Thunder open West final May 19

The NBA’s Western Conference finals are set, and the series opens Monday, May 18, with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the San Antonio Spurs at Paycom Center, according to the league’s updated playoff schedule. Oklahoma City is the No. 1 seed in the West and San Antonio is the No. 2 seed. The league lists Game 1 for 8:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock. The winner will advance to the NBA Finals, which the league says begin June 3 on ABC. ### When does the series start, and where is Game 1? Monday, May 18, is the opener for the best-of-seven series, and the game will be played in Oklahoma City because the Thunder hold home-court advantage as the West’s top seed. NBA.com lists the matchup as San Antonio at Oklahoma City for Game 1. Paycom Center is the site for Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 if needed. (nba.com) The NBA’s playoff page shows Game 2 on Wednesday, May 20, also in Oklahoma City, before the series shifts to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 on May 22 and May 24. If the series goes longer, Game 5 is set for May 26 in Oklahoma City, Game 6 for May 28 in San Antonio and Game 7 for May 30 back in Oklahoma City. (nba.com) ### How did Oklahoma City and San Antonio get here? Oklahoma City reached the conference finals after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in the conference semifinals. The NBA playoff schedule page lists Thunder wins in Games 1 through 4, including a 115-110 closeout in Game 4. NBA.com’s West finals page also identifies Oklahoma City as the No. 1 seed entering the series. (nba.com) San Antonio advanced by beating Minnesota 4-2 in the other West semifinal. The league’s schedule page shows the Spurs closing the series with a 139-109 win in Game 6. NBA.com’s playoff page lists San Antonio as the No. 2 seed in the conference finals matchup. ### What channel are the games on? (nba.com) NBC and Peacock are carrying every listed game in the Western Conference finals, according to the NBA’s official schedule. The league’s page shows NBC/Peacock for Games 1 through 7, with Games 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 set for 8:30 p.m. ET and Games 4 and 7 set for 8 p.m. ET. (nba.com) The NBA Finals will move to ABC. The league says Game 1 of the Finals is scheduled for June 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET, with later games slated for June 5, June 8 and June 10, and Games 5 through 7 if necessary on June 13, June 16 and June 19. ### Why does Oklahoma City have home court? Oklahoma City earned the top seed in the Western Conference, and the NBA’s bracket lists the Thunder as No. 1 and the Spurs as No. 2. (nba.com) That seeding gives the Thunder home court in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the opening two games in Oklahoma City. The same format would bring a deciding Game 7 back to Paycom Center on May 30 if the series reaches that point. NBA.com’s series page also lists individual statistical leaders entering the matchup, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading Oklahoma City in scoring at 29.1 points per game and Victor Wembanyama leading San Antonio with 20.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Those figures are posted on the league’s West finals page alongside the series schedule. (nba.com) ### What should readers watch for next? Game 1 is scheduled for Monday, May 18, at 8:30 p.m. ET in Oklahoma City, and Game 2 follows on Wednesday, May 20, at the same site. The Eastern Conference finals field is not fully set yet: the NBA’s playoff page lists Cleveland at Detroit in Game 7 on Sunday, May 17, with New York already through to the East final. (nba.com) The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin June 3 on ABC. (nba.com)