Suns vs. Thunder: Can Phoenix compete with the champs? Series keys, schedule and prediction

The Western Conference’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs. The two franchises haven’t met in the postseason since 1997, when the Thunder were the Seattle SuperSonics and Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp were still patrolling the floor.

Schedule | Odds | Thunder breakdown | Suns breakdown
Head-to-head | Matchup to watch | Key question | Prediction

East: 76ers-Celtics • Hawks-Knicks • Raptors-Cavaliers
West: Suns-Thunder • Blazers-Spurs • Wolves-Nuggets • Rockets-Lakers

Series schedule (all times Eastern)

Game 1: Sun., April 19 at Oklahoma City (3:30 p.m., ABC)
Game 2: Wed., April 22 at Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m., ESPN)
Game 3: Sat., April 25 at Phoenix (3:30 p.m., NBC)
Game 4: Mon., April 27 at Phoenix (TBD)
*Game 5: Wed., April 29 at Oklahoma City (TBD)
*Game 6: Fri., May 1 at Phoenix (TBD)
*Game 7: Sun., May 3 at Oklahoma City (TBD)

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*if necessary

Series betting odds

(Via BetMGM)

Oklahoma City Thunder (-3000)
Phoenix Suns (+1300)

What we know about the Thunder

They are the defending champions. They didn’t quite coast to the 2025 NBA title, requiring Game 7 victories against both the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers, but they were a 68-win juggernaut that never quite found its peak in the playoffs … and still won the damn thing. And now they have the playoff scars to show for it.

The Thunder looked the part of a defending champion to begin the season, starting 24-1, even without Jalen Williams, who was recovering from offseason surgery to his wrist. There was talk of 70-plus wins, even a record for most wins in a regular season.

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Then, the upstart San Antonio Spurs offered a reminder that OKC is, in fact, mortal, defeating the Thunder three times over a two-week span, all leading into Christmas. Over the next 35 games, the Thunder looked like any other contender, finishing 21-14.

Just as it looked like the Spurs might overtake OKC for the West’s No. 1 seed, the Thunder stepped on the gas again, winning 19-of-20 games down the stretch. (They threw away the final two games of the season, once they had the top…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/suns-vs-thunder-can-phoenix-compete-with-the-champs-series-keys-schedule-and-prediction-135513297.html

Author : Ben Rohrbach

Publish date : 2026-04-18 13:55:00

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