Wow! What else is there to say? Victor Wembanyama put on an otherworldly performance last night to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a double-overtime win over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. We might see six more games of this? How lucky are we?
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Also, Neymar made Brazil’s World Cup roster. But he’s not our World Cup player spotlight from Brazil. That’d be the dynamic left winger Vinícius Júnior.
We’ll have more NBA and World Cup coverage coming in the newsletter and, as always, on the NBC News website.
NBA Playoffs
There are somehow both too many and not enough words to describe last night’s double-overtime clash between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Epic. Incredible. Unbelievable. Those words start to but still can’t fully describe the Spurs’ 122-115 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
The opening round of this much-anticipated heavyweight fight had everything: clutch shotmaking, intense defensive effort and stars making big plays. San Antonio ultimately secured the game thanks to a sublime performance by Wembanyama, who scored 41 points and collected 24 rebounds in a whopping 49 minutes.
Wemby hit a 3-pointer from near the midcourt logo to send the game to double overtime, then scored 9 points in the game’s final five minutes to finally put away the Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was presented with his second straight MVP before the game, struggled. He finished with 24 points, but shot only 7-of-23 from the field, and the Thunder were outscored by 15 when he was on the floor.
Asked after the game if watching SGA receive his MVP trophy made the game personal, Wembanyama didn’t deflect.
“Yeah, for sure,” Wembanyama said. “Everything you just said.”
Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged after the game that he needs to play better, saying it was “unfortunate” he wasn’t at his best. Last night was the Thunder’s first playoff loss since Game 6 of the 2025 Finals, a series in which OKC also lost Game 1 at home.
The series resumes tomorrow on NBC.
World Cup Countdown
Leading up to the 2026 World Cup, we’re counting down 26 players to watch. Today’s entry is Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior.
Throughout Brazil’s storied soccer history, most of its best players have been known by a single name — Pelé, Ronaldo, Robinho, Kaká, Neymar. When one fades into the background, another seemingly appears. That’s how fertile the soccer talent is in Brazil, a country that has won the World Cup a record five times.
Neymar, Brazil’s last mononym star, is now on the backside of his career. He’s 34 and has not been the same player since a 2023 knee injury. There have been enough questions about his play that when word came that he had made Brazil’s World Cup roster, it made headlines.
In his place, a new star has emerged: Vinícius Júnior. Also known as Vini Jr., it’s not quite one name, but close enough.
Vini Jr. started his career with the Brazilian club Flamengo and showed so much promise that when he was just 16 years old Real Madrid reportedly paid around $50 million to secure his rights when he turned 18. Sky Sports reported that it was the second-largest signing from Brazil in history. The largest? Neymar.
Vini Jr. has been worth the money, though, and then some. He’s developed into an electric left winger with the speed, athleticism and dribbling ability to solve any defense.
He’s helped Real win La Liga and Champions League titles in the same year, twice — in 2022 and again in 2024. In the 2022 Champions League final, he scored the match’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Liverpool. Then in 2024, he scored again as Real beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. That year, he also finished second to Rodri for the Ballon d’Or award.
Not only is Vini Jr. one of the best players in the world, but he’s spoken out against racism in soccer and done charitable work in his native Brazil. He’d be hailed as a hero even more if he were to deliver the country’s first World Cup win since 2002.
Yesterday’s entry was Colombia’s Luis Díaz. Read about him here.
What We’re Reading
Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of Wimbledon because of wrist injury.
Rumors are swirling that Pep Guardiola could be leaving Manchester City. Here are some potential candidates to replace him.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year for the 2025 season. He revealed that his trophy has a few typos. The league has already said it will send him a new trophy.
The NFL announced that Minnesota will host the 2028 NFL draft, and that Nashville will host the 2030 Super Bowl.
Spurs-Thunder wasn’t the only thrilling game last night; the Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in overtime in Game 7 and advanced to the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals.
What We’re Watching
After last night’s thrilling Western Conference finals opener, what will the East have in store tonight? The New York Knicks got more than a week to rest, after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in Round 2, whereas the Cleveland Cavaliers needed seven games to dispatch the Detroit Pistons. One team is rested, and the other might have some momentum.
We’re curious how the stars match up early on, particularly New York’s Jalen Brunson and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, who have both had electrifying games this postseason.
All times are Eastern:
- 7:05 p.m.: Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees, on TBS
- 8 p.m.: No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers, on ESPN
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.
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