Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the deadliest scorers in the NBA today, but even the best in the business can sometimes miss shots that leave you scratching your head. One such instance occurred in the Thunder’s 122-115 double-overtime Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, and Victor Wembanyama found it to be quite hilarious.
With over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter at Paycom Center, Thunder guard Alex Caruso drew Wembanyama towards him on a drive to the basket to set up the easiest of shots for Gilgeous-Alexander. The newly-crowned MVP for this 2025-26 season had to make an uncontested jumper from about six feet and missed.
WEMBY IS LAUGHING AT SGA 💀 pic.twitter.com/60XeoEOrd4
— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) May 19, 2026
Wembanyama didn’t even bother to contest the shot, and Gilgeous-Alexander still couldn’t make it. The Canadian then seemingly fouled the Frenchman in frustration, much to the latter’s delight.
This sequence kind of sums up what this night was like for the two superstars. Almost everything went right for Wembanyama while almost nothing did for Gilgeous-Alexander.
Wembanyama finished with 41 points (14-25 FG), 24 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and three blocks. The 22-year-old went just 1-2 from three, but that lone make was probably the greatest shot of these playoffs.
STILL NOT OVER THIS SHOT 😭
WHO WAS WEMBY FEELING LIKE?? pic.twitter.com/412oW4W8bM
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 19, 2026
There aren’t too many players around who’d be brave enough to take that shot. Had Wembanyama missed, he’d have hammered, but the great ones find a way to will those in.
That shot got Wembanyama to five points in the first overtime period, and he’d follow that up with nine in the second. This was a masterclass to help the Spurs seize home-court advantage in the Western Conference Finals.
As for the superstar on the other end, Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points (7-23 FG), three rebounds, 12 assists, five steals, and one block. The two-time MVP had just four points on 1-5 shooting from the field at halftime, but then came alive in the fourth quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 12 points in the fourth, notably making a layup in the final seconds to send this game to overtime. The 27-year-old was a no-show after that, though. Gilgeous-Alexander had two points on 1-4 shooting from the field over the two overtime periods. The four-time All-Star also had a bad turnover in the second overtime period, and this turned from a night to remember to one to forget.
Gilgeous-Alexander was named MVP on Sunday, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver presented him with the trophy ahead of Game 1. You wondered at the time how Wembanyama, who finished third in voting, would be feeling about that.
Well, Wembanyama admitted he got some extra motivation from seeing Gilgeous-Alexander lift that trophy in front of him. The two-time All-Star made it clear he wants to win it many times in his career, and he almost certainly will. He is just too good.
NBA legends like Magic Johnson sang Wembanyama’s praises for this incredible performance. You want to say it’s one that’s going to live long in memory, but it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if he has even greater games than this one.
The Thunder would be hoping they don’t get one of those next time out. Game 2 tips off at Paycom Center on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET. That’s almost a must-win game for the Thunder now. They cannot afford to lose both home games at the start of the series to this Spurs team.
