The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs open their Western Conference Finals showdown tonight in what on paper looks to be one of the most compelling Finals matchups in recent memory. The Thunder enter undefeated in the postseason, having swept both Phoenix and the Lakers, while the Spurs arrive with a little more wear and tear on the tires having lost a game in the opening round to the Trail Blazers and two games in Round 2 to the Timberwolves. Despite those three losses, this is the series NBA fans were hoping to get because despite Oklahoma City’s postseason perfection, San Antonio holds a clear edge from the regular season, winning four of the five meetings and doing so by an average margin of 11.75 points. Are the Spurs the Thunder’s kryptonite?

A major storyline centers on the star power on both sides. Oklahoma City is led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two-time reigning MVP who averaged 31.1 points during the regular season and continues to control games with better than elite efficiency. The Spurs counter with Victor Wembanyama, the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year and one of the league’s most dominant two-way forces. Wembanyama has been central to San Antonio’s surge, with the team going 37–3 in his last 40 games with at least 15 minutes played. Their matchup—Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren—anchors the chess match of the series.

Health will also play a key role in Game 1. The Thunder expect Jalen Williams back after a hamstring injury that has kept the All-Star out of the lineup for the better part of the season. Williams offers a crucial scoring and playmaking option to their lineup. Meanwhile, the Spurs list De’Aaron Fox as questionable with an ankle issue, though he is expected to play; his effectiveness could swing the early momentum of the series although Dylan Harper has gotten better each game of the postseason. Both teams rely heavily on their perimeter creators, making these injury updates especially significant.

As mentioned, the regular-season series tilted heavily toward San Antonio:
December 13 (111–109) – San Antonio win
December 23 (130–110) – San Antonio win
December 25 (117–102) – San Antonio win
January 13 (119-98) – Oklahoma City win

No question the Spurs draw confidence from those regular season results, but a healthy and postseason-tested Thunder are decent favorites to advance to the NBA Finals against the winner of the Cavs/Knicks series.

Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Thunder vs. Spurs

• Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
• Time: 8:30PM EST
• Site: Paycom Center
• City: Oklahoma City, OK
• Network/Streaming: NBC/Peacock

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Game Odds: Thunder vs. Spurs

The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder (-245), San Antonio Spurs (+200)
• Spread: Thunder -6.5
• Total: 220.5 points

This game opened Thunder -6.5 with the Game Total set at 217.5.

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule! 

Expected Starting Lineups: Thunder vs. SpursOklahoma City Thunder

• PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• SG Luguentz Dort
• C Isaiah Hartenstein
• SF Jalen Williams
• PF Chet Holmgren

San Antonio Spurs

• PG De’Aaron Fox
• SG Stephon Castle
• SG Devin Vassell
• PF Julian Champagnie
• C Victor Wembanyama

Injury Report: Thunder vs. SpursOklahoma City Thunder

• Jalen Williams (hamstring) is listed as probable for tonight’s game
• Thomas Sorber (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game

San Antonio Spurs

• De’Aaron Fox (ankle) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
• Luke Kornet (foot) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
• David Jones Garcia (ankle) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game

Important stats, trends and insights: Thunder vs. Spurs

• The Thunder are 38-7 at home this season
• The Spurs are 33-13 on the road this season
• The Spurs are 53-39-2 ATS this season
• OKC is 44-45-1 ATS this season
• The OVER has cashed in 50 of the Thunder’s 90 games this season (50-40)
• The OVER has cashed in 42 of the Spurs’ 94 games this season (42-52)
• Devin Vassell scored 10 or more points in each game of the Spurs series against the Timberwolves
• Vassell pulled down 5 or more rebounds in 4 of the 6 games against Minnesota
• Dylan Harper averaged 14.7 points, 6.2 boards, and 2.5 assists against Minnesota
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 47.1% from the field against the Lakers
• This is the first month this year SGA is shooting under 50% from the field
• Chet Holmgren averaged 20 points and 8.5 rebounds last round

Rotoworld Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
 
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Thunder and Spurs’ game:

• Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline
• Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Thunder -6.5 ATS
• Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 220.5

NBC Sports’ Lead Betting Analyst Jay Croucher’s (@croucherJD) Series Prediction: Thunder in 7

"The Thunder will likely struggle to score in the halfcourt against Victor Wembanyama, who has found an extra gear in the playoffs, but expect the tipping point of the series to be 1) OKC having home court advantage, and 2) OKC generating just enough San Antonio turnovers to juice their own offense."

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar! 

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

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