Victor Wembanyama dominates Chet Holmgren in thrilling upset over 2nd-place Thunder by Spurs!

The NBA's most exciting nascent rivalry lived up to the hype Thursday when Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren put on a show in San Antonio.

Wembanyama outplayed Holmgren as his Spurs defeated the Thunder 132-118. He stuffed the scoreboard and showed off his versatile skills while helping ice the game with a pair of deep 3-pointers down the stretch.

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With San Antonio leading 119-13 with 3:30 left, Wembanyama popped in from 28 feet to extend the Spurs' lead to 122-113.

Two possessions later, Wembanyama faced Holmgren from the top of the zone and then passed the ball to Devin Vassell. Holmgren followed Vassell, who faced a triple team at the free throw line. Vassell then kicked it into an open Wembanyama beyond the 3-point line.

Wembanyama rose again to hit his second 3-pointer in less than 90 seconds, a basket that extended San Antonio's lead to 127-118. The 7-foot-4 phenom's 3-pointers punctuated a late Spurs rally that helped San Antonio turn a 105-103 deficit into a 14-point victory over the second-place team in the Western Conference.

Wembanyama led the Spurs with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and five blocks. He shot 9 of 17 from the field, including a notable 5 of 7 effort from 3-point range.

Holmgren responded with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a block. He couldn't match Wembanyama from long range on a 1-for-4 night from beyond the arc. His only long-range success set the tone in the transition over Wembanyama after pushing the ball up from the opposition's backline.

In the end, Wembanyama emerged the clear victor in Thursday's battle between the 7-foot Rookie of the Year contenders.

Wembanyama had plenty of help as the Spurs earned their 12th win of the season to improve to 12-48. Vassell matched him with 28 points along with nine assists and two steals. Jeremy Sochan added 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Tre Jones had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds. All four made three or more three-pointers while shooting 50% or better from long range. As a team, the Spurs shot 19 of 39 (48.7%) from 3-point range on a 52.7% shooting night overall.

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 31 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Jalen Williams added 26 points, six rebounds and three assists. But Oklahoma City couldn't keep up from long range on a 9-of-31 (29%) night from beyond the 3-point line. The Thunder fell to 41-18, a full game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are in first place in the West.

With the Spurs out of playoff contention, there will only be one more opportunity this season for Holmgren and Wembanyama to face off. The Spurs and Thunder will meet for the fourth and final time on April 10 in Oklahoma City.