The San Antonio Spurs opened the Western Conference finals with a 122-115 double-overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, and head coach Mitch Johnson described the game as “a war of wills” after his team stole home-court advantage at Paycom Center.
The Spurs leaned on a historic performance from Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 41 points and 24 rebounds in 49 minutes, while rookie Dylan Harper added 24 points and a team playoff-record seven steals.
“It got to the point probably sometime at the end of that fourth quarter it just felt like it was a war of wills,” Johnson said postgame. “There was a level of mental toughness that was exuded by both teams.”
San Antonio nearly lost control after leading by 10 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Wembanyama’s deep tying 3-pointer late in overtime forced a second extra session before the Spurs closed the game behind consecutive dunks from the All-Star big man.
Johnson praised the group’s ability to stay composed despite heavy minutes.
“We needed every second from everybody that played,” Johnson said. “Those five guys, I think, I don’t know what it is, one of you probably do, but they played maybe the last 15 or so odd game time minutes. Their legs got wobbly, but they composed themselves and finished strong.”
The second-year Spurs coach repeatedly highlighted Wembanyama’s physicality and defensive presence against the top-seeded Thunder, who entered the series after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I thought his level of physicality and execution through physicality was tremendous,” Johnson said. “His rebounding obviously showed itself in the box score, but was off the charts defensively. He was in a stance almost all night.”
Wembanyama also helped limit reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 24 points on 7-for-23 shooting. Johnson said the Spurs focused on making the Thunder star work on every possession.
“We try to keep guys fresh on him and just make it hard for him,” Johnson said. “He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen in terms of angles and being able to take up space and use your physicality against you in terms of leverage.”
Johnson also addressed the growth of Wembanyama as a leader during the postseason run.
“I think he has grown tremendously in that throughout the season and finding his voice and his moments in his own way,” Johnson said after being asked about the 22-year-old encouraging teammates during tense moments late in the game.
The Spurs coach called Wembanyama’s willingness to embrace pressure situations one of his defining traits.
“That young man has a rare desire to step into every moment that’s in front of him,” Johnson said. “Doesn’t mean they’ll always work out for him or be exactly the outcome that he wants, but he has some rare God-given ability.”
Johnson also spent significant time praising Harper, who made his first playoff start in the Western Conference finals against one of the NBA’s top defenses.
“I thought it was phenomenal,” Johnson said of Harper’s performance. “I thought he was even better defensively.”
Johnson added that Harper’s playoff breakout was not a surprise internally.
“He was this good eight months ago,” Johnson said. “That young man is everything that everybody’s seen right now.”
San Antonio played without De’Aaron Fox because of ankle stiffness, though Johnson credited the veteran guard for helping from the bench throughout the game.
“He was continually giving guys direction and talking to the players that were in the game,” Johnson said. “To have that perspective is really helpful.”
Game 2 of the Western Conference finals is scheduled for Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.
