Aday Mara makes his NBA debut by putting Wembanyama on a poster

The Western Conference tipped off in the NBA with a rematch of the showdown both teams played in their bid for a spot in the Finals, which ultimately went to San Antonio. This time, the Thunder struck the first blow with their win at the Frost Bank Center.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once again the leader of a team that keeps its hopes of repeating as champions intact. The Canadian was the barometer of the game with 32 points, especially in the second half, when the game was being decided.

On the other side, Victor Wembanyama's start to the season faded into a dreadful 1-for-13 shooting, which gave him 12 points and 13 rebounds. But above all, he ended up being on the receiving end of the game's poster play (and surely one of the best of the season), delivered by a Spanish rookie who will never forget his NBA debut.

It didn't take long for the player from Zaragoza to make his debut. With 5:39 left in the first quarter, Mara came on as a substitute for Chet Holmgren, and 36 seconds later he was already on the receiving end of a personal foul by Wemby. Mara missed the first free throw but made the second, his first point in the NBA.

Mara kept producing in his fabulous debut in the best League in the world. With 3:01 left in that first quarter, he grabbed his first rebound, and at 2:28 he recorded his first assist, with Jared McCain as the recipient (21-26). In his second stint back on the court, with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter, he made the first of the three field goals he converted (66-78).

But the play that has already gone around the world came with 4:20 left in the third quarter. Wembanyama was getting ready to finish an alley-oop with a dunk when he ran into Mara, who denied him passage by turning the play into a brutal block. But what was sensational defense of his rim became a fast break for the center, who finished the sequence with a dunk off an alley-oop (70-84). The best calling card for Mara as an NBA player.

"Big Spain," as Kenrich Williams calls him, who in preseason already saw that Mara can make the league’s first or second all-defensive team, finished the game in which he played 12 minutes with 7 points, 3/4 on two-point shots and 1/2 on free throws, two rebounds, one assist and one block. His +/- was +9, but his impact on the game was much greater.

Mara shined in his debut as the Thunder began to build their revenge against the Spurs. They are the two top favorites in the West and their battle has just begun. OKC won the first round and Aday Mara is already known in the NBA.