SAN ANTONIO – No easing into the new season tonight for the Spurs: Oklahoma City is in town on opening night, bringing back memories of a seven-game Western Conference finals that San Antonio won on the Thunder’s home floor.

The Spurs took Game 7, 111-103, to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. Their run ended against the Knicks, who won the championship series in five games. Now the teams that went the distance in the West meet again on opening night.

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San Antonio finished 62-20 last season, going 36-16 against Western Conference opponents. The Thunder were even better in the regular season at 64-18, with a 41-11 conference record. Oklahoma City’s depth was a strength: the Thunder averaged 41.8 points from the bench, along with 22 points off turnovers and 13.6 second-chance points per game.

Victor Wembanyama, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, led the Spurs with 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in 64 appearances. He shot 51.2% from the field and 34.9% from 3-point range, while his 197 blocks helped anchor a San Antonio defense that allowed 111.5 points per game.

At 22, Wembanyama became the youngest and first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in NBA history, earning all 100 first-place votes.

De’Aaron Fox averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 assists in 72 games. Stephon Castle added 16.7 points, 7.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game, while Devin Vassell put up 13.9 points and shot 38.4% from beyond the arc.

The Spurs will be without forward Tobias Harris, who is sidelined with a left calf strain. Harris is in his 15th NBA season and joined San Antonio in July on a two-year, $31 million deal.

The first question of the season: Can San Antonio’s defense slow down the Thunder’s attack and can Wembanyama and the Spurs’ guards set the tone in a rematch that already feels like a playoff game?