The Oklahoma City Thunder have addressed one of their glaring issues from last year – finding a way to stop Victor Wembanyama.On opening night of the 2026-27 NBA season, the Thunder handed the San Antonio Spurs a 116-104 defeat in what was another epic battle between two of the Western Conference title favorites. OKC got one over their rivals Spurs on opening night of the 2026-27 NBA seasonGettyBack-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for all scorers, posting 32 points to go with his six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.But the Thunder ultimately got the W by limiting Wembanyama to just 12 points, 10 of which came from the free-throw line as the 22-year-old shot a career-worst 1-from-13 from the field.Part of limiting the Frenchman’s scoring production, although he did also notch 13 rebounds and six blocks on the defensive side of the ball, was due to the presence of rookie Aday Mara.The 21-year-old was drafted out of Michigan with the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and used all 7-foot-3 of his frame to make his presence known, recording his first NBA block on the Spurs phenom.View Tweet: https://t.co/5FWjtxQf6gOn debut, he finished with seven points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal to go with his lone block in just 12 minutes of action. After the win, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised the Spaniard for his performance in particular. “It was a great impact. He had one of the critical stretches of the game. He didn’t seem overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the game,” he said.“I’m not really surprised by how he’s performed in the preseason. I think he’s proven to be a very impactful player. His minutes weren’t high tonight, but his impact was. “Clearly, someone would put him in that game. I’m only going to trust him more after seeing how he performed in such a high-level game.”There was initially some speculation over whether Mara would even be able to feature for the Thunder on opening night, amid claims made by Spanish club Basket Zaragoza that the center was still under contract through the 2026-27 season. On his NBA debut, Mara got his first career block against WembanyamaGettyTensions boiled over in the second quarter with four players assessed technical foulsGettyBut having last played three years of NCAA college basketball for UCLA and Michigan, where he helped the Wolverines win the National Championship, the NBA confirmed that no clearance from the Liga ACB outfit was permitted in order to be able to play. Finding a way to stop Wembanyama on the offensive side of the ball was a critical key to securing the win for OKC, with the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year having become somewhat of an arch nemesis to the team. Of course, in the 2025-26 Western Conference Finals, Wembanyama averaged 27.3 points across the seven-game series, shooting at 48.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. He also tallied 10.9 rebounds 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.7 blocks as the Spurs triumphed over the then-defending champions to reach the NBA Finals – where they would fall to the New York Knicks in five games. No love lost between the two rivalsBut on opening night, the Thunder did their very best to get under Wemby and the Spurs’ skin. After San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox threw Thunder star Chet Holmgren to the ground in the second quarter, a little scuffle ensued with Wembanyama at the center of it. View Tweet: https://t.co/X9JpG0EgTiHe engaged in a tense confrontation with opponent Jaylin Williams which forced the referees to assess a technical foul on both players, as well as for both Jaluen Williams and Kenrich Williams. Fox was ultimately assessed a flagrant one foul for his action on Holmgren, which only fueled the Thunder’s fire as they made their intentions clear that they want to avenge last season’s Conference Championship defeat to their rivals and go all out for glory this season.