SAN DIEGO (AP) — Miguel Andujar homered off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first inning, Michael King struck out nine during seven sharp innings of four-hit ball, and the San Diego Padres snapped the Los Angeles Dodgers' five-game winning streak with a 1-0 victory Monday night.
Mason Miller finished the Padres' five-hitter in their fourth consecutive victory, but only after San Diego's vaunted closer walked his first two batters on nine pitches. Miller recovered to get three straight outs for his major league-leading 15th save, inducing Andy Pages' grounder to third to end it.
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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws to a Los Angeles Dodgers batter in the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim reaches third base safely on a San Diego Padres throwing error in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
San Diego Padres' Miguel Andujar, left, celebrates his home run hit in the first inning with Gavin Sheets (30) in a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to a San Diego Padres batter in the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
San Diego Padres catcher Rodolfo Durán, left, gives a hand to starting pitcher Michael King, front right, after the in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Andujar had two of the four hits by the Padres in the opener of a nine-game homestand after an impressive sweep of Seattle last weekend.
Shohei Ohtani had two hits for the Dodgers in a pitching-dominated first game of the season between these Southern California rivals.
King (4-2) yielded two walks while reaching season highs in strikeouts and innings, throttling a Dodgers lineup that had scored 40 runs in its past five games, including 31 in its three-game weekend sweep in Anaheim.
World Series MVP Yamamoto (3-4) was almost as sharp, yielding three hits and two walks while striking out eight with no run support.
Andujar came up second in the first inning and delivered a solo shot for his fourth homer of the season, but Yamamoto settled in and allowed only two singles the rest of the way.
King allowed two baserunners in the first five innings on a single and a walk, but catcher Rodolfo Durán promptly threw out both Mookie Betts and Ohtani when they tried to steal second.
Hyeseong Kim and Ohtani reached base with two outs in the eighth against reliever Jason Adam, but Betts grounded to short.
Griffin Canning (0-2, 10.64 ERA) will attempt to bounce back from consecutive rough outings for the Padres on Tuesday. Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.54 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws to a Los Angeles Dodgers batter in the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim reaches third base safely on a San Diego Padres throwing error in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
San Diego Padres' Miguel Andujar, left, celebrates his home run hit in the first inning with Gavin Sheets (30) in a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to a San Diego Padres batter in the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
San Diego Padres catcher Rodolfo Durán, left, gives a hand to starting pitcher Michael King, front right, after the in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds, Dylan Harper finished with 24 points and a team playoff-record seven steals, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in a double-overtime classic to open the Western Conference finals Monday night.
Wembanyama sealed it with a pair of dunks in the final minute, one of them leading to a three-point play as the Spurs stole home-court advantage and beat the Thunder for the fifth time in six meetings this season.
Stephon Castle had 17 points, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each scored 13 and Julian Champagnie added 11 for the Spurs, who were without De’Aaron Fox because of ankle stiffness.
“A great effort — from everybody,” said Wembanyama, who, at 22 years, 134 days, became the youngest player with at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was 22 years, 343 days when he had a 40/20 game in the 1970 NBA Finals.
Alex Caruso scored 31 points, the second-highest scoring game of his career, off the bench for the Thunder — whose nine-game playoff winning streak dating to Game 7 of last season's Finals was snapped.
Jalen Williams returned from a six-game absence caused by a hamstring strain and scored 26 points for the Thunder, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — on the night he got his second straight Most Valuable Player trophy — had 24 points and 12 assists but shot 7 for 23.
It was the sixth Game 1 in NBA playoff history to go into double overtime — the first since a Spurs-Warriors game in 2013.
And as the clock ticked toward midnight, Wembanyama decided enough was enough.
Game 2 is Wednesday at Oklahoma City.
“It was a war of wills,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “The levels of mental toughness exuded by both teams ... we needed every second from everybody that played.”
The Spurs were up by 10 with 9:10 left in regulation, wasted it all, then survived a frantic final stretch where the lead changed hands twice and the game was tied three times in a span of less than two minutes.
Wembanyama had an off-balance chance to win it on the last play of regulation, but Chet Holmgren swatted it away. In overtime, Wembanyama more than atoned — connecting on a tying 3-pointer from well behind the arc with 28 seconds left to tie the game and send it to a second OT.
“We have to get better from this game,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst first half, shooting-wise, in nearly three years — 1 for 5 from the field, four points. It was the first time since Oct. 29, 2023, a span of 270 appearances including playoffs, that he didn't have at least two field goals before halftime.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama was doing whatever he wanted — dunking over trios of defenders, flexing at times, finishing the half with 14 points and 10 rebounds, looking perfectly comfortable in his debut on this stage.
And the Spurs' lead was only seven at the break, 51-44.
Gilgeous-Alexander got a couple shots to fall in the third, and the Thunder even briefly reclaimed the lead. But the Spurs were unfazed and the margin was still seven. San Antonio was ahead 80-73 going into the fourth.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2), guard Luguentz Dort (5), San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard Stephon Castle (5) react after a foul call during the second half of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) falls on Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) blocks a shot by San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) during the first half of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates with guard Devin Vassell (24) during the second overtime of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates after a dunk during the second overtime of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
