SAN ANTONIO — Going with the vicious behind-the-back dribble move, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had Stephon Castle flustered. In the final seconds of the third quarter, the two-time MVP winner faded and fell. His mid-range jumper swished through. Alongside an and-one call.
The Oklahoma City Thunder capped off 2026-27 NBA Opening Night with a 116-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs. They led for most of the night and by as many as 26 points.
By the opening possessions, the Thunder played with a different energy compared to the 2026 Western Conference Finals. Instead of letting the Spurs out-physical them from the jump, they set the tone. Chet Holmgren went headfirst in his one-on-one matchups with Victor Wembanyama. It was an old-school mano-y-mano situation that has seldom materialized over their NBA journeys.
And then there was Jalen Williams. Thunder fans' largest copium argument of the summer. After missing most of the epic 2026 Western Conference Finals, he returned to show he would've made a difference. A weakside recovery block showed off the defensive prowess he has.
The Thunder had a 34-28 lead after the first quarter. It only took the first dozen minutes to know they had this matchup circled as soon as it was announced for Opening Night. It won't erase what happened in the 2026 NBA playoffs, but it would be a step in the right direction to show they can finally get rid of their Spurs problems.
Once the second quarter rolled around, the Thunder took complete control of the game. A game-altering 25-5 run was cathartic to see unfold if you're an OKC fan. After De'Aaron Fox's flagrant foul for swinging down Holmgren, an NBA-regulated scuffle broke out. The end result also included technical fouls for Wembanyama, Williams, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams.
That was enough to get the juices flowing for the Thunder. They completely dissected the Spurs on both ends. San Antonio's offense eroded to Wembanyama's bailout calls to the free-throw line. Meanwhile, OKC's role players hit all of their outside jumpers. It didn't take long for the lead to get to double-digit points. Gilgeous-Alexander piled on with a turnaround jumper he drilled in.
Before you could even process what happened, the Thunder were up by over 20 points. They had 31 points in the second quarter. That was enough to enter halftime with a 65-44 lead over the Spurs. Just in total control of this one. The San Antonio crowd was in complete shock.
But you knew things were too good to be true if you were the Thunder. I mean, the Spurs knocked you out last year in the 2026 Western Conference Finals. You two are universally viewed as the co-title favorites. Surely, San Antonio had at least one momentum-shifting run in it, right? Right.
That was the start of the second half. The Spurs scored the first nine points. Eventually, that avalanched to getting things within 10 points. Castle made another top-of-the-key 3-pointer. Just like that, the Thunder's once-daunting 26-point lead was dwindled to a mere 68-58 with over eight minutes to go in the third quarter. Plenty of time to make things interesting.
Added as a new character to this ongoing soap opera between the Thunder and Spurs, Aday Mara penciled his first chapter. In a two-play sequence, he denied Wembanyama's alley-oop attempt and then caught his own lob for a superb pair of possessions. The 21-year-old showed he was seldom afraid of the national stage as he played a part in OKC's Opening Night statement.
Losing a good chunk of their lead, Gilgeous-Alexander calmed things down for the Thunder. They still came away with 28 points in the third quarter. That helped them stay at a healthy distance of 93-80. The two-time MVP winner already tallied 28 points. He was the best player on the floor. Meanwhile, Wembanyama couldn't buy an actual field goal as the seven-footer jacked up a ton of perimeter jumpers.
In a last-ditch effort, Dylan Harper tried to carry the Spurs to a comeback. He looked like San Antonio's best player. His relentless drives to the rim turned it into a seven-point contest at one point. But the Thunder shut the door. Gilgeous-Alexander did his usual thing, but Jared McCain joined in on the fun. He made a timely bucket after a timely bucket. Ice in his veins.
The Thunder only scored 23 points in the final frame, but that was enough to walk away with a relatively low-stress win over the Spurs. You can't win an NBA championship in October, but you can certainly dampen your odds with a no-show outing against the team that owned you last year. Thankfully, OKC won't deal with that scary alternate reality. At least not for now.
