After sweeping through the first two rounds and earning another extended break between series, the Oklahoma City Thunder opened the Western Conference Finals with a 122-116 double overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs, marking their first defeat of the postseason.
That lengthy layoff may have hurt more than it helped.
OKC came out flat early, falling behind 11-3 to open the game. The Thunder didn’t take their first lead until the 7:33 mark of the third quarter, and even then, it lasted just 20 seconds before San Antonio responded.
With the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year anchoring the Spurs’ frontcourt, perimeter shooting will be critical throughout this series. Oklahoma City shot just 37.8% from beyond the arc in Game 1, and the lack of consistency showed in key moments.
San Antonio also entered the series with a clear defensive focus: make life difficult for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It’s a strategy the Lakers attempted in the previous round, but the Spurs executed it at a much higher level in the opener.
Shai scored just four points in the first half before finishing with a relatively quiet 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting, including 2-of-7 from three-point range.
Then there was Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs superstar delivered a dominant performance in his Western Conference Finals debut, finishing with 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks, completely shifting the tone of the game on both ends of the floor.
Still, there are positives for Oklahoma City moving forward.
The Thunder have already experienced adversity this postseason and know how quickly a series can shift. Jalen Williams returned after missing nearly a month with a hamstring strain and immediately looked comfortable, showing little rust in his first game back.
This series figures to be physical, competitive, and long. Fortunately for OKC, that’s nothing new.
