Game One Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The basketball world has been expecting the San Antonio Spurs to meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Both teams took care of business in the first two rounds to face off in one of the most highly anticipated matchups in recent memory.
For the first time in the playoffs, the Spurs will start the series on the road. San Antonio split their games in OKC this year. The Spurs were 4-1 against the Thunder in the regular season. You can essentially throw out the regular-season matchups between these two teams, as most of them were not played at full health, and both teams are a lot better since the last time they played each other. The Thunder are undefeated in the playoffs so far, and the Spurs have been at another level since February.
San Antonio has played well on the road in the playoffs, going 4-1. Stealing a game in Oklahoma City is going to be a tall task, but this team has stepped up to every occasion so far this postseason. Winning Game One in this series would be a major feat and would signal that the Spurs can seriously win this series.
San Antonio Spurs (0-0) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0)
May 18th, 2026 | 7:30 PM CT
Watch: NBC / Peacock | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: De’Aaron Fox – Questionable (ankle), Luke Kornet – Questionable (foot)
Thunder Injuries: Thomas Sorber – Out (knee)
What to watch for:
Limiting turnovers
The Thunder’s best offense is their defense. When OKC can turn teams over, they get a lot of open shots in transition. They forced 16.7 turnovers in the regular season. They are excellent at playing physical at the point of attack and getting into passing lanes to force steals. They’ll want to do this a lot against San Antonio, because scoring in the half-court against Victor Wembanyama will be difficult. Producing easy looks in transition will be a priority for OKC.
The Spurs can be susceptible to turnovers, primarily when facing extreme physicality on the perimeter. Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama can do a bit too much with the ball when pressured, leading to turnovers on the other end. When they beat OKC in the regular season, the Spurs kept the turnovers low. They’ll need to take care of the ball to give themselves a chance to win this series.
Three-point shooting
The recipe for beating the Thunder in the regular season was not letting them get easy looks inside and forcing some of their so-so shooters to beat you from deep. If Alex Caruso or Lu Dort took a lightly contested three, that was a win for the Spurs. If those players are hitting shots, defense becomes much harder for the Spurs. Alternatively, San Antonio will need to hit their three-point shots to keep OKC honest. The Thunder will direct a lot of defensive attention to Wembanyama in half-court offense. Guys like Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell can provide some relief if they hit shots.
Wemby vs. Chet
It’s the rivalry that everyone says isn’t a rivalry. Wembanyama wants to destroy Chet Holmgren every time he steps on the basketball court. Anyone watching can understand that, no matter what they say off the court. This is the highest stakes competition Wembanyama has faced Holmgren in since FIBA play. It’s going to be interesting to see how that chip on Wembanyama’s shoulder manifests itself in this series.
