The series we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. The defending champion Thunder will take on the Spurs—the young squad that handed OKC four of its 18 losses on the season—in the Western Conference finals starting Monday night.
The series features an incredible slew of storylines. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off of his second straight MVP win, beating out San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, among other superstars, for the honor. The Thunder are also shooting for back-to-back titles, and have the look of a bourgeoning dynasty. They’re 8–0 with two sweeps to open postseason play, and have done it with Jalen Williams, their second-best player, out for much of the run.
Meanwhile, the young Spurs look way ahead of schedule. Wemby, fresh off a Defensive Player of the Year win, continues to assert himself as a true superstar ... and a fiery one, as his ejection during the series against the Timberwolves showed. San Antonio hasn’t run through the playoffs quite the way Oklahoma City has, but they had a tougher road, first taking down the Trail Blazers in five games (losing the game in which Wembanyama suffered a concussion), then gritty Minnesota in six (with one loss coming after the star center’s ejection).
Sports Illustrated’s NBA staffers will be bringing you live updates, scores and highlights from the biggest moments of Monday night's Game 1 between the Thunder and Spurs. Follow along with our live blog and scroll down for more on the series.
Spurs at Thunder Game 1: Live updates, scores, highlights and more
The Spurs gave the Thunder real trouble in the regular season
The two sides of Monday night's Game 1 faced off five times during the regular season, with all five games contested in a pretty narrow window between December 13 and February 4. San Antonio took four of the five of those meetings.
The Timberwolves and Suns were the only other teams to snag multiple victories over the Thunder during the regular season, when they won two games apiece.
The full list of results between San Antonio and OKC this season:
| Date | Location | Thunder | Spurs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 13 | Las Vegas | 109 | 111 |
| Dec. 23 | San Antonio | 110 | 130 |
| Dec. 25 | OKC | 102 | 117 |
| Jan. 13 | OKC | 119 | 98 |
| Feb. 4 | San Antonio | 106 | 116 |
Perhaps most concerning for the Thunder: Wembanyama was far from 100% for most of the above games. He came off the bench for the three December contests as he was on a minutes restriction and recovering from a calf strain. He never played more than 28 minutes in a game against OKC this season, and averaged just over 25 per game. Still, his numbers were impressive, as he scored 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest.
Although San Antonio continues to be careful with Wemby’s workload, expect him to be unleashed against his rival Chet Holmgren and the Thunder in this series.
How the Spurs, Thunder reached the Western Conference finals
Through sheer dominance, mostly.
Even without one of their best players—forward Jalen Williams—for much of the postseason, OKC has been untouchable during the playoffs:
Thunder vs. Suns first-round scores
- Game 1: Thunder 119, Suns 84
- Game 2: Thunder 120, Suns 107
- Game 3: Thunder 121, Suns 109
- Game 4: Thunder 131, Suns 122
Thunder vs. Lakers second-round scores
- Game 1: Thunder 108, Lakers 90
- Game 2: Thunder 125, Lakers 107
- Game 3: Thunder 131, Lakers 108
- Game 4: Thunder 115, Lakers 110
The Spurs have had a few hiccups, but have shut the door on their opponents when matters most.
Spurs vs. Trail Blazers first-round scores
- Game 1: Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98
- Game 2: Spurs 103, Trail Blazers 106
- Game 3: Spurs 120, Trail Blazers 108
- Game 4: Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 93
- Game 5: Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 95
Spurs vs. Timberwolves second-round scores
- Game 1: Spurs 102, Timberwolves 104
- Game 2: Spurs 133, Timberwolves 95
- Game 3: Spurs 115, Timberwolves 108
- Game 4: Spurs 109, Timberwolves 114
- Game 5: Spurs 126, Timberwolves 97
- Game 6: Spurs 139, Timberwolves 109
More NBA Playoffs From Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Gifted Teammates Trench Coats After His MVP Win
- SI Quiz: Can You Name All 14 Players Who Have Won Consecutive NBA MVP Awards?
- Criticism of Shams Charania ‘Ruining’ MVP Announcement Is Off Base
- How Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert Helped Tip the Scales in Game 7 Road Win Over Pistons
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Spurs at Thunder Game 1: Live Updates As Oklahoma City, San Antonio Square Off in WCF Opener.
