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.

Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs preview (Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals)

  • #1 Oklahoma City Thunder (11-2) @ #2 San Antonio Spurs (10-5)
  • When: Thursday, 28 May 2026 at 7:30pm CST
  • Where: Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, TX
  • TV: NBC/Peacock
  • Playoff Offensive Rating (of the three teams still remaining in the playoffs): SAS: 114.9 (3rd) / OKC: 120.1 (2nd)
  • Playoff Defensive Rating (of the three teams still remaining in the playoffs): SAS: 105.0 (2nd) / OKC: 109.4 (3rd)
  • Playoff Net Rating (of the three teams still remaining in the playoffs): SAS: 9.9 (3rd) / OKC: 10.7 (2nd)
  • Series Record: OKC leads 3-2

The Tip-Off

The Oklahoma City Thunder have not enjoyed a great history with Game 6’s. To the point where they are commonly associated with a certain player who played for the Golden State Warriors and had an other-worldly performance in the 2nd half of a pivotal Game 6. Even though there was a Game 7 after that game, the “Game 6 Klay” game was likely the beginning of the end of the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook Thunder. In recent history, OKC has played in three Game 6’s in the past 2 seasons and the results have not been great. In 2024, they played in Game 6 against the Dallas Mavericks and lost a one-point nail baiter that saw them bounced from the playoffs that year. In 2025, against both Denver and Indiana, OKC had a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 and lost both in blowout fashion, setting up Game 7’s in both those series. Luckily, for the Thunder, they won both of those Game 7’s on their way to the title last season.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: SA -3.5
  • O/U: 218.5

Injury Report

OKC

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

SAS

  • None

Three Big Things

  1. SGA – This feels like the kind of game where OKC will need an MVP performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While he’s done well enough to give the Thunder a 3-2 series lead, he hasn’t put together MVP-like performances in consecutive games this series. And that’s by no fault of his own. With Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both being out, San Antonio’s defense has been able to key in on SGA like no other team has been able to do. The physicality by Stephon Castle and the shadowing by Victor Wembanyama has been enough to knock the MVP shine off of SGA. But he’s adjusted by relying on his playmaking and when his teammates are knocking down shots, the Thunder usually are coming out victorious. But when his teammates struggle, that is where San Antonio’s is able to complete their grasp on SGA.
  2. Who steps up? – OKC’s wins in this series have been buoyed by great performances from their role players. Even in the Game 1 loss, Alex Caruso came up with 31 points. Jared McCain has been a revelation in several of the games this series. Jaylin Williams has shown up and been huge as a floor spacer. And the big man duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein have been extremely important for the Thunder at times in this series. With Game 6 being on the road, which role player will step up for the moment. My money is on Caruso having another great game and grabbing the Western Conference Finals MVP award when it is all said and done.
  3. Physicality on Wemby – This has been Wembanyama’s longest season of his career. And you can tell it’s starting to wear on him. He settled for way too many jumpers in Game 5 and made his moves off the dribble later than usual, allowing OKC’s defense to get in place to defend him. I think we’ll see a lot more offensive movement by San Antonio to try and get Wemby space to operate. The Spurs, like OKC and SGA, will need an MVP-like performance from Wemby to have a chance in this game.

Thunder vs. Jazz Preview (Game 6)

okc logo at utah jazz

  • When: Friday, 27 April 2018 at 9:30 pm CST
  • Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
  • TV: ESPN/FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: Utah -6.5 | O/U – 207

Five Things For This Game

1. Rudy Gobert

Hidden in the euphoria of the epic 25-point comeback win in Game 5 was the fact the Thunder stunk it up offensively when a non-foul troubled Rudy Gobert was in the game. In the first half, when Utah was able to build a 15-point lead, Gobert had a defensive rating of 73.7. After the Thunder’s comeback, Gobert still remained as the only Jazz player with a defensive rating below 100 at 89.9.  Continue reading