The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs contested one of the best NBA playoff games in years in Game 1 of the 2026 Western Conference Finals. But with the nation watching on fixated by what they saw, things got a little too close for comfort for Alex Caruso.
The Thunder staged a great comeback at the end of regulation to force overtime after a layup by reigning back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But it was a quiet night overall as he scored just 24 points in the double overtime classic. The Thunder were actually led in scoring by Caruso, usually depended on for his defense and energetic style. Caruso scored 31 points off the bench to lead Oklahoma City on the night thanks to shooting 8-14 from downtown.
He also filled the stat sheet in his typical way with two rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two blocks. Actually, it was three blocks if you count this rejection of an NBC camera that tried to enter the Oklahoma City huddle at the end of regulation.
Unfortunately for Alex Caruso and the Oklahoma City Thunder, they could stop the NBC cameras, but they could not stop an otherworldly performance from Victor Wembanyama.
Wemby led San Antonio with an incredible 41 points and 24 rebounds in 49 minutes of action. That even included a three from the logo in overtime to force a second extra frame that was reminiscent of Steph Curry’s famous “double bang” in OKC many years ago.
Ultimately, Wemby’s historic performance was too much for the Thunder to overcome as the Spurs emerged victorious in a 122-115 instant classic. And America can only hope that we will get to enjoy six more games of what could be one of the all-time great playoff series between two teams who look like they will be doing this for many years to come.
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