SGA took full accountability after a tough 7-of-23 shooting night, credit to an absolute defensive masterclass anchored by Victor Wembanyama; Yankee Scores reports…

Shai Alexander-Gilgeous had an underwhelming performance on a night he was presented with his second consecutive NBA MVP trophy in a thrilling Western Conference finals opener.

The defending champions, OKC Thunder suffered a 122-115 double overtime loss in Monday’s epic game 1.

SGA’s Struggle in Game 1

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and 12 assists in 51 minutes, but he shot only 7 of 23 from the floor and committed four turnovers, falling far short of his offensive abilities.

“We just got to be better — me, in particular,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who became the 14th player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVPs. “I have to be better, especially against a team of this caliber. Nothing more than that.”

Learning from Game 1 and looking ahead. pic.twitter.com/1G2FEoVwv3

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 19, 2026

Spurs’ Defensive Pays Off

Thunder guard Caruso took advantage of Wembanyama moving off him to shoot 8 of 14 threes in scoring 31 points which was a playoff career-high for him.

It was worth noting, however, that the Spurs were happy to let Caruso score in order to prevent Gilgeous-Alexander from being comfortable despite the latter becoming the first person in NBA history other than Michael Jordan to average 30 or more points over four consecutive seasons.

Shai Admits Offensive Struggle

“I know what my teammates are capable of, what we’re capable of as a team when we bring it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s just unfortunate that I wasn’t able to bring my best game tonight, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Sometimes, you’re your best version, sometimes you’re not. You’ve got to roll with the punches, don’t get discouraged and stay true to who you are.”

Throughout much of the game, the offensive production of the Thunder dropped any time that Gilgeous-Alexander tried to initiate plays from just outside the three-point line.

Gilgeous-Alexander did not make more than three of his first 14 attempts from the field, although he made up for lost time after falling behind by 10 points.

Daigneault Targets Vast Improvement

“We’re going to have to figure that out,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They’re good schematically. They obviously have a lot of tools with the point-of-attack defenders and with Wembanyama.

“There’s a reason they are where they are, but there’s a reason we are where we are, and one of the things that I love about this team is our problem-solving”.

“We’ve been in these series before. We’ve hit these types of plateaus. We gave ourselves obviously a chance to win despite that tonight with our defense and the way that we played, but we got to solve a few problems and be better in Game 2.”

“It’s obviously challenging — very tall, very long, deters a lot of things at the rim,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You’ve got to be smart when you go in there. Be patient but also be aggressive. Don’t be too timid in there. I think you get caught worrying about it too much, and you lose aggression. That’s where they really put a stranglehold on the game. You’ve got to be able to be aggressive but also be smart.”

However, three blocks do not do justice to the impact he had defensively in the contest. The mere threat of Wembanyama was enough to close out lanes for drivers and throw off shooters off the dribble for the Thunder, even the two-time MVP.

“I just felt like it was what the game needed — to try to be aggressive, touch the paint, make plays,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Didn’t make enough of them tonight personally, but I think that’s what the game needed.”