OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Victor Wembanyama is not going to get any shorter before Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. He's not going to get less skilled, and the San Antonio Spurs surely aren't going to become less confident, either.
That means the Oklahoma City Thunder have to get a little smarter.
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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) tips off during 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)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, fouls San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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 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)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks while being fouled by Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) during the second overtime of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
It took historic efforts — namely a 41-point, 24-rebound game from Wembanyama and a 24-point, seven-steal gem from rookie Dylan Harper — for the Spurs to grab the double-overtime thriller that was Game 1 on Monday. Game 2 is Wednesday, and it's the Thunder who have to answer.
“You've just got to be aggressive, just be smart, I think, more than anything,” Thunder guard and two-time Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of facing the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama. “He obviously is very big at the rim, but we still found cracks in (the defense) at times. We've just got to be willing to work possessions and make sure we get the best shot each time down.”
In other words, the Thunder have some learning to do.
And that's a bit ironic, because that's been the Spurs' mantra.
San Antonio ruled De'Aaron Fox out an hour or so before Game 1, meaning the Spurs were rolling out the youngest starting five in NBA conference finals history — a 20-year-old in Harper, a 21-year-old in Stephon Castle, a 22-year-old in Wembanyama, a 24-year-old in Julian Champagnie and a 25-year-old in Devin Vassell. Most of those guys should still be in college, so maybe the various “we're learning” claims that Wembanyama often offers are both accurate and fitting.
“We want to win everything, and we have the chance to. We have people above us in the organization that know how to do that,” Wembanyama said. “And, so far, it looks like they’ve put the right people together to give us a chance — because right now, we've got a chance. We still got a lot to do, lot to learn, lot of trials to go through that we don’t even know of, but we have a chance.”
Without question, the masterminds of the Spurs — the likes of Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford, the newer wave in general manager Brian Wright and coach Mitch Johnson — know what they're doing. There are banners swaying in San Antonio as proof.
Same goes in Oklahoma City; the Thunder proved last year, by winning a title, that they know what they're doing. And when Game 1 was over, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault — as per his nature — was calm and cool.
“I’m never going to discredit an opponent when they come in here and win like that,” Daigneault said. “But we have a lot of runway to improve. We have a lot of players that can play better. We collectively can play with more intentionality on both ends of the floor, certainly on the offensive end of the floor. We can play better collectively.”
No matter what happens Wednesday, Daigneault will likely say the same thing after Game 2 as well.
“Game 2 is going to end and then we'll need to be a better team in Game 3,” Daigneault said. “That’s how these work.”
The Spurs have reasons to feel good, obviously: They're up 1-0, and they hope they can get Fox back for Game 2. The Thunder, who got 31 points from Alex Caruso in the series opener, might not have reasons to feel good but they shouldn't be in panic mode either: It's highly unlikely that Gilgeous-Alexander (7 for 23 in Game 1) struggles that much from the field again anytime soon, and the minus-21 rebound differential — the team's worst since November 2024 — can be easily addressed.
“That’s what this time of year is about,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s the highest level of basketball and you’re going to find out exactly what type of player you are, what type of competitor you are and exactly what you need to get better at.”
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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) tips off during 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)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, fouls San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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 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)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks while being fouled by Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) during the second overtime of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is appearing on Capitol Hill for his first congressional testimony since taking the reins at the Justice Department, as the agency faces intense scrutiny over its plans to create a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of President Donald Trump who believe they were targeted politically.
Also, Trump said he's holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” are underway to end the war. Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” but put it off — “for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.” He said America’s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they're close to a deal with Iran.
Here's the latest:
Republicans pressed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about violent crime, drug enforcement and other conventional Justice Department topics.
But for the most part, they’re steering clear of the Justice Department’s creation of a new $1.776 fund created to compensate allies of President Trump who say they’ve been mistreated by the criminal justice system and Democrats. That’s in contrast to their Democratic counterparts, who routinely pressed Blanche on the fund.
The primary exception on the GOP side was Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who asked Blanche about the fund.
The president said he would be making an announcement in the early afternoon in the contest between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, “And I hope you find it good.”
Trump didn’t say who he would endorse but said, “I’ve pretty much always known who I was going to endorse.”
During a hearing Tuesday, Democrat Rep. John Garamendi asked Adm. Brad Cooper whether the Pentagon’s assessment is that hostilities between Tehran and Washington have been halted since the ceasefire was announced last month.
Cooper continued to testify that the U.S. remained in a ceasefire despite several attacks from both sides in the last several weeks.
