OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The guard with the headband carried the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
No, not that one.
With reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander largely bottled up by San Antonio’s defense, it was another headband-clad guard — Alex Caruso — who tried to come to the rescue in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. He played the best game of his playoff career and maybe one of his best, period.
It was nearly enough: Caruso hit eight 3-pointers and finished with 31 points, the second-most of his career, but the Thunder fell to Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs 122-115 in double overtime.
“He’s an incredible competitor,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “His shot-making kept us in it while we were trying to find our footing offensively.”
It wasn’t just the offense. Caruso — basically a foot shorter than Wembanyama — was Oklahoma City’s most effective defender against the Spurs star. Caruso battled, clawed, scrapped and whatever else the referees would allow to give the Thunder a chance. Wembanyama finished with 41 points and 24 rebounds, but he needed to dig deep into his own bag of tricks late in the first overtime with a long, game-tying 3-pointer.
Otherwise, Caruso would have been the hero.
“It’s one of those things where you’re just trying to make whatever the play is in front of you to win the game,” Caruso said. “For me tonight, it was getting a bunch of shots and they were going in, so I just kept running with it.
“Even then trying to still do the other stuff I do defensively to create a lot of havoc, get to the rim a couple of times. It’s the playoffs, Game 1 at home … you’re trying to do whatever it takes to win the game.”
Caruso scored 16 points in the first half on 6-for-10 shooting with four 3s to give the Thunder a much-needed lift after the Spurs jumped out to a big lead. He kept Oklahoma City in the game with 14 points after halftime, including a 3 from 26 feet to give the Thunder a 95-94 lead with 1:51 left in regulation — after the defending champions were down by 10 earlier in the fourth.
His 23-foot corner 3 pulled Oklahoma City within 105-104 with 2:21 left in the first overtime.
Caruso had three 20-point games in last season’s playoffs, a big reason why the Thunder won the NBA title. He had exactly zero 20-point games in the 2025-26 regular season — more proof that when the playoffs roll around, he shows up.
“He’s a gamer,” Thunder guard Jalen Williams said. “So, whatever is needed, he’s going to do.”
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