Thunder draw Spurs in Western Conference series

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference finals, setting up a series between the top two seeds in the West. NBA.com lists Game 1 for Monday, May 18, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern in Oklahoma City on NBC and Peacock. Local coverage from The Oklahoman and AZCentral also reported the matchup and published the full schedule after San Antonio advanced. The series gives Oklahoma City home-court advantage as the No. 1 seed against the No. 2 Spurs. ### When did the matchup become official? May 16 was the date the conference finals pairing was broadly reported by local outlets covering both teams and the NBA playoff bracket. AZCentral reported that Oklahoma City had learned its opponent after waiting through the end of the Spurs’ previous series. NBA.com’s playoff page lists Thunder-Spurs as the Western Conference finals matchup. (nba.com) The Oklahoman had already published schedule details on May 15, before the pairing was fully settled, based on the remaining Spurs-Timberwolves outcome scenarios. That outlet updated coverage once San Antonio was confirmed as Oklahoma City’s opponent. (azcentral.com) ### What is the Game 1 time and where can viewers watch it? Game 1 is set for Monday, May 18, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, according to NBA.com’s Western Conference finals series page. The same listing says the opener will air on NBC and stream on Peacock. The Oklahoman’s schedule report matched that listing and said the full series slate had been released. (oklahoman.com) USA Today’s syndicated version of the same report also identified the Game 1 tip time and television information. (nba.com) ### What does the full series schedule look like? NBA.com lists Game 2 for Wednesday, May 20, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern and Game 3 for Friday, May 22, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. If the series extends, NBA.com lists Game 5 for Tuesday, May 26, at 8:30 p.m. (oklahoman.com) Eastern, Game 6 for Thursday, May 28, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, and Game 7 for Saturday, May 30, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The Thunder, as the top seed, would host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while the Spurs would host Games 3, 4 and 6; that is an inference from standard NBA playoff seeding and the official series layout showing Oklahoma City first. (nba.com) ### Why does Oklahoma City open the series at home? The Thunder are listed as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference bracket, while the Spurs are listed as the No. 2 seed. Under NBA playoff format, the higher seed holds home-court advantage in a best-of-seven series. NBA.com’s bracket and series pages place Oklahoma City in the top line of the West finals matchup. (nba.com) AZCentral’s playoff bracket report also described the conference finals as a meeting between Oklahoma City and San Antonio after the field narrowed to the final four teams. That report identified the Thunder-Spurs pairing as the West finals matchup for 2026. (nba.com) ### Where can fans find the official schedule and updates? NBA.com says its 2026 playoffs schedule page will be updated each time postseason scheduling is officially announced. The league’s dedicated Western Conference finals page also carries the game-by-game dates, times and broadcast listings for Thunder-Spurs. (azcentral.com) The next concrete date is Monday, May 18, when Oklahoma City hosts San Antonio in Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock, according to NBA.com. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)