The shot changed the opener
Victor Wembanyama gave San Antonio a series-opening jolt by turning one audacious deep three into the defining shot of a 122-115 double overtime win over Oklahoma City.
The moment instantly recalled Stephen Curry’s famous Oklahoma City dagger from 2016, when another long pull-up stunned the Thunder and changed how basketball viewed distance under pressure.
The moment demanded nerve
Game 1 had already become chaotic before Wembanyama’s biggest swing. The Spurs trailed by three in overtime, with under 30 seconds left and no safe option available late.
Instead of searching for a safer look, he pulled from far beyond the arc in transition. The make forced another period and flipped the game’s mood quickly.
The timing punished Oklahoma City
The shot worked because it came before Oklahoma City could fully settle. Wembanyama used speed, confidence, and size to turn a broken transition chance into pressure on demand.
That is where the Curry comparison starts to fit. Both shots punished defenders for hesitating near midcourt, where most players still think twice before firing under pressure.
Curry set the old blueprint
Curry’s 2016 winner became famous because it broke a tie from roughly 40 feet with less than a second left. Wembanyama’s version carried different stakes in May.
This was not a regular-season shocker. It was a conference finals overtime answer, delivered by a 7-foot-4 center against the defending champions on their floor late.
Wembanyama changed the formula
Wembanyama did not simply copy a famous shot. He borrowed the same logic, trusting a deep pull-up before the defense could decide what mattered most in coverage.
That choice made the play feel modern and familiar at once. Curry stretched the court with skill, while Wembanyama stretched it with scale and nerve under pressure.
The full night backed it up
The Spurs needed every bit of that nerve. Wembanyama finished with 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, one steal, and only three turnovers in victory.
Those numbers were not empty fireworks. He played a career-high 49 minutes, carrying San Antonio through pressure possessions until the Thunder finally ran out of answers.
The Thunder had their own surprise
The Thunder still threw serious punches. Alex Caruso hit eight three-pointers after shooting 29% from deep during the season, giving Oklahoma City an unexpected lift in Game 1.
That is what made the Spurs’ response matter. They survived a role player’s unlikely shooting heater, then leaned on Wembanyama when the game demanded structure late in overtime.
The rivalry felt bigger
Oklahoma City still had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s reigning MVP in this storyline, but Game 1 placed Wembanyama directly in his path for control of series momentum.
The matchup suddenly felt bigger than one win. It looked like a possible rivalry handoff, with Wembanyama trying to seize the next defining stage in the West.
San Antonio kept building evidence
San Antonio also strengthened a larger pattern. The Spurs improved to 5-1 against the Thunder across the season, including regular-season meetings and this opener in Oklahoma.
That record gave the shot extra weight. It did not feel like one miracle make, but another sign that San Antonio had found something repeatable against Oklahoma.
The Thunder saw history repeat
The Curry echo also connected two eras of Thunder pain. Oklahoma City once watched a guard punish space from distance, then saw a giant do it again.
That is why the comparison landed so quickly. It was not just the range, but the opponent, the timing, and the sudden silence afterward inside Oklahoma City.
Fun fact: Wembanyama’s wingspan was listed at an absurd 8 feet, basically giving the Spurs a human Wi-Fi signal near the rim.
The Spurs still had to finish
Double overtime gave the play its consequence. Once Wembanyama’s shot forced another period, San Antonio still had to defend, execute, and finish the job on the road.
That final step separated the moment from a highlight clip. The Spurs turned the make into a win, which made the Curry connection feel earned under pressure.
The series tone shifted
The performance also changed the series tone. Oklahoma City entered with home court, but San Antonio left Game 1 holding control and a louder belief in itself.
The Thunder will almost certainly respond, but the opening message was unmistakable. Wembanyama could tilt the matchup without needing a traditional possession to develop late in games.
Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing is rewriting the NASCAR record books after Tyler Reddick secured a fourth win in just six races. To explore how this team became the most dominant force in the 2026 Cup Series, dive into our full analysis.
The new version felt terrifying
That is how Wembanyama used a Curry-style idea to stun Oklahoma City again. He trusted range, timing and surprise when the safest option disappeared late in overtime.
Curry made that shot feel possible years earlier. Wembanyama made it feel terrifying in a new body, with a new rivalry and bigger stakes already forming fast.
Michael Jordan’s failures became the fuel behind his six championships, but explore the brutal mindset and daily habits that turned thousands of missed shots into one of sports’ greatest careers.
Victor Wembanyama’s deep overtime shot gave the Spurs a Curry-like moment against Oklahoma City. Do you think that was the shot that announced a new Western Conference rivalry?
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
Read More From This Brand:
