Thunder vs. Spurs: SGA scores 32 as OKC wins the conference-finals rematch 116-104

The last game of the NBA’s opening night felt, in the words of NBC analyst Grant Hill, like “Game 8.” The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 in San Antonio on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals, and “thunder vs spurs” drew more than 500,000 US searches overnight, according to Google Trends. Related searches included “spurs vs okc,” “victor wembanyama,” “spurs roster” and “okc thunder roster.”

Thunder vs. Spurs: final score and key stats

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did most of the damage, scoring 32 points largely from the midrange, according to the AP and NBA.com. Jared McCain added 20 points on 6-of-8 three-point shooting, tying his career high for threes in a game.

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC): 32 points
• Jared McCain (OKC): 20 points, six 3-pointers
• Stephon Castle (SAS): led San Antonio in scoring (24 points per NBA.com; see note below)
• Dylan Harper (SAS): 18 points
• Victor Wembanyama (SAS): 12 points on 1-of-13 shooting, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks (AP)

Reports differ on Castle’s total: NBA.com’s recap and box score list 24 points and 7 rebounds, while a StatMuse game page we checked showed 27. We are using the official NBA figure and flagging the gap.

Oklahoma City won the bench battle 48-29 and shot 14-of-31 (45.2%) from three, NBA.com reported. San Antonio’s edge came in transition, where it outscored OKC 31-12 on fast-break points.

How the game unfolded

The Thunder controlled the first half. They led 34-28 after one quarter, hit seven of their first eight three-point attempts and went into halftime up 65-44. NBA.com noted that San Antonio shot just 12-of-43 from the field at one point in the second quarter, while all 11 Thunder players who had appeared by then had scored.

San Antonio came out of the break with a 9-0 run, and the AP reported the Spurs opened the second half on a 23-9 burst. But Oklahoma City led 93-80 after three, and every late push stalled. Harper scored seven straight to cut the gap to 102-94 with about five minutes left before McCain’s sixth three pushed the lead back to double digits.

“One of 82. This doesn’t prove anything, this doesn’t mean anything except we won tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said afterward, per NBA.com.

Wembanyama’s rough shooting night

Wembanyama, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year according to NBA.com, still affected the game at the rim. The AP credited him with six blocks and 13 rebounds. But he made only one of his 13 shots, finishing with 12 points.

He also had a memorable moment against a rookie. Oklahoma City’s Aday Mara, the No. 12 pick listed at 7-foot-3, blocked Wembanyama and threw down an alley-oop in his NBA debut, NBA.com reported.

Tempers flare in a rivalry game

The rematch carried an edge from the start. In the second quarter, De’Aaron Fox was called for a flagrant 1 foul on Chet Holmgren, according to the AP, and a scuffle followed that led to technical fouls. NBA.com described Wembanyama and Jaylin Williams “jawing at each other” after Holmgren went to the floor. Hill called it “a heated rivalry, a playoff atmosphere.”

Why fans were searching the rosters

Searches for “spurs roster” and “okc thunder roster” reflect how many new and young names played meaningful minutes: McCain’s shooting, Mara’s debut and second-year guard Harper’s late scoring for San Antonio. The stakes come from last spring: according to the AP, San Antonio beat Oklahoma City 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on May 30, and NBA.com framed Tuesday’s meeting as a conference-finals rematch. This time, the result went Oklahoma City’s way.

FAQ

Who won Thunder vs. Spurs? Oklahoma City, 116-104, on Oct. 20 in San Antonio.

How many points did SGA score? 32.

How did Wembanyama play? 12 points on 1-of-13 shooting, 13 rebounds and six blocks, per the AP.

Who was ejected or penalized? The AP reported a flagrant 1 on De’Aaron Fox for contact with Chet Holmgren, followed by technical fouls after a scuffle. We did not see reports of an ejection.