Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 on Tuesday, Oct. 20. It was the teams' first meeting since San Antonio ended Oklahoma City's title defense in the Western Conference Finals.

The game at Frost Bank Center was the 2026-27 season opener for both clubs. The Spurs eliminated the Thunder 111-103 in Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the conference finals on May 30.

Jared McCain added 20 points and went 6 of 8 from three-point range, according to the Associated Press. Oklahoma City led for all but the opening five minutes.

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks but shot 1 for 13 from the field. He missed his first 12 shots, including an alley-oop attempt blocked by 7-foot-3 Thunder rookie Aday Mara. Wembanyama's lone field goal came on a lob from De'Aaron Fox as time expired in the third quarter.

The rivalry's intensity showed early. Three minutes into the second quarter, Fox received a Flagrant Foul 1 for throwing Chet Holmgren to the court after the two became entangled in the paint.

The play triggered a scrum in which Wembanyama and Jaylin Williams had to be separated after pushing each other. Wembanyama, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams each received technical fouls.

Oklahoma City seized control from there. The Thunder went on a 9-0 run after the scuffle, then scored 13 straight capped by a Cason Wallace three-pointer for a 59-33 lead. They outscored San Antonio 31-16 in the second quarter and took a 65-44 advantage into halftime.

San Antonio opened the third quarter on a 23-9 run to pull within single digits. Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain answered, combining for 25 points in the second half to keep the Spurs from getting closer.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised the team's collective effort after the game. "We were really, really good on that end tonight, and intentional on offense … Everybody was ready to play. Everybody contributed," Daigneault said, according to Yahoo Sports.

Wembanyama acknowledged the rough outing in his postgame news conference, per Yahoo Sports. He said he was indecisive and might have been overthinking, adding that he needs to return to playing the style of basketball he enjoys.

The Thunder host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.