Victor Wembanyama put on a historic playoff display with 41 points and 24 rebounds, leading the San Antonio Spurs past the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in double overtime during Monday's Western Conference Finals opener. Stephon Castle declared him "the best player in the world," and the Spurs' dominance showed in the box score — 61-40 on the boards and 27 free throws to Oklahoma City's 16.

The Thunder had swept through Phoenix and Los Angeles to reach this series, so the loss stings. San Antonio led 51-44 at halftime but fell behind in the second half, forcing regulation overtime before Wembanyama hit a turnaround jumper with 11.5 seconds left to seal it. Dylan Harper added 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 steals, while Alex Caruso scored 31 for Oklahoma City.

Only Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Charles Barkley have posted a 40-point, 20-rebound playoff game — Wembanyama joins that elite company. The loss marks Oklahoma City's first playoff defeat, and the Spurs head into Wednesday's Game 2 with a 1-0 series lead.