The NBA season opened with a playoff rematch: Oklahoma City at San Antonio, the two title favorites.
San Antonio beat Oklahoma City in the 2026 Western Conference Finals in seven games. The Thunder wanted revenge.
"We played them 12 times last year," Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told NBC Sports before the game.
Tip-off came at 9:50 p.m. Eastern after the Knicks' ring ceremony ran long. The game started on Peacock, then joined NBC.
The Thunder led 34-28 after one quarter, shooting 5 of 6 from three-point range.
Oklahoma City led 65-44 at the half. They hit 10 of 14 threes. San Antonio shot just 29.2 percent.
De'Aaron Fox threw Chet Holmgren to the floor. Fox got a flagrant foul. Four players got technical fouls.
Victor Wembanyama got one. So did Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams, and Kenrich Williams of the Thunder.
Wembanyama had 8 points at halftime but missed all seven of his shots. Holmgren went right at him all night.
DraftKings made San Antonio a 1.5-point favorite. NBC Sports called them the two favorites to win the title.
The teams play only three times this regular season. Two meetings remain. Expect the same edge in both.
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