NBA Opening Night Recap | October 20, 2026
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their season with a statement, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals.
San Antonio ended Oklahoma City’s championship hopes in seven games last season, but Tuesday night belonged to the Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 32 points, while Jared McCain delivered a huge performance off the bench with 20 points and six three-pointers.
For the Spurs, Stephon Castle led the team with 24 points, but Victor Wembanyama endured a miserable shooting night, finishing with just 12 points on 1-of-13 shooting.
First Quarter: Thunder Find Their Rhythm
Both teams came out looking to establish themselves early, but Oklahoma City began finding its rhythm offensively.
The Thunder shot an impressive 59.1% from the field in the opening quarter, with their three-point shooting helping them create some separation.
San Antonio kept things competitive, but Oklahoma City finished the quarter ahead 34-28.
Second Quarter: Oklahoma City Takes Complete Control
This is where things got ugly for San Antonio.
The Spurs couldn’t buy a basket, scoring just 16 points in the quarter while shooting an abysmal 3-of-21 from the field.
Things also got physical.
De’Aaron Fox received a flagrant foul after throwing Chet Holmgren to the floor, sparking a confrontation between players from both teams. Several technical fouls followed.
Rather than losing their composure, the Thunder responded with a 9-0 run and continued piling on the points.
Oklahoma City eventually stretched its lead to 26 before heading into halftime ahead 65-44.
The Thunder outscored the Spurs 31-16 in the quarter, putting San Antonio in a massive hole.
Third Quarter: San Antonio Fights Back
Give the Spurs credit. They didn’t roll over.
San Antonio opened the second half with a 23-9 run, cutting Oklahoma City’s lead to single digits after trailing by as many as 26.
The Spurs finally started making shots, scoring 36 points in the quarter.
Wembanyama also finally recorded his first field goal of the night, converting an alley-oop from Fox as the third quarter expired.
However, Oklahoma City still carried a 93-80 advantage into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter: Thunder Finish the Job
San Antonio had done the hard work of getting back into the game, but Oklahoma City wasn’t about to let this one slip away.
Gilgeous-Alexander continued providing the offensive production the Thunder needed, while McCain’s outside shooting remained a major factor.
The Spurs couldn’t generate enough consistent offense to complete the comeback, and Oklahoma City closed out the 116-104 victory.
EST Takeaways
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is picking up right where he left off.
Another season, another impressive performance from Shai. The reigning back-to-back MVP finished with 32 points and showed exactly why he’s one of the toughest players in basketball to stop.
2. Victor Wembanyama had a night to forget.
Let’s not sugarcoat it. Shooting 1-of-13 is terrible, especially for someone of Wembanyama’s caliber.
He still contributed 13 rebounds and six blocks, but San Antonio needs far more offensive production from its superstar.
One bad game doesn’t define a season, but this was certainly not the start he wanted.
3. Jared McCain could be a massive weapon for Oklahoma City.
Twenty points off the bench and six three-pointers on eight attempts? That’s outstanding.
The Thunder already have plenty of offensive talent, and if McCain can consistently provide this kind of shooting, opposing defenses are going to have another serious problem.
4. San Antonio cannot afford another quarter like the second.
The Spurs showed plenty of fight in the second half, but digging yourself a 26-point hole against a team like Oklahoma City is asking for trouble.
Scoring 16 points in an entire quarter isn’t going to cut it against championship contenders.
Final Thoughts
Oklahoma City wanted revenge, and it got it.
The Thunder looked sharp offensively, particularly in the first half, and showed enough composure to withstand San Antonio’s second-half comeback.
For the Spurs, there are positives to take from their response after halftime, but Wembanyama’s shooting struggles and that disastrous second quarter proved too much to overcome.
It’s only one game, and both teams have championship ambitions.
If this rivalry continues anything like it did last season, we’re in for some excellent basketball.
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