Thunder to open Western Conference finals Monday at home vs Spurs

The Oklahoma City Thunder will open the Western Conference finals at home against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, according to the NBA's official playoff schedule. NBA.com lists Game 1 for 8:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock at Oklahoma City, with the Thunder holding home-court advantage as the West's No. 1 seed. The Thunder reached the series after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in the conference semifinals, while the No. 2-seeded Spurs advanced by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2. The matchup puts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's defending champions against a San Antonio team led by Victor Wembanyama. ### When exactly do the Thunder and Spurs play, and where can viewers watch? Monday's Game 1 is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, and the NBA lists NBC and Peacock as the broadcasters. NBA.com shows Game 2 in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, May 20, also at 8:30 p.m. ET, before the series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on Friday, May 22. (nba.com) Sunday's updated playoff schedule from the league also lists Game 4 for Sunday, May 24, at 8 p.m. ET in San Antonio. If necessary, Game 5 would be May 26 in Oklahoma City, Game 6 would be May 28 in San Antonio and Game 7 would be May 30 in Oklahoma City. ### How did Oklahoma City get here without a loss? (nba.com) Oklahoma City entered the conference finals unbeaten in the postseason after two straight sweeps. The NBA bracket shows the Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 4-0 in the first round and then eliminated the Lakers 4-0 in the semifinals. The Thunder also posted an NBA-best 64 wins in the 2025-26 regular season, according to NBA.com. (nba.com) The league's series preview said Oklahoma City lost only 18 games in the regular season on its way to the top seed in the West. ### What path did San Antonio take to reach the West finals? (nba.com) San Antonio arrived in the conference finals after winning two rounds in six games or fewer. The NBA bracket shows the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 in the first round and then defeated Minnesota 4-2 in the semifinals. Friday's semifinal clincher sent San Antonio into its matchup with Oklahoma City after a shorter turnaround than the Thunder, who had already finished off the Lakers. (nba.com) NBA.com's playoff page lists the Spurs as the West's No. 2 seed in the series against the top-seeded Thunder. ### What makes Victor Wembanyama central to this series? (nba.com) Victor Wembanyama enters the series as San Antonio's leading name and one of the marquee players in the matchup. NBA.com's West finals page lists Wembanyama averaging 20.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists, while its series preview said he finished first in Kia Defensive Player of the Year voting this season. (nba.com) The same NBA preview said Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren finished second in that Defensive Player of the Year voting, adding another high-profile frontcourt matchup to a series that also features Gilgeous-Alexander. NBA.com lists Gilgeous-Alexander at 29.1 points and 7.1 assists on its West finals page. (nba.com) ### Did San Antonio have success against Oklahoma City in the regular season? San Antonio won four regular-season meetings against Oklahoma City, according to the NBA's series preview. NBA.com listed Spurs wins on Dec. 13 in the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals, Dec. 23, Dec. 25 and Feb. 4, with Oklahoma City's lone listed win coming Jan. 13. (nba.com) The league preview said those results add "intrigue" to the conference finals, though the same story noted that playoff series differ from regular-season matchups. That assessment was made by NBA.com in its preview of the series. ### What comes after Game 1? Wednesday, May 20, is the next scheduled date in the series, with Game 2 set for 8:30 p.m. (nba.com) ET in Oklahoma City on NBC and Peacock. The NBA's official playoff schedule shows the Western Conference champion will advance to the NBA Finals, which are scheduled to begin June 3 on ABC. (nba.com)