The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs faced off in their respective season openers on Tuesday night, in what could be another preview of the Western Conference Finals.

The two teams went all the way to Game 7 last season, with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs narrowly outlasting OKC to send the previous champs home.

Tuesday's bout had everything, from a first-half blowout, to fight-back in the second half, and plenty of standout individual performances. Ultimately, the Thunder would spoil the Spurs' home-opener, winning 116-104 in regulation.

Here was how social media reacted to Tuesday’s tilt:

Jalen Williams swats Stephon Castle on a dunk attempt.

A healthy JDub is a gamechanger in this matchup.

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 21, 2026

One major storyline for the Thunder was the return of star Jalen Williams, who missed a good chunk of the regular season and postseason last year due to injury.

Williams effectively picked up right where he left off, offering versatile play on both offense and especially defense.

Holmgren wants Wembanyama all to himself. Has rejected every chance for a switch. Been on him in about every possession so far

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 21, 2026

It was no secret that Holmgren underperformed in last year’s conference finals, with Wembanyama across from him no less. Despite that, he brought energy and played within himself in the Thunder’s first frame, impacting the game several times.

Aday Mara checks in..

..the rookie's first assignment?

Wemby.

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 21, 2026

OKC rookie Aday Mara has been a major subject of discussion for Thunder fans and the league as a whole, offering a 7-foot-4 body that can defend the rim and score on the interior, as he did plenty in preseason.

To begin his career, Mara played first-quarter minutes agains the Spurs’ own 7-foot-4 center.

After an extremely dirty play by Fox, the two teams see tempers flare pic.twitter.com/ObqC7xzZEk

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 21, 2026

Early in the second frame, tempers ignited when De’Aaron Fox sent Chet Holmgren to the hardwood. The teams would gather mid-court, and the refs would assess Fox with a Flagrant 1, and multiple Thunder platers with technicals for the dust-up.

Wemby blocks Chet.
CHET BLOCKS HIM BACK!

Wemby now 0/7 from the floor!

— Sam Humphreys (@SamHumphreys34) October 21, 2026

Holmgren would continue to play well deep into the first half, showing a few different moments of further composure. He hit back-to-back free throws with the San Antonio crowd loud, and responded to Wembanyama blocking him with a block of his own.

Make that two 3s for Stephon Castle this half. He hits another one to cut the Thunder's lead to 10. The arena is coming back to life. Thunder up 68-58. #PorVida

— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) October 21, 2026

As expected, San Antonio threw their hay-maker out of the half, with multiple Spurs getting in on the action. Stephon Castle specifically shot poorly in the first half, but ignited the spark early in the third to put his squad back in it.

Ridiculous stuff from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is unreal tonight. Up to 28 points on 10-for-13 shooting. OKC leads by 13 going into the 4th.

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 21, 2026

While there were plenty of positive storylines for OKC overall, none were more important than the team’s two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to look like the best player in the world.

Even with an All-World talent such as Wembanyama across from him, SGA was head and shoulders better than the next best player, constantly fueling Thunder runs.

Jared McCain has been butter all. game. long.

Just put the Thunder back up 10 with three-ish to play.

— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) October 21, 2026

No shooters were hotter Tuesday night than Jared McCain, the Thunder’s mid-season addition in the 2025-26 campaign. He hit threes time and again for OKC, finishing with 20 points on blistering 7-for-9 shooting overall.