Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder tips off Monday night.
Series Overview: Spurs Dominate Regular Season
These Western Conference opponents met five times during the regular season, including an extra matchup in the 2026 NBA Cup. San Antonio had Oklahoma City’s number in their regular-season series, winning four of the five matchups.
The Thunder finished the regular season with the league’s best record, 64-18, having advanced to the conference finals relatively well-rested after back-to-back sweeps of the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just took home his second consecutive NBA MVP award.
San Antonio had a slightly more drawn-out path to get to this stage of the postseason. As the No. 2 seed in the West, the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round in five games and needed six games to advance past the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference semifinals, led by unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama.
Game 1: Spurs Lead Early
The Spurs are off to a 3-of-9 start from the field, but they’re dominating the ball. At the first TV timeout, San Antonio already has a 9-2 rebounding edge and an 11-3 lead.
The Thunder are struggling early, but Alex Caruso is singlehandedly keeping them afloat. He has all seven Thunder points as the Spurs have jumped out to a 12-7 lead. Caruso just picked off a pass intended for Wemby for a transition layup on the other end.
After digging an 11-2 deficit, OKC went on a 9-0 run and took a 22-19 lead late in the first. And the game will go into the second quarter tied at 27 after an entertaining first.
Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams have 10 points each for OKC. Stephon Castle leads San Antonio with 11, while Wemby has six points and five rebounds. A hot start to the most anticipated series of the playoffs.
Second Quarter Action
With Dylan Harper replacing the injured De’Aaron Fox, the Spurs have the youngest starting lineup in conference finals history tonight. So far, it’s led San Antonio to a 36-29 second-quarter lead.
After allowing the Thunder back in, the Spurs have reseized control with a 42-35 lead.
The Spurs star caught a ball in the post with his back to the basket and two OKC defenders around him. In the same motion, he reached up and threw down a dunk between both defenders while barely leaving his feet.
Ahead of Game 1, the Thunder are -260 favourites to win the series and -170 odds to win the Larry O’Brien.
Spurs-Thunder start time: 8:30 p.m. ET. Location: Paycom Center | Oklahoma City. TV channel: NBC. Live stream: Peacock.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports as the San Antonio Spurs travel to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.