Spurs vs. Thunder: Who wins epic West showdown with NBA Finals on the line? Series keys, schedule and prediction

The Western Conference’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending NBA champions, will play the seconded-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs. The two franchises last faced off in the postseason a decade ago, when the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook/James Harden-led Thunder defeated the Spurs in Tim Duncan’s last playoff series in 2016.

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

Series schedule (all times Eastern)

Game 1: Mon., May 18 at Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
Game 2: Wed., May 20 at Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
Game 3: Fri., May 22 at San Antonio (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
Game 4: Sun., May 24 at San Antonio (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
Game 5: Tue., May 26 at Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock) *
Game 6: Thu., May 28 at San Antonio (8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock)*
Game 7: Sat., May 30 at Oklahoma City (8 p.m., NBC/Peacock) *

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*if necessary

Series odds

Oklahoma City Thunder (-260)
San Antonio Spurs (+210)

What we know about the 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 (a now 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 (kinda?) worked, “holding” Gilgeous-Alexander to 63 points on 48 shots and forcing 12 turnovers.

The only issue was that, where Los Angeles tried (and ultimately failed) to shift its heliocentric offense from Luka Dončić to LeBron James, Oklahoma City worked in reverse. The Thunder’s approach was simplified — less Gilgeous-Alexander meant more touches for Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain and Chet Holmgren, multi-faceted options capable of initiating offense in pinches, sustaining runs with quality shooting and putting pressure on defenses. The Thunder are rooted in efficiency, working smarter and not harder, attempting the fewest passes per game but averaging a shade off the most assists in the playoffs thus…

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Author : Kelly Iko

Publish date : 2026-05-18 03:19:00

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