Spurs Face Thunder in Game 1 of Western Conference Finals

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder kicks off Monday night.

These teams met five times during the regular season, with San Antonio winning four of those matchups.

The Thunder finished the regular season with the league’s best record at 64-18, advancing to the conference finals after back-to-back sweeps of the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.

Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won his second consecutive NBA MVP award, led the Thunder through these playoffs.

San Antonio had a more challenging path to this stage as the No. 2 seed.

The Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round in five games and took six games to advance past the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Victor Wembanyama, the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, played a key role in their playoff success.

As Game 1 approaches, the Thunder are favored at -260 to win the series and at -170 odds to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

The game is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

Viewers can watch the game on NBC or live stream it via Peacock.

In an impressive highlight, Wembanyama caught a ball in the post with two defenders around him and executed a dunk without much lift.

After allowing the Thunder to come back, the Spurs regained control with a 42-35 lead.