The Thunder shot 45% from the field and went 14-of-31 (45.2%) from 3. They shot 16-of-20 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 43 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 32 points and six rebounds. Holmgren had a loud 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Williams tallied 12 points and seven rebounds. McCain was the unlikely hero with 20 points dropped off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Spurs shot 39% from the field and went 10-of-37 (27%) from 3. They shot 22-of-25 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 36 baskets. Five Spurs players scored double-digit points.
Wembanyama had a humane 12 points and 13 rebounds. He shot 1-of-13 from the field. Castle was the best of the bunch with 24 points and seven rebounds. Harper looked sharp in his new role with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Fox had 14 points and seven assists. Keldon Johnson dropped 10 points off the bench.
Great way to start the 2026-27 NBA regular season. I called this the must-win Opening Night — the ultimate sports oxymoron. But considering how last year went for the Thunder against this one pesky opponent, they had to avoid history repeating itself. As I said earlier, it doesn't erase your postseason demons. But it's a step in the right direction.
Your three franchise pillars played like so in Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Williams. And then you even received some help from your role players. On defense, the Thunder remain as sharp as ever. Wembanyama waddled into one of the more inefficient nights in recent memory. For the first time in a minute, you can say OKC's unicorn two-end seven-footer outplayed him.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
Matching up on Castle, Gilgeous-Alexander went for another one-on-one look. Almost in anger that he's been regarded as one of his top stoppers, he drove downhill before jamming on the brakes. A nasty baseline fadeaway jumper feathered through. Not even Wembanyama could jump in time for a weakside block.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points on 13-of-27 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. He shot 3-of-7 fom 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had three steals and three blocks.
If you're going to comb through the history books, this is your textbook Gilgeous-Alexander masterpiece. He painted another Mona Lisa — but with some extra vendetta behind it. Surely, hearing all of the talk all summer, he had this game circled once it dropped. As OKC's leader, the rest of the Thunder followed suit by punching San Antonio straight in the mouth before it found its cockiness.
Gilgeous-Alexander absolutely dazzled from the jump. He constantly attacked San Antonio with mid-range jumpers. Whether with in-motion pull-up jumpers or methodical step-through turnaround jumpers. One of the greatest scorers ever always finds an angle to let off a highly-difficult jumper he butters through. This was him at the peak of his powers. In a flow state, the Spurs had absolutely no answers for him — something completely different from his putrid Western Conference Finals.
Helping the Thunder get up by over 20 points, Gilgeous-Alexander had 16 points in the first half. But his dozen points in the third quarter were arguably his most important of the game. In that stretch, he calmed the waters down. After a dynamic first half, OKC's offense sputtered and badly needed some hero shots. In came the two-time MVP winner to stiff-arm the Spurs from any serious momentum.
Gilgeous-Alexander absolutely closed the books on the Spurs. At all three levels, too. The outside jumper was frequented more often than usual. With Wembanyama cutting off his drives, he slithered around other areas to still put up a superb-efficient 30-plus points. We're watching one of the game's greats, folks. Appreciate it now as it plays out in real time.
2️⃣ smooth pic.twitter.com/WPcAUWypBv
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 21, 2026
Just watch 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/qzVSBq07A6
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 21, 2026
Shai. Gilgeous-Alexander. pic.twitter.com/1ZdwnrGuBE
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 21, 2026
Chet Holmgren: A-minus
In a size advantage, Holmgren put the ball down. He drove headfirst at Devin Vassell. Once he blew past him, he squared right up at Wembanyama's shot contest. The two basketball giraffes collided in mid-air. Holmgren won that matchup. The early bucket was nice, but the message it sent for the rest of the night was more important.
Holmgren finished with 14 points on 3-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 8-of-8 on free throws. He also had four blocks.
Starting a new school year, Holmgren isn't going to let Wembanyama bully him again. He stood up for himself and punched back. Just like parents in similar situations, all OKC fans could do was smile. You can't wash away your Western Conference Finals sins in one night, but this was the first step in redemption. Welcome back to playing at an All-NBA level.
