Thunder vs Spurs set for West finals

The NBA’s official playoff schedule showed Oklahoma City and San Antonio set to open the Western Conference finals on Monday, May 18, with the Thunder hosting Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock. NBA.com listed the matchup as the No. 1 Thunder against the No. 2 Spurs, with Games 1 and 2 in Oklahoma City and Games 3 and 4 in San Antonio. The league’s postseason schedule page said the winner will move on to the NBA Finals, which are scheduled to begin June 3 on ABC. ### When does the series start, and where is Game 1? Monday, May 18, is the opening date on the NBA’s conference finals schedule, with San Antonio at Oklahoma City for Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. NBA.com also listed Game 2 for Wednesday, May 20, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern in Oklahoma City. The Thunder have home-court advantage because the NBA playoff bracket lists Oklahoma City as the West’s No. 1 seed and San Antonio as the No. 2 seed. (nba.com) That makes Oklahoma City the host for Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, if needed. ### How did Oklahoma City and San Antonio get here? Oklahoma City swept Los Angeles 4-0 in the conference semifinals, according to the NBA’s playoff schedule page. (nba.com) The listed game results were 108-90, 125-107, 131-108 and 115-110. San Antonio advanced by beating Minnesota 4-2 in the other West semifinal. NBA.com listed the Spurs’ series-clinching Game 6 win as 139-109, after San Antonio had taken Games 2, 3 and 5. (nba.com) ### What is the full game-by-game schedule? Wednesday, May 20, is the date for Game 2 in Oklahoma City, and Friday, May 22, is the date for Game 3 in San Antonio, both at 8:30 p.m. (nba.com) Eastern. Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, in San Antonio at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tuesday, May 26, is the listed date for Game 5 in Oklahoma City, Thursday, May 28, for Game 6 in San Antonio, and Saturday, May 30, for Game 7 in Oklahoma City. (nba.com) NBA.com marked Games 5, 6 and 7 as if necessary, with Games 5 and 6 set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern and Game 7 for 8 p.m. Eastern. ### Where can viewers watch the Western Conference finals? (nba.com) NBC and Peacock are the listed outlets for every game in the series on the NBA’s schedule page. The league’s West finals series page repeated the same Game 1 window — 8:30 p.m. Eastern on May 18 — and carried the NBC and Peacock designations. Local listings may present the start time differently by time zone, but the NBA’s national schedule uses Eastern Time. (nba.com) For viewers in Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the 8:30 p.m. Eastern tip corresponds to 7:30 p.m. local time for the first three games and 7 p.m. local time for the 8 p.m. Eastern starts in Games 4 and 7. That time conversion is based on the published Eastern windows. ### What happens after the West finals? June 3 is the scheduled date for Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals, the league said on its postseason schedule page. NBA.com listed ABC as the exclusive broadcaster for the Finals, with Games 2 through 7 scheduled for June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19, if necessary. (nba.com) Sunday, May 17, is also the date of the remaining East semifinal Game 7 between Cleveland and Detroit, according to the same NBA schedule page. The Western Conference champion will face the Eastern Conference champion in the Finals after the conference finals conclude. (nba.com)