Thunder Dominate Spurs in Opener, Box Score Stats, Highlights for Wemby, SGA, Chet, Top Players

There was no repeat of the Western Conference Finals on the opening night of the 2026-27 NBA season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder got some revenge on the San Antonio Spurs with a 116-104 victory in Tuesday's highly anticipated showdown at Frost Bank Center. And if the first game was any indication, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be well on his way to a third straight MVP.

SGA was the best player on the floor as he unleashed his normal combination of midrange jumpers and silky smooth moves, while Victor Wembanyama couldn't keep pace as he struggled with his own shot (1-of-13) against OKC's stifling defense.

Jared McCain provided support with six threes off the bench, which helped the Thunder overcome strong showings from Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper.

The Spurs fell short in the NBA Finals, but they entered this season with momentum in the matchup of heavyweights with the Thunder after winning Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on the road. It would be anything but shocking if these two teams faced each other on that stage again, this was a chance for both sides to make an early statement.

And the tension was on display right from the start.

It boiled over some in the second quarter when things got heated after Fox threw Chet Holmgren to the ground. The teams had to be separated, and the end result was a flagrant foul for Fox, a technical for Wembanyama and technicals for all three Williams on the Thunder (Jaylin, Jalen and Kenrich).

For as amusing as the trio of Williams technicals was, the Spurs fans likely took little joy from the rest of the first half.

Oklahoma City jumped out to a commanding 21-point lead by intermission with McCain and Alex Caruso draining threes off the bench, the defense frustrating Wembanyama, and Gilgeous-Alexander taking over for extended stretches.

SGA is nearly impossible to stop when he attacks the lane, but he also mixed in multiple triples and facilitated to Holmgren when interior defenders collapsed on his penetration. With Wembanyama missing all of his field-goal attempts in the first half on the other end, the Thunder were in full control behind their star advantage.

To San Antonio's credit, it battled back in the third quarter and cut the deficit to single digits with Fox and Castle picking up the scoring slack for Wembanyama, who didn't make his first field goal until his 13th attempt.

The big man still impacted the game by swatting shots and getting to the free-throw line, but Gilgeous-Alexander had an answer seemingly every time the Spurs made a run. That kept the Thunder up 13 heading to the fourth after a response that included rookie Aday Mara blocking Wembanyama on one end and finishing a dunk on the other.

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter, as the Spurs went on an early run when Gilgeous-Alexander was on the bench just for the point guard to push the lead back to double digits when he returned to the floor.

It wasn't a one-man show, as McCain drilled a critical three-pointer, Holmgren blocked a shot at the rim and Caruso bothered San Antonio's perimeter players with his hounding defense down the stretch.

With the role players contributing and SGA torching Spurs defenders, OKC was in full control by the final minutes and will have a chance to build some early season momentum when it faces another Western Conference contender in the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.