The top two seeds in the Western Conference playoff bracket. The first and third-best defensive teams during the regular season. The third and seventh-best teams in offensive rating. The defending champion vs. the hungry upstart that went 4-1 against them during the regular season.

And then Game 1 happened. Not one, but two overtimes. Defense galore. An iconic logo trey from the 7-foot-4 Frenchman to tie the game in overtime. In the end, the new kid on the block walked up to the bully, punched him in the face and left the arena with home-court advantage.

On Wednesday, the bully reasserted dominance with a 122-113 victory. It wasn’t easy, though. Victor Wembanyama wreaked havoc at both ends of the floor while the young guards made plays and bullied their way into the paint.

After getting outrebounded, 61-40, in Game 1, OKC narrowed the gap to 45-41 in Game 2. The Thunder also racked up 14 steals in Game 2 while only turning the ball over 10 times. In Game 1, the Thunder had 15 turnovers.

After playing only 12 minutes in Game 1, Isaiah Hartenstein received 27 minutes in Game 2, was a force on the boards and helped make Wembanyama work at both ends of the floor.

The status of De’Aaron Fox is huge for both fantasy and real life. His ball-handling, quickness and ability to run the offense would take some of the offensive onus and pressure off Stephon Castle while getting the periphery players cleaner looks. In addition, San Antonio turned the ball over 23 and 21 times in the first two games of the series, so his presence would likely bring that number down.

The talent, level of play, coaching and adjustments have been fantastic to watch. Now we head back to San Antonio, where the home crowd will be raucous. The Spurs were 32-8 at home during the regular season, the second-best mark to the Thunder.

DraftKings Sportsbook lists San Antonio as a 1.5-point favorite over Oklahoma City, with the total set at 217.5 points.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (OKC at SAS)

Captain’s Picks

Victor Wembanyama ($18,600 CP): The Alien has arrived and is making a mockery of the hoops landscape. Some players stuff the stat sheet. Wembanyama makes every statistical category puke out confetti from the top. He put up 84 and 62.2 FPTS in the first two games. The Thunder have no answer for him and all that I can hear reverberating through the universe is Dan Patrick screaming, “You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.”

UTIL Plays

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,600): The Spurs have made life difficult for SGA. Sometimes they double. Other times they hedge. Throw in a blitz here and there. A zone over there. Wembanyama is constantly lurking while there are often two players pinched in to help in the midrange. SGA shot 7-of-23 in Game 1. He came back in Game 2 with a 12-for-24 performance, but many of those were of high difficulty. That said, he’s the back-to-back MVP for a reason and is going to get his. It’s just a matter of how much. With Jalen Williams once again hobbled, he will have to shoulder as much offensive responsibility he can handle.

Cason Wallace ($4,600): Wembanyama literally does it all with fireworks, unicorns and confetti. Wallace also does it all, except he’s more like a Michelin chef, sprinkling a little salt and dabbling some sauce. The usage rate isn’t high, but he played 28 and 25 minutes in the first two games and finished with 20 and 33 FPTS. If Jalen Williams is unable to go, Wallace should become a more important piece of the rotation due to defensive prowess and offensive abilities.

Keldon Johnson ($4,200): I usually eschew one-dimensional players like Johnson, but he’s relatively cheap and played 22 and 26 minutes in the first two games. His ability to space the floor helped earn him the Sixth Man of the Year award. During the regular season, Johnson shot slightly better at home from downtown – 38% vs. 34%.

Fades

Chet Holmgren ($8,400): Holmgren has been relegated to a catch-and-shoot player on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, he’s racked up only two blocks and a steal in two games. That’s translated to 24.5 and 20.5 FPTS. Yeah, that Victor Wembanyama guy is pretty, pretty good. At his price tag, I’m not worried about Holmgren putting up a score that would make me curl up and cry under the covers.

The Outcome

The Spurs were very impressive in Oklahoma City. The quickness, physicality, defense and shot making were all on display. Sure, the turnovers were a problem, but the team was aggressive. Now they get to go back home and put on a show for the home folk.

Final Score: Spurs 118, Thunder 108