Spurs to face Thunder in West finals

The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference finals on Friday with a 139-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 6, setting up a series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. NBA.com’s playoff bracket lists the Spurs as the No. 2 seed in the West and the Thunder as the No. 1 seed. Oklahoma City reached the round earlier by sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in four games, while San Antonio finished off Minnesota in six. Game 1 is scheduled for Monday, May 18, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern in Oklahoma City, according to the league schedule. ### How did San Antonio get here in six games? San Antonio won the second-round series 4-2 after splitting the first four games with Minnesota and then taking the last two. NBA.com’s playoff schedule shows Minnesota opened with a 104-102 win in Game 1, but the Spurs answered with a 133-95 win in Game 2 and a 115-108 win in Game 3. Minnesota forced the series back level with a 114-109 Game 4 victory. (nba.com) Game 5 gave San Antonio control of the matchup. The Spurs won that game 126-97 before closing the series on Friday with the 30-point Game 6 victory. NBA.com’s playoff page also lists Victor Wembanyama as San Antonio’s postseason leader at 20.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game entering the conference finals. ### What did Oklahoma City do before the West finals? (nba.com) Oklahoma City arrived with more rest after a four-game sweep of the Lakers. NBA.com’s schedule shows the Thunder beat Los Angeles 108-90 in Game 1, 125-107 in Game 2, 131-108 in Game 3 and 115-110 in Game 4. The NBA’s West finals page lists Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as Oklahoma City’s leading scorer in the playoffs at 29.1 points per game, along with 7.1 assists per game. (nba.com) The same page identifies the Thunder as the defending champions as they prepare for the series with San Antonio. ### Why does Oklahoma City have home-court advantage? Oklahoma City opens the series at home because it is the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference bracket, while San Antonio is the No. 2 seed. (nba.com) NBA.com’s published schedule places Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 in Oklahoma City and Games 3, 4 and 6 in San Antonio. The format follows the standard 2-2-1-1-1 playoff setup. (nba.com) Game 2 is set for Wednesday, May 20, before the series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on Friday, May 22, and Game 4 on Sunday, May 24, according to NBA.com. ### What should readers know about the schedule now? Monday’s opener is set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock, according to NBA.com. (nba.com) The league schedule lists the same broadcast outlets for every game in the Western Conference finals, with Games 5 through 7 marked if necessary. June 3 is the next league-wide milestone after the conference finals. (nba.com) NBA.com says the 2026 NBA Finals are scheduled to begin that night on ABC, with the Western Conference winner advancing to face the Eastern Conference champion.