San Antonio Spurs vs. Thunder preview (Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals)

  • #2 San Antonio Spurs (11-6) vs. #1 Oklahoma City Thunder (11-3)
  • When: Saturday, 30 May 2026 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: NBC/Peacock
  • Playoff Offensive Rating (of the remaining 3 teams): SAS: 115.1 (3rd) / OKC: 118.0 (2nd)
  • Playoff Defensive Rating (of the remaining 3 teams): SAS: 104.1 (2nd) / OKC: 110.1 (3rd)
  • Playoff Net Rating (of the remaining 3 teams): SAS: 11.0 (2nd) / OKC: 7.9 (3rd)
  • Series Record: Tied 3-3

The Tip-Off

Game 7. No other words needed. OKC did not get the job done in Game 6 and now must face their biggest test in this current run. Injuries be damned, OKC can win this game if they play their game. Will it be difficult? Of course. But they have to do all those things they did in Game 5 and not the things they did in Game 6. It’s the greatest four words in professional sports: win or go home.

Betting Info, provided by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -3.5
  • O/U: 212.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Ajay Mitchell – OUT (calf)
  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

SAS

  • None

Three Big Things

  1. Lean on Experience – The Oklahoma City Thunder have been here at least twice on their way to a championship last season. And both of those Game 7’s were at home, which is where this Game 7 will also be. This is the advantage you get for working so hard in the regular season. The Thunder staved off the Spurs late in the season as they attempted to overtake OKC in the standings to earn the best record in the league. And this is where it is supposed to pay off.
  2. Outside Shooting – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not going to be able to be himself, if the rest of the Thunder aren’t hitting their shots. OKC has been a lot more dependent on their 3-point shooting in this series than the Spurs. In their wins, OKC is shooting 41.5% from deep. In the losses, that number craters to 28%. Ironically, San Antonio is shooting 33.6% from deep in their losses and 31.6% from deep in their wins. Last postseason, OKC was able to win games despite their poor outside shooting. But in this series, with both Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell being out, OKC has been a lot more dependent on that jumper falling. And they are going to need that trend to continue if they want a repeat trip to the Finals.
  3. Match (or even exceed) the physicality – Game 6 showed us how physical the refs will allow the game to get. Carter Bryant was able to getting a running start at a non-moving SGA on a rebound attempt. Victor Wembanyama was able to pull Lu Dort’s hair while running up court. Devin Vessell was able to taunt Chet Holmgren after a block. For almost all of Game 6, OKC was made to look like the little brother. And for most of the series, the team that has enforced his will and it’s physicality has been the victor. The Thunder cannot be punked in this game. There has to be a modicum of pride at stake for those things that happened in Game 6 to not happen in Game 7.

NTTB Rumblings: 27 April 2018

img_4063Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) previews Game 6: “As a coach you always go into a game with a plan of what you want to do, but more often than not those plans change,” Head Coach Billy Donovan said. β€œYou always have to make decisions for what’s best for the team at that point in time.”

Jimmy Do (OKCThunder.com) on the Jr. NBA coming to Oklahoma City: “In addition, Oklahoma City was selected as one of 10 cities nationwide to host a Jr. NBA 3v3 League. Solid Rock Basketball in Edmond was selected as the host site, generating eight local teams that qualified for the National Championship in Atlanta in March.” Continue reading