From the start, Holmgren carried himself differently. He had an extra moxie to him. For most of the first quarter, he stuck on Wembanyama. Every time he had a chance to switch, he rejected the action. Nope. This was my guy. Seven-footer on seven-footer. The results? One of OKC's most dominant showings against San Antonio in years. Wow. Who would've thought?
The Thunder have overthought themselves into a pretzel with Wembanyama. How do you guard someone with his size and skill? Sometimes, the answer is slapping you across the face. Put your own version of him on him in Holmgren. After all, that's what the NBA world wants to see. That has become one of the best rivalries in recent years. Even if it's the Cold War kind.
This was the absolute best launching point for Holmgren's year. Especially since most view it as a fork-in-the-road moment. Will he learn from his postseason failures or falter from them? Through Opening Night, it looks like the 24-year-old utilized the humiliation ritual as extra motivation to return new-and-improved. You couldn't have drawn up anything better.
Right to the rack 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/lSLe32afdx
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 21, 2026
Rattle the rim, 7️⃣ 😤 pic.twitter.com/PSFCErs6SJ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 21, 2026
Jalen Williams: C
Moving over on help, Williams caught Castle by surprise. As the latter tried to go for the poster, the former jumped in the air with him. The All-NBA talent nastily rejected him with a weakside block. I guess the Thunder could've certainly used that type of all-world player at the highest stage last year. Alas. Enough with living in the past.
Williams finished with 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had one block.
The offense doesn't really jump off the screen, but man, Williams just makes the Thunder better. Plain and simple. On both ends. The defense receives an injection of otherworldly versatility. And the offense gets somebody who can keep the rhythm going as one of their top scorers. Even if he comes up with hilariously missed attempts on ambitious trick shots.
If the Thunder hope to run a well-oiled offense — that grows dependent on Gilgeous-Alexander's Superman-esque shot-making — then Williams has to play a key role in that. Especially when the two-time MVP is off the floor. Zooming out over several years, there's a track record of success. But it's been a minute since the 25-year-old was that guy for OKC. Let's see if he can don the Robin outfit once again.
The Thunder operate on a different level when Williams is hitting on all cylinders. As you saw with some of their game-defining runs that really blew this open. The energy level is just livelier when he's in uniform rather than in street clothes. Perhaps no better example was when he got into the meat of things between Fox and Holmgren following the former's flagrant.
Dub's running routes out there 🏃 pic.twitter.com/Z24WXDHW0K
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 21, 2026
Get downhill ➡️ get the bucket pic.twitter.com/RbthKhbvur
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 21, 2026
Jared McCain: A-plus
Catching Isaiah Hartenstein's DHO in rhythm, McCain drilled in another outside jumper. This time, it was from way deep. Even with Wembanyama's contest, the 22-year-old knocked it down. On the grand stage of Opening Night, he's proven to love the spotlight.
McCain finished with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, two assists and two rebounds. He shot 6-of-8 from 3.
You never ever have to worry about McCain being gun-shy. As the Thunder absolutely cooked the Spurs from the perimeter in the first half, he was one of the faces of the charge. Always on the move, his infinite range has proven to be a weapon the Thunder can lean on in their second-unit lineups. And when he's on the floor with Gilgeous-Alexander, he typically salivates at all the open looks he'll get simply from his gravity.
Once again, McCain was sizzling. He had 11 points in the first half. That was part of an effort where the Thunder surgically took apart the Spurs' top-end defense. His outside jumper was a staple in OKC's offense. They're all his now after the offseason moves they made this past summer. I don't think gluttony exists in his dictionary regarding that.
McCain has been awesome since he arrived in OKC. He's the gunner the Thunder have always had an eye on over the years. He's next in line. What an incredible way to start his third season. Not that long ago, he was fighting for his NBA life in the G League. Now, he's penciled his name several times in this legendary Thunder-Spurs rivalry.
Show out, JMac 👌 pic.twitter.com/PWVqFXhhLo
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 21, 2026
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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder bully Spurs on Opening Night in 116-104 win