Victor Wembanyama admits it's personal going against SGA, Thunder after MVP snub: ‘I want to get that trophy’
In the first game since the MVP announcement, Wembanyama made a statement.
Victor Wembanyama admits it's personal going against SGA, Thunder after MVP snub: ‘I want to get that trophy’ originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . If Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals was any indication, Victor Wembanyama is out for blood against the Oklahoma City Thunder .
He has plenty of reasons for extra motivation; not only is a trip to his first NBA Finals on the line, but the Spurs and Thunder also built a rivalry in the regular season that saw Wembanyama's side win four different games, some of the few OKC losses all year. When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA's back-to-back MVP on Sunday, it gave Wembanyama yet another reason to take the matchup personally — and he showed out by dominated Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. Here's a look at the Game 1 numbers from Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander, and what the Spurs star had to say about his MVP snub.
NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Game 1 stats The final numbers for Gilgeous-Alexander were much more on-par with his stardom, masking an extremely slow start. But it's also no understatement to say that Game 1 on Monday night may have been one of his worst performances of the 2025-26 season.
Coming off the heels of his MVP announcement, Gilgeous-Alexander went for 24 points, but on 7-of-23 shooting (30. 4%) from the floor. He did add 12 assists and five steals with five turnovers, but his plus-minus sat at -15, the worst on the Thunder.