Wembanyama’s 41-24 double-double silences Thunder in West finals: ‘The best player in the world’

Victor Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds, Dylan Harper finished with 24 points and a team playoff-record seven steals, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in a double-overtime classic to open the Western Conference finals. Wembanyama sealed Monday night’s game with a pair of dunks in the final minute, one of them leading to a three-point play as the Spurs stole home-court advantage and beat the Thunder for the fifth time in six meetings this season. Stephon Ca

“A great effort from everybody,” said Wembanyama, who, at 22 years and 134 days, became the youngest player with at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game. “The best player in the … world,” Castle told NBC after the game when asked about Wembanyama. The Frenchman was asked if he agrees with Castle’s assessment. “The world is eight billion people,” Wembanyama said. “That’s eight billion opinions.” Alex Caruso scored 31 points, the second-highest scoring game of his career, off the bench for the Thunder – whose nine-game playoff winning streak dating to Game 7 of last season’s NBA finals was snapped. Jalen Williams returned from a six-game absence caused by a hamstring strain and scored 26 points for the Thunder, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – on the night he received his second straight Most Valuable Player trophy – had 24 points and 12 assists but shot 7 for 23 but struggled for long stretches and admitted after the game that he “had to be better”. Asked whether watching Gilgeous-Alexander win the award served as motivation, Wembanyama said, “Yeah, for sure.“ It was the sixth Game 1 in NBA playoff history to go into double overtime – the first since a Spurs-Warriors game in 2013. “It was a war of wills,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “The levels of mental toughness exuded by both teams ... we needed every second from everybody that played.” Wembanyama’s final line was 14 for 25 from the field, 12 for 13 from the foul line, and his lone three-pointer came late in the first overtime, tying the game from well beyond the arc . Without that shot, there probably would have been no second overtime. “Confidence through the roof,” Harper said of the importance of Wembanyama’s long three.

Key points

• “A great effort from everybody,” said Wembanyama, who, at 22 years and 134 days, became the youngest player with at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game.
• “The best player in the … world,” Castle told NBC after the game when asked about Wembanyama.
• The Frenchman was asked if he agrees with Castle’s assessment.
• “The world is eight billion people,” Wembanyama said.
• “That’s eight billion opinions.” Alex Caruso scored 31 points, the second-highest scoring game of his career, off the bench for the Thunder – whose nine-game playoff winning streak dating to Game 7…