OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could have opted for one of his classic interview segments: the MVP race, which featured both him and Victor Wembanyama, didn't take into account how effective each athlete's one-liners were.Gilgeous-Alexander, too, stayed away from his prose Monday night. "We've got to be better," the Canadian star said, facing a 1-0 series deficit in the Western Conference Finals — a first for the Oklahoma City Thunder this postseason. "Me, in particular. I have to be better, especially against a team of this caliber."The team in question rallied behind its French center, who took matters into his own hands in Game 1 after watching Gilgeous-Alexander hoist his second MVP trophy prior to tipoff. Wembanyama finished third in MVP voting; he had five first-place votes."Vic obviously wasn't happy about that," Devin Vassell said. "For us to corral around him, him leading us, showing he's the best player of the world ... that's a big statement win."May 18, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts in double overtime against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals for the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesIn 49 minutes, Wembanyama logged 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks, 20 of which came in the fourth quarter and both overtime periods of the 122-115 win.A deep 3-pointer with 27 seconds to play in the first extra period was the poster child for his historic night. Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other hand, mustered only 24 points while shooting 7-for-23 from the field with 12 assists, five steals and four turnovers. The performance marked his lowest-scoring outing while logging at least 36 minutes since facing the San Antonio Spurs in the regular season on Christmas Day.Neither Gilgeous-Alexander nor Mark Daigneault avoided the obvious. Wembanyama had just about as much impact on defense as he did offense, if not more.“He's a great player with high impact," Daigneault said. "When you play against those (types of) players, it's kind of an acquired thing ... you’re learning as you go. You can talk about as much you want, but you've got to develop a feel for it.”Added Gilgeous-Alexander: "It's obviously challenging. (He is) very tall, very long. Deters a lot of things at the rim. You've got to be smart when you go in there."By the midway point of the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander found himself in danger of missing the 20-point mark he's seldom fallen short of since ascending into one of the league's most prolific scorers. His 24 points on the evening were enough to keep the Thunder in striking distance for most of both overtimes, but the Spurs were prepared. A series against a hobbled Anthony Edwards gave them ample practice at throwing doubles and traps at their opponent's best player. That exercise transferred well.“We tried to keep guys fresh on him," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "He’s so dynamic ... one of the best I’ve ever seen in terms of angles, being able to take up space and use your physicality against you … we did a good of trying to contest without fouling."May 18, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots while defended by San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals for the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesDespite it being the Thunder's calling card, the Spurs only sent Gilgeous-Alexander to the free throw line five times. The guard shot nine of Oklahoma City's 19 attempts, while the Spurs shot 29, led by Wembanyama, who had 13 attempts.Asked about his role in slowing down the back-to-back MVP, Wembanyama deferred.“It’s a team thing," he said. "Everybody was very connected today. We need to keep being connected … we’re definitely going to talk about it and anticipate for the next games.”Every fresh body thrown at Gilgeous-Alexander added another degree of difficulty to his night. If De'Aaron Fox is upgraded, as the Spurs hope he will be, for Game 2, he'll be another. The Thunder, meanwhile, hopes for better execution at second pass."One of the things that I love about this team is our problem-solving," Daigneault said. "We've been in these series before. We've hit these types of plateaus."Gilgeous-Alexander, for one, plans to search for more patience. In front of another friendly crowd, he'll be afforded all the time he needs from the arena.Wembanyama and the Spurs don't intend to give him that same luxury on Wednesday.“We, as a team, are ready to go in any environment ... against anybody," the 22-year-old said. "Even though we’ve still got a lot to learn, our effort should be over anybody else’s."Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow