Heralded by pundits and fans as an “instant classic” and “epic duel,” Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals gave Spurs fans much to celebrate on a historic night that ended with a 122-115 double-overtime victory over the defending-Champion Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.

Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant performance for the ages, putting up 41 points, 24 rebounds and 3 blocks. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player to tally 40-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a conference finals debut, and at 22 years old, Wembenyama is the youngest player in NBA history to deliver a 40-point, 20-rebound game in the postseason.

The French phenom made several clutch shots down the stretch, including a game-tying “logo” three-pointer from 28 feet that forced double overtime. With a little over a minute remaining in the final overtime period, Alex Caruso switched on Wembanyama, who got deep post position and threw it down to give the Spurs a four point lead. With 25 seconds left and a 118-114 Spurs lead, Stephon Castle found Wembanyama for a reverse alleyoop to seal the victory.

Wembanyama, who became the first player ever to win Defensive Player of the Year in a unanimous vote this year, sat stoically on the bench during a pregame ceremony that crowned OKC Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as league MVP for the second straight year. Wembenyama finished third in MVP voting, and after the game, he said the statement he made in game 1 was personal.

“Did any part of tonight feel personal, some of your facial expressions kind of looked like you were really going for it,” a reporter asked Wembanyama in his post-game press conference.

“Yeah, for sure,” Wembanyama replied.

The Thunder, who finished the regular season with a league-best 64-18 record and entered the conference finals with a perfect 8-0 playoff run, struggled against San Antonio’s defense, shooting 41 percent.

The Spurs threw multiple defenders at Gilgeous-Alexander, double-teaming and trapping the Thunder star to hold him to 7-for-23 shooting from the field while forcing him to commit four turnovers.

“It was sheer willpower, everything was going really fast tonight,” Wembanyama told NBC in his postgame interview. “I guess I wasn’t really thinking.”

The Spurs entered the series starting without their All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox, who sustained an ankle injury in the Minnesota series.

Oklahoma City received a major boost with the return of Jalen Williams, an All-NBA player and All-Star last year during their championship run who was hampered with a hamstring injury throughout the season.

As the teams traded punches all night, the Spurs largest lead was 10, and the Thunder’s largest lead was 3. But for every punch the Thunder threw, the Spurs had a counter.

“Everybody had to step up,” Wembanyama said. “We had to cover up for our guy Fox, who hopefully will be available next game. We’re just built like this.”

Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso carried Oklahoma City’s offense, combining for 57 points. Caruso was a pest for the Spurs on defense and knocked down 8 of 14 three pointers to keep Oklahoma City within striking distance.

Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper, who started in place of Fox, had an excellent all around performance with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and a team playoff record 7 steals.

“I think he has shown a poise and composure beyond his years,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. “These guys are looking forward to the moments to step into, and it’s really fun to see how together they are and how they attack it.”

Harper scored the most points by a rookie in a conference finals debut since 1981, and he is the third rookie since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74 to record seven or more in a playoff game.

“I treat it like every other game — go into the mindset of being me, being on the forefront, not being on my heels, and just being in attack mode at all times,” Harper said in his postgame press conference.

With the Spurs back in the conference finals for the first time since 2017, thousands of fans packed the Frost Bank Center and Frost Plaza at the Rock at La Cantera Monday for official watch parties, cheering and celebrating throughout the night as the team scored or made big defensive plays. It was a back and forth game between the two best teams in the league.

“It feels amazing. It’s very encouraging to see the team grow, go from not the best team and still persist and be one of the best teams in the league” longtime Spurs fan Gabbi Compton told the Sundial.

Chants of “Go Spurs Go!” and “Defense!” flooded the venues as fans rallied behind their team. Fans stood with eyes glued to the big screens as two NBA juggernauts battled for supremacy in the final minutes.

Game 2 is tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City, and the Spurs will look to take a 2-0 lead before the series shifts back to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4. There are official watch parties at the Frost Bank Center and The Rock at La Cantera. Tickets are required for the Frost Bank Center event, and admission is free at the Rock.