The opener to the NBA’s conference finals round pitted a matchup that has been circled for quite some time: The Thunder vs. the Spurs, No. 1 vs. No. 2, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Victor Wembanyama, with the eventual winner headed to the NBA Finals. Monday night’s Game 1 lived up to the hype with 10 lead changes and plenty of highlight plays throughout, and San Antonio eventually prevailed with a 122–115 double-overtime victory thanks largely to Victor Wembanyama’s incredible night.
Wembanyama saw Gilgeous-Alexander receive his second MVP trophy before the game and he must’ve taken that personally after he finished third in MVP voting. The ball was tipped and Wembanyama controlled both ends of the floor for the great majority of the game. He finished with 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks in a career-high 49 minutes in what turned into a declarative statement that he has what it takes to win a title as soon as this year.
