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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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San Antonio has played well on the road in the playoffs, going 4-1. Stealing a game in Oklahoma City<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n San Antonio Spurs<\/a>\u00a0(0-0) vs.\u00a0Oklahoma City Thunder\u00a0(0-0)May 18th, 2026 | 7:30 PM CTWatch: NBC \/ Peacock | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)<\/p>\n Spurs Injuries: De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/a> \u2013 Questionable (ankle), Luke Kornet<\/a> \u2013 Questionable (foot)<\/p>\n Thunder Injuries:\u00a0Thomas Sorber<\/a> \u2013 Out (knee)<\/p>\n What to watch for:Limiting turnovers<\/p>\n The Thunder\u2019s 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\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Spurs can be susceptible to turnovers, primarily when facing extreme physicality on the perimeter. Stephon Castle<\/a> 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\u2019ll need to take care of the ball to give themselves a chance to win this series.<\/p>\n Three-point shooting<\/p>\n 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<\/a> or Lu Dort<\/a> 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<\/a> and Devin Vassell<\/a> can provide some relief if they hit shots.<\/p>\n Wemby vs. Chet<\/p>\n