In a matchup of the top two seeds, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder will begin the Western Conference Finals on Monday night with the series being exclusively broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

The second-seeded Spurs are led by 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama and are making their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2017. San Antonio won 62 games in the regular season after losing 60 in the 2023-24 season, thriving behind Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and rookie Dylan Harper.

Two-time reigning NBA MVPShai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the top-seeded Thunder, which is a perfect 8-0 through the first two rounds of the playoffs with sweeps of the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Oklahoma City is seeking to become the first team since the Golden State Warriors in 2018-2019 to reach consecutive NBA Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander's strong supporting cast includes Chet Holmgren, who ranks third in blocks this postseason (1.8 per game).

This is the seventh series in NBA history (and only the third before the NBA Finals) between teams with at least 62 regular-season wins. The most recent was Chicago and Utah in the 1998 NBA Finals

San Antonio went 4-1 against Oklahoma City in the regular season.

See below for additional information on the Spurs-Thunder game and how to watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs on NBC and Peacock.

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How to watch Spurs vs. Thunder, Game 1:

• When: Monday, May 18
• Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• Announcing team: Mike Tirico (play by play), Reggie Miller (analyst), Jamal Crawford (analyst), Zora Stephenson (courtside reporter) and Ashley ShahAhmadi(courtside reporter).
• TV: NBC
• Live Stream:Peacock
• Series: Opening game

San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game preview:

The Spurs are 8-3 in the playoffs but have been historically dominant in their wins. Against Minnesota, San Antonio closed the series with victories by 29- and 30-point margins while also winning Game 2 by 38 points — marking the first time in NBA history that a team had three wins by at least 29 points in a single series.

Wembanyama is trying to join LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson as the only players in the last 50 years to reach the NBA Finals and make an All-Star team before turning 23. In the past 40 games in which Wembanyama played at least 15 minutes, the Spurs are 37-3.

Castle leads the team in assists at 6.1 per game and is second in scoring (19.9 ppg) during the playoffs. Harper has increased his scoring from the regualr season by nearly a full 2 points to 13.7 ppg.

Oklahoma City is only the second reigning NBA champion to go unbeaten in the first two rounds (joining the 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers). The Thunder has won by double digits in six of eight games and will be playing on six days' rest compared to two days' rest for the Spurs. Oklahoma City is seeking its third NBA Finals appearance (2012, '25) and its sixth in franchise history (dating to the Seattle era).

After missing three weeks with an injured left hamstring in the first round, Jalen Williams, who starred in the Thunder's title run last season, has proclaimed himself as "healthy" to play against San Antonio. He played a career-low 33 games in the regular season becuase of offseason wrist surgery and a right hamstring strain.

Without Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten help from Holmgren (who led the team in the first two games against he Los Angeles Lakers with 24 and 22 points) and Ajay Mitchell, who is averaging 18.8 points per game in six starts since Williams was injured.

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How to watch the Western Conference Finals on NBC and Peacock:

NBC Sports will present the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. All games will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock. Here is the series schedule

• Game 1: Monday, May 18, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 2: Wednesday, May 20, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 3: Friday, May 22, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Game 4: Sunday, May 24, 8 p.m. ET
• Game 5: Tuesday, May 26, 8:30 p.m.*
• Game 6: Thursday, May 28: 8:30 p.m.*
• Game 7: Saturday, May 30, 8 p.m.*

*—If necessary

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