Matching up on Stephon Castle, Shai 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 Victor Wembanyama could jump in time for a weakside block.
The Oklahoma City Thunder absolutely bullied the San Antonio Spurs in a 116-104 win on Opening Night. They led throughout most of the contest and by as many as 26 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points on 13-of-27 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. He shot 3-of-7 from 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.
It doesn't take long for you to scroll on social media to see how much this meant to the Thunder. Finally, tangible proof that they can actually beat up on the Spurs. Not always lose to them or really grit your teeth to peek past with a high-stress win. But a thorough minute-to-minute beat-up. Especially against the team that booted you last year and could do the same this year. But according to Gilgeous-Alexander's nonchalant nature, you can't get too ahead of yourself before Halloween even arrives.
"Not much (meaning), to be honest with you. This game doesn't really mean that much. The first game of the season," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "You can have an awful first game of the season and end your season amazing. It doesn't mean anything, really. It just means we used the opportunity tonight to get better against a really good team. We did so. That's what you try to accomplish every night in an 82-game season. We did so tonight, and took a step in the right direction."
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 2026 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 used 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.
"Now, obviously, the emotions come in and they obviously are a little bit more motivating for the game because of the circumstances," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "But when you peel back the layers, it doesn't mean much. First game of the season and we're trying to get better every night."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't put too much stock in OKC's Opening Night win over Spurs
