Thunder vs Spurs is the last of three games on the first night of the 2026-27 NBA regular season, and it is a rematch of a Western Conference finals that went the full seven games. Oklahoma City visit San Antonio on Tuesday, October 20, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern (01:30 UTC on Wednesday), and NBC has the national broadcast, according to ESPN's listing. The last time these teams shared a floor that mattered, the Spurs won Game 7 in Oklahoma City and went to the NBA Finals.
Thunder vs Spurs start time and where it airs
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. Central at the Frost Bank Center, the Spurs' home arena. ESPN lists NBC as the national carrier and shows no local channel for this one. It is the late game of a three-game NBC night that starts with the Celtics at the Pistons at 3 p.m. Eastern and continues with the 76ers at the Knicks at 7 p.m. Eastern.
| Where you are | Tip-off |
|---|---|
| San Antonio (Central) | Tue, Oct 20, 8:30 p.m. CDT |
| New York (Eastern) | Tue, Oct 20, 9:30 p.m. EDT |
| Los Angeles (Pacific) | Tue, Oct 20, 6:30 p.m. PDT |
| London | Wed, Oct 21, 2:30 a.m. BST |
| UTC | Wed, Oct 21, 01:30 |
On Methstreams every tip-off is already converted to the time set on your phone or computer, so the table is only a quick reference. The matchup is listed under Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs.
How the Western Conference finals went
The two teams finished last season first and second in the West. Oklahoma City went 64-18 and San Antonio 62-20, two games apart. The Thunder had the better point differential, plus 11.1 a game to the Spurs' plus 8.3, and they had home court for the conference finals.
The series swung back and forth almost every game. San Antonio won the opener in Oklahoma City by seven. The Thunder took the next two, including a 15-point win in San Antonio, and then lost Game 4 by 21 after scoring only 82 points. Oklahoma City won Game 5 at home, the Spurs won Game 6 by 27, and Game 7 went back to Oklahoma City on May 30, where San Antonio won 111-103.
| Game | Date (Eastern) | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon, May 18 | Thunder | Spurs 122, Thunder 115 |
| 2 | Wed, May 20 | Thunder | Thunder 122, Spurs 113 |
| 3 | Fri, May 22 | Spurs | Thunder 123, Spurs 108 |
| 4 | Sun, May 24 | Spurs | Spurs 103, Thunder 82 |
| 5 | Tue, May 26 | Thunder | Thunder 127, Spurs 114 |
| 6 | Thu, May 28 | Spurs | Spurs 118, Thunder 91 |
| 7 | Sat, May 30 | Thunder | Spurs 111, Thunder 103 |
Over the seven games San Antonio scored 789 points and Oklahoma City 763. The road team won three times: the Spurs in Games 1 and 7, the Thunder in Game 3. Three games were decided by single digits, Game 1 by seven, Game 2 by nine and Game 7 by eight. The other four were all decided by 13 points or more.
Where the Spurs' run ended
San Antonio reached the conference finals by beating Portland 4-1 and Minnesota 4-2. After Oklahoma City, the Spurs met the Knicks in the NBA Finals and lost 4-1. The first two games in San Antonio went to New York by 10 points and by one, the Spurs won Game 3 at Madison Square Garden 115-111, and the Knicks closed it out with a 107-106 win in New York and a 94-90 win back in San Antonio.
That gives this season's first night an odd shape. The Knicks open at home a few hours before this game, and the team they beat in June hosts the team it beat in May.
Last season's regular-season meetings
The Spurs also had the better of the regular season. ESPN lists five meetings in 2025-26, counting the NBA Cup semifinal on December 13, and San Antonio won four of them.
- December 13, NBA Cup semifinal: Spurs 111, Thunder 109.
- December 23: Spurs 130, Thunder 110 in San Antonio.
- December 25: Spurs 117, Thunder 102 in Oklahoma City.
- January 13: Thunder 119, Spurs 98 in Oklahoma City.
- February 4: Spurs 116, Thunder 106 in San Antonio.
Counting the playoffs, San Antonio won eight of the 12 games between the teams last season. The Thunder's four wins all came by nine points or more.
Preseason and the rest of the season series
Preseason results say little, but for the record: Oklahoma City went 1-4, with its only win a 114-112 game against Indiana, and San Antonio went 2-3, finishing with a 126-97 win over Sacramento.
This season the teams meet three times. Tuesday's game is the only one in San Antonio. The Spurs go to Oklahoma City on Thursday, February 11, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern, and again on Sunday, March 14, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. After Tuesday, both remaining games are in Oklahoma City.
Home and road last season
Tuesday's game is in the building where the Spurs lost only eight times in the 2025-26 regular season. ESPN's standings have San Antonio at 32-8 at home and 29-12 on the road, and Oklahoma City at 34-7 at home and 30-10 away. The Thunder's road record was the better of the two, and their scoring margin was the best in the West.
The Spurs averaged 119.8 points and allowed 111.5. The Thunder averaged 119.0 and allowed 107.9, so the gap between the teams last season was mostly at the defensive end.
Following the game on Methstreams
The NBA page lists every game of the opening week with start times on your own clock, including the Celtics at the Pistons and the 76ers at the Knicks earlier the same day. For the format of the new season, the play-in and the NBA Cup dates, see the NBA 2026-27 season guide. The full schedule for every sport is on the home page.
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