April 18, 2026, 7:00 p.m. CT
After a week’s wait, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally learned their Round 1 opponent of the 2026 NBA playoffs. They will face the eighth-seed Phoenix Suns. Like the last two years, they had to wait out the play-in tournament to figure out their matchup.
The Thunder finished with an NBA-best 64-18 regular-season record and plus-11.1 point differential. Expect Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win back-to-back MVP awards. Carrying over their dominance from last year, they enter the postseason as the title favorite.
Meanwhile, the Suns continue to enjoy being one of the best feel-good stories. They went an impressive 45-37 in the regular season. They clinched a playoff spot in a do-or-die scenario with a 111-96 win over the Golden State Warriors.
To prepare for the Round 1 series, Thunder Wire asked its fellow NBA Wire writers for their thoughts and predictions in the matchup. Here’s what they had to say in this NBA Wire Roundtable:
Clemente Almanza, Thunder Wire:
Regardless of who survived the play-in tournament, the Thunder were going to be heavily favored to make quick work of their Round 1 opponent. That says less about the Suns and more about how dominant OKC is. If this turns into a low-scoring series — like I think it will — then I’d take Gilgeous-Alexander over Booker any day of the week to come up with big-time buckets. History backs that up, too.
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The Thunder have shown the ability to absolutely blow the door off the Suns. It’s happened a couple of times. They just don’t possess the ball-handlers to withstand OKC’s pressure. Could easily see several games in this series escalating because they force a turnover every other possession.
I think the Thunder get another Round 1 sweep to make it three-for-three since Gilgeous-Alexander’s ascension. I like the Suns and they’ve had a nice season, but the talent gap is too wide. That said, