The Oklahoma City Thunder, the top seed in the Western Conference and defending NBA champion, will play the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. 2026 NBA playoffs. The two franchises last met in the postseason a decade ago, when the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook/James Harden-led Thunder defeated the Spurs in Tim Duncan’s final playoff series in 2016.
Schedule | Odd | Thunder Breakdown | Spurs Breakdown
Face to face | Showdown to see | Key question | Prediction
Series schedule (all times Eastern)
Game 1: Monday in Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
Game 2: Wednesday in Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
Game 3: Friday in San Antonio (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
Game 4: Sunday, May 24 in San Antonio (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
Game 5: Tuesday, May 26 in Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock) *
Game 6: Thursday, May 28 in San Antonio (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)*
Game 7: Saturday, May 30 in Oklahoma City (8 p.m., NBC/Peacock) *
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*if required
Series Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder (-260)
San Antonio Spurs (+210)
What we know about Thunder
That this team is much more than the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander show. In the second round, the Lakers boldly attempted to limit the reigning MVP (now a two-time award winner) with a combination of Marcus Smart as the primary point-of-attack defender and a rotating cast of less-equipped teammates. And through three games, it worked (kinda?) by “holding” Gilgeous-Alexander to 63 points on 48 shots and forcing 12 turnovers.
The only problem was that when Los Angeles tried (and ultimately failed) to switch their heliocentric offense from Luka Dončić to LeBron James, Oklahoma City worked the other way around. The Thunder’s approach was simplified: less Gilgeous-Alexander meant more touches for Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain and Chet Holmgren, multifaceted options capable of starting the offense, sustaining runs with quality shots and putting pressure on defenses. The Thunder are built on efficiency, working smarter not harder, attempting the fewest passes per game but averaging a shade shy of the most assists in the playoffs so far.
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His ability to function without relying on SGA whenever he plays on the court has also helped them when he is off the court. The Thunder have outscored their opponents by 59 points over the course of nearly 200 possessions and 100 minutes without Gilgeous-Alexander in the playoffs.
San Antonio is a much more capable defensive unit than Los Angeles (with the big Frenchman patrolling the restricted area as a deterrent), but their hopes for an upset must involve cutting off water to the Thunder’s various roots (including All-NBA guard Jalen Williams, who is healthy enough to return), not simply the base.
What we know about the Spurs
Victor Wembanyama is still the straw that breaks the camel’s back, but his guard-focused offense is improving with time, reps and experience. Think of the Spurs, or the triumvirate of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper in particular, as three starter Pokémon, all with individual strengths and weaknesses. Fox’s best quality is his speed, Castle’s is his strength, and Harper is a youthful combination of both worlds. Head coach Mitch Johnson is extremely comfortable with any combination of the three, whether it’s Fox and Castle, Fox and Harper or even Castle and Harper, generating success regardless of the setups. (San Antonio’s net rating with Fox/Castle and Castle/Harper would put it at the top of the league and Fox/Harper would put it just below Boston in fourth place.)
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Not only are all three quality playmakers with excellent assist-to-turnover ratios (especially impressive for players like Castle and Harper in their first postseason round), but they also have enough shooting to keep defenses honest while also giving Wembanyama enough time and space to operate. Through eight games, Castle is shooting an impressive 44% from 3-point range, with Harper recording 37.6% and Fox around 35%. All three also do a good job getting to the free throw line, with Castle in a league of his own, thanks to his bully nature, but Fox and Harper also ranked in the 60th percentile in free throw rate.
San Antonio won four of five regular season meetings against OKC. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Zach Beeker)
Face to face
If this series goes all the way, these two teams will have met 12 (!) times this season. San Antonio won four of five regular-season meetings, beating Oklahoma City by a convincing margin of 47 points.
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The first meeting, a 111-109 thriller (and the Spurs’ official coming-out party), came in December during the NBA Cup semifinal. Wembanyama came off the bench and played just 21 minutes (as part of his return to conditioning from a calf injury), but led the team in plus-minus (+21). Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points on 23 shots and turned the ball over five times, as San Antonio implemented a smart, aggressive scheme to limit attacks. The Thunder struggled from 3-point range, converting just nine of their 37 attempts.
The rematch 10 days later was even more convincing, a 130-110 blowout. Again, the Thunder had their original starting lineup from their Finals win and Wembanyama was deployed off the bench, but that wasn’t enough to overcome what was quickly becoming a pesky Spurs group that shot 54% from the field, 40% from 3 and 86% from the line.
After a third straight loss, with Wembanyama again out of the starting lineup, Oklahoma City’s frustrations began to seep through. Fox led all scorers with 29 points, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled (22 points on 19 shots) and the Spurs simply looked like the better team despite what the standings showed. “You don’t lose to a team three times in a row in a short period without them being better than you,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the 117-102 loss. “We have to get better, look in the mirror, and that’s it, from top to bottom.”
It’s somewhat ironic that by the fourth meeting in January – with Wembanyama in the starting lineup, and the Thunder without Isaiah Hartenstein and inserting Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins into the starting lineup due to injuries – Oklahoma City pulled out a 119-98 victory behind SGA’s 34-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist, 4-block masterclass. (The fifth and final matchup in February should be taken with a grain of salt, as the Thunder are missing their entire starting lineup.)
Showdown to see
Wembanyama against the world
Because there is no “Wemby stopper,” the Thunder are expected to cycle several defensemen around the 7-foot-4 center. Williams has shouldered most of the responsibility, and Oklahoma City relies on his unique combination of length, size and physicality, but it won’t be a one-man show. This is what it looked like during the regular season:
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Jalen Williams – 55.3 possessions, 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting, two turnovers
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Alex Caruso – 32.4 possessions, 7 points on 2-of-5 shooting, two turnovers
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Chet Holmgren – 29.8 possessions, 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, one turnover
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Jaylin Williams – 23.2 possessions, 7 points on 3-of-7 shooting, two turnovers
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Aaron Wiggins – 21.5 possessions, 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting, three turnovers
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Cason Wallace – 21.1 possessions, 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, three turnovers
The playoffs, of course, are never a direct reflection of the regular season (they keep Wallace and Wiggins far, far away), but I’d expect Wembanyama’s most frequent back four to keep him busy, with the insertion of Lu Dort a nice change of pace option. Wembanyama’s pace at the rim has increased from the regular season, along with his efficiency, making over 80% of those shots, meaning the Thunder will force him further away from the rim, challenging him to attack in isolation. Oklahoma City’s compact (or 10-foot-deep, as I like to call it) structure should create those opportunities, which will make for one of the most fascinating chess games in recent memory.
Key question
Can San Antonio hit enough corner 3-pointers to capitalize on Oklahoma City’s gamble?
During the regular season, the Spurs ranked 14th in 3-pointers attempted (37.9) and 15th in conversion rate (35.9%). In the playoffs, his frequency has gone down (32.5), but his efficiency has increased (38.4%, third best). This is partly due to Castle’s improvement, as well as the presence of Julian Champagnie.
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As I mentioned earlier, the Thunder utilize a very compact defensive shell, keeping all five players close to each other to protect the rim, funnel the action up the middle, and cause chaos. What that does, because no plan is foolproof, is leave the corners exposed. Second Spectrum defines “open” shots as those in which the closest defender is four to six feet away; Oklahoma City allows the third-most such shots per game, but because opponents shoot only 35.4% of them, the gamble pays off more often than not. The Spurs, tied with the Knicks, led the league in corner 3-pointers during the regular season and shot nearly 40%, good for eighth among all teams. In the playoffs, however, those numbers have plummeted, shooting fewer corner 3s and converting just 33% of them, fourth-worst among playoff teams.
Getting more production from Devin Vassell is a good start, but the Spurs will need to clean that up or else Oklahoma City will crush them in the halfcourt.
Prediction: Spurs in 7
Let’s get weird. The Thunder are everything an NBA franchise dreams of: depth, a super-efficient star, a stellar defense and a true wing tactician. Spurs also possess all those qualities, plus they have the hunger to create a surprise and a French force that no one seems to have an answer for. Oklahoma City ought returns to its second straight NBA Finals, but San Antonio officially plants its flag in the ground for the next half-decade.