“That’s not my question,” Garamendi said. “My question was is the military assessment that hostilities have ceased since April?” Cooper responded that was his assessment but added that “Iran pushes it.”
There have been reports that China, which has close ties to Iran, has considered sending weapons for use in the conflict against the United States.
But Trump says Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that wasn’t the case.
“He promised that he’s not sending any weapons,” Trump told reporters after he was asked about the reports.
The leaders held two days of in-person talks last week in Beijing.
China’s foreign ministry has denied the reports.
Thune told reporters he isn’t sure how the administration intends to use it, but said “I don’t see a purpose for that.”
Thune’s comments come after Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost reelection in a GOP primary Saturday, called it a “slush fund” on Monday.
“We are a nation of laws,” Cassidy said. “You can’t just make up things.”
It is unclear, though, if Republicans will try to block the funding.
The House Armed Services Committee’s ranking Democrat pressed the top U.S. military leader in the Middle East for information on the bombing of a school that killed more than 165 people when the U.S. and Israel launched the Iran war.
Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. Central Command, said the bombing is still under investigation. He said the strike was complex, noting how the school was on a missile site operated by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Cooper said he’s committed to transparency once the investigation is complete. But Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington said, “I do not trust that answer.”
Smith said he respects Cooper, but accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of showing a “callous disregard” for protecting civilian life.
Under questioning from Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, Blanche said he “will definitely encourage the commission” responsible for deciding on the payouts to “take everything into account.”
He also said he’ll commit to “making sure that the commissioners are effectively doing their jobs and that includes setting your guidelines.”
But he declined to explicitly rule out the idea that people implicated in the violence of Jan 6. could apply for payments from the fund, which was set up to pay people who believe they’ve been mistreated by the criminal justice system.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against four people aboard an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip organized by the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, also subject to U.S. sanctions.
Included in the sanctions are a group of European activists: Saif Abu Keshek, Jaldia Abubakra Aueda, Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz and Mohammed Khatib.
Israel has recently intercepted dozens of aid flotillas after more than 50 vessels departed from the port of Marmaris, Turkey, last week in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza’s shores.
In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the flotilla “pro-terror” and “a ludicrous attempt to undermine President Trump’s successful progress toward lasting peace in the region.”
The president said he was giving Iran “two or three days,” but then suggested he might give Iran a week.
“Maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week. A limited period of time,” he said.
The president said he “was an hour away from making the decision” to launch strikes on Tuesday before calling them off Monday.
Asked how close he was to striking Iran and ending a fragile ceasefire, Trump on Tuesday said he was “an hour away” from making the call.
“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
He said the strikes “would have been happening right now” if he hadn’t held off. “The ships are all loaded, they’re loaded to the brim,” he added.
Trump on Monday announced he was holding off on military strikes planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” were underway to end the war.
The president told reporters Cuba may not need a change in regime to address his concerns but said if he wanted to, “I can do that.”
He didn’t offer many details about what he wanted from Cuba but said: “That’s not going to be hard for us to solve.”
Cuba’s economic and energy crises have deepened this year after the U.S. invaded Venezuela in early January, halting critical oil shipments from the South American country. Then in late January, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the island.
A severe gas shortage has persisted and widespread blackouts continue across the island.
“This is a room that’s been wanted for 150 years by presidents,” Trump said of the ballroom.
Trump has renderings of the building on easels as he explains the various components, including what he calls a “drone-free” roof.
“One thing doesn’t work without the other,” he said.
Trump said the ballroom will be paid for by donors and himself. Republicans in Congress are grappling with a $1 billion funding request to cover all the security elements.
The acting attorney general said the Justice Department is committed to “full transparency” in providing public information about beneficiaries of the new fund meant to compensate allies of President Trump who say they were mistreated by the criminal justice system.
Blanche said in response to a question at the Senate budget hearing that there are privacy laws that mandate some information be kept quiet, but that otherwise, the department intended to be transparent.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen pressed Blanche on the creation of the fund during a budget hearing and asked him directly whether Jan. 6 rioters involved in crimes of violence could apply for payment from the fund.
“As was made plain yesterday, anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they were a victim of weaponization,” Blanche said.
The decisions on payouts will be made a five-member commission appointed by Blanche.
In response to questions from Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, he said that though the fund was “unusual,” it’s not unprecedented.
He said the fund was similar in structure to one created during the Obama administration to compensate Native American farmers who alleged they were victims of racial discrimination.
Blanche said the fund will not be limited to Republicans or to people who were investigated or prosecuted by the Biden administration.
He also said he expected the payouts, which will be decided by a five-member commission, to be a matter of public record.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, castigated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the new $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of President Trump who feel they’ve been unjustly targeted by the criminal justice system.
Van Hollen called the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday a “pure theft of public funds.”
He told Blanche he was “still acting as the president’s personal lawyer” and not the acting attorney general that he is.
The acting attorney general’s testimony before a Senate appropriations subcommittee comes a day after the Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of the Republican president who believe they were targeted politically.
Tuesday’s hearing is meant to address the Trump administration’s budget request for the Justice Department. But it’s likely to delve into other controversies that have escalated concerns about the erosion of the law enforcement agency’s tradition of independence from the White House.
He’s repeatedly shown that Republican primary voters will follow his lead, even as his popularity wanes with the broader electorate.
In Kentucky, he’s supporting first-time candidate Ed Gallrein over Massie, who’s been in office since 2012. Massie is trying to convince Republicans they can support both himself and Trump at the same time, a proposition that’s been tried unsuccessfully in other races around the country.
In the race for Georgia governor, Trump is backing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in an unexpectedly ugly battle for the Republican nomination. Jones, who comes from a wealthy Georgia family, has given his campaign $19 million. But billionaire Rick Jackson, a health care tycoon, has put more than $83 million of his fortune into the race. Trump’s endorsement power has rarely been tested against that level of lopsided spending.
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The signs this year suggest no, and Trump has convinced his voters to defeat his adversaries again and again. The next test of the president’s power to extract retribution is Tuesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky faces a Trump-backed primary challenger.
Massie has been a thorn in the president’s side for pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposing the war with Iran and voting against Trump’s signature tax legislation last year.
Meanwhile, Georgia is about to feature a fresh case study in the divergent paths available to Republicans who defy Trump.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan were among the few Republicans to speak out against Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 loss. Both are now running for governor — Raffensperger as a Republican and Duncan as a Democrat — and both are trying to convince voters to look past things they said in the past.
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President Trump has considered himself an effective dealmaker above all else, but he appears to have hit a wall with Iran as his tough talk, threats and even military action haven’t moved Tehran from its long-established positions.
With shifting goals that make it difficult to judge the status of the U.S. effort, Trump and his top aides have insisted the U.S. has already won the war and that Iran is ready to reach an agreement in the wake of escalating U.S. threats during a tenuous ceasefire.
But Trump once again backed down, saying Monday that he’d put plans for an imminent resumption of attacks on hold at the request of Gulf Arab states because “serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”
Crucially, Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane for global oil supplies, even as the U.S. military has enforced its own blockade on Iranian ports.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than a week after President Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing.
Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday in a visit likely to be closely watched as Beijing seeks to maintain stable relations with the United States while also preserving strong ties with Russia.
The Kremlin has said Putin and Xi plan to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries, but also “key international and regional issues.” The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship signed in 2001.
China is a key trading partner for Russia, especially after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.
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Trump said he is holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” are underway to end the war.
“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I’d be very happy,” Trump said at the White House on Monday evening, after first making the announcement in a social media post.
Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” but put it off — “for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.” He said America’s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran.
Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran did not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement. Over the weekend he warned, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.”
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Trump’s allies who believe they have been wrongly investigated and prosecuted could soon have access to a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund, the Justice Department announced Monday.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” will represent “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.” Blanche’s statement made no mention of how investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s political opponents under his watch have exposed the Justice Department to the same claims of politicized law enforcement that he has said he opposed.
The fund was announced as part of a deal to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.
The fund is in keeping with Trump’s long-running claims that the Justice Department during the Biden administration was weaponized against him, even though then-President Joe Biden himself was scrutinized during that time.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday the fund is dedicated to “reimbursing people who were horribly treated.”
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Republican voters in northern Kentucky will choose between U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie and challenger Ed Gallrein in Tuesday’s House primary, another test of President Donald Trump’s power over his party after he handpicked Gallrein to take on the incumbent.
The primary race turned white hot in the final stretch. Massie brought in a phalanx of other Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, in an attempt to show voters that they could support both him and Trump. Trump ratcheted up his social media attacks on Massie, calling him “an obstructionist and a fool,” and Gallrein shared a stage with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday.
Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party in his second term, successfully purging those who deviate from his agenda, but Massie is one of the last and most outspoken holdouts. A Massie defeat on Tuesday would serve as one of the most powerful demonstrations yet of Trump’s influence over Republican voters.
The matchup has become the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.
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President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during and event about prescription drug prices in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington, with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump speaks about prescription drug prices in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
