Victor Wembanyama Shot 1-of-13 as the Thunder Beat the Spurs 116-104: The Fantasy Overreaction Check

Victor Wembanyama had the worst shooting night of his career on Tuesday, going 1-of-13 from the field as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 in a Western Conference finals rematch in San Antonio. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points on 13-of-27 shooting in 36 minutes, Oklahoma City led by as many as 26, and a second-quarter altercation between De'Aaron Fox and Chet Holmgren produced a flagrant foul and four technical fouls.

Wembanyama still finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks, getting most of his scoring at the free-throw line. That is the central fantasy point of this piece: even on a historically bad shooting night, the preseason MVP favorite produced a line that helps in most category formats. The Spurs' problems on Tuesday were real, but they were not mostly about their franchise player's fantasy value.

How the Thunder took it over

Oklahoma City controlled the game for nearly all of it, leading for all but the opening minutes. The Thunder made 10 of 14 threes in the first half, outscored the Spurs 31-16 in the second quarter and went into halftime up 65-44. San Antonio shot 2-of-17 in that second quarter.

The Spurs pushed back with a 14-3 run in the third quarter to cut the margin to single digits, but rookie Aday Mara, the 12th pick in June's draft, answered with a block on Wembanyama and an alley-oop dunk. Mara finished with seven points in 12 minutes in his debut. Late in the fourth, Jared McCain's three over Wembanyama capped an 8-0 Thunder stretch that ended it.

The altercation and the discipline question

Early in the second quarter, Fox grabbed Holmgren while Holmgren was posting up and threw him to the floor. Players from both teams came together, and Wembanyama had to be held back. After a review, officials assessed Fox a flagrant 1 for an unnecessary act and gave technical fouls to Wembanyama and to all three Thunder players named Williams: Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams. No one was ejected. Holmgren made both flagrant free throws, Wembanyama made both technical free throws, and Oklahoma City ran off nine straight points right after the scuffle.

Fox said afterward that Holmgren exaggerated the contact, while Holmgren questioned why three Thunder players were given technicals for reacting. As of Wednesday, there was no report of a league suspension for anyone involved. Technical fouls carry automatic fines under NBA rules, but nothing beyond that had been announced. Fantasy managers should treat every player in the scuffle as available for their next game unless the league says otherwise.

Overreaction check: Wembanyama

The 1-of-13 line is ugly. He missed his first 12 shots, his only field goal was a tip-in late in the third quarter, and he committed four turnovers. Coverage of the game framed it as the worst shooting start of his career. The Thunder drafted Mara in part to have another long body for this exact matchup, and Holmgren was credited with keeping Wembanyama off his spots.

But a one-game sample against the team built most specifically to defend him is a poor basis for a ranking change. He still delivered 13 rebounds and six blocks, which are the hardest categories to find on waivers, and he got to the line enough to salvage double-digit points. If you roster him, the correct move is nothing. If a league-mate is shaken, this is the cheapest he will be all season, and it is worth making a strong offer.

Overreaction check: the guards and McCain

Castle's 24 points and seven rebounds as part of a three-guard starting lineup with Fox and Harper were the best Spurs news. Mitch Johnson's starting group puts the ball in all three guards' hands, and Castle looks like the most stable of the three for counting stats. Harper's 18 points came with a scare: he tweaked his lower leg early in the fourth quarter, sat a few possessions and returned, which suggests he avoided a significant injury. Monitor his status before the weekend.

On the Thunder side, McCain is the name drawing waiver attention. He was rostered in fewer than a fifth of Yahoo leagues entering the season, and his 6-of-8 three-point night in about 22 minutes off the bench is exactly the profile that made him a preseason streaming option. The caution is that Oklahoma City's rotation is deep and Mark Daigneault spreads minutes. He is a strong add in points leagues and for threes in category leagues, but not a player to drop a proven starter for.

Verdexed angle

Read this game as a matchup result, not a talent verdict. Oklahoma City has the length to make Wembanyama uncomfortable, and that will show up again in the Feb. 11 rematch, but most of the league does not have two long rim protectors like Holmgren and Mara to throw at him. His fantasy floor held on his worst night, which is the strongest argument for buying.

Gilgeous-Alexander looked like himself: high volume, efficient enough, and in total control. There is nothing to adjust. Holmgren's line was modest in scoring, but his defensive role in this matchup was large, and he was coming off a preseason in which he did not play because of a bruised quad. That he played a full workload is the bigger news for his managers.

For Spurs guards, the takeaway is shared usage. Fox, Castle and Harper all need the ball, and in a game where Wembanyama was cold, Castle took the biggest share. That may not repeat when the big man is making shots. Verdexed's game-by-game read for both teams sits at /nba/predictions, and the Wednesday slate is broken down at /blog/nba-picks-2026-10-21.

What's next

The Thunder open at home Thursday against the Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center, then host the LA Clippers on Sunday and the Phoenix Suns on Monday. Oklahoma City plays three times this week, which makes McCain a reasonable weekly add in leagues that set lineups by the week.

The Spurs next face the Houston Rockets at the Moody Center in Austin later this week, though reports differ on whether that game is Friday or Saturday. Expect a heavier diet of early touches for Wembanyama, which Johnson's staff has every incentive to script after a night when San Antonio could not get him going. Watch Harper's injury designation and any league announcement on the scuffle before setting lineups for that game.