinals – and are scheduled for at least four more.

Here’s one of my favorite player prop bets for Game 1:

Jalen Williams over 19.5 points + assists

JDub is healthy! Despite suffering an injury in Game 2 of the Round 1 series against the Phoenix Suns, Jalen Williams said on his YouTube channel that he is healthy and ready to play against San Antonio. In fact, prolonged absences may be viewed as a precautionary measure. When Williams got hurt, he kept himself in the game and signaled to the bench that he was OK, running up and down the court a few times, before finally coming out.

I expect him to resume and play completely normal minutes distribution and rotation. This season he averaged a combined 22.6 points and 21.8 assists in the matchup against San Antonio. With Stephen Cassel likely to face Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, I expect Williams to be bolstered as a playmaker for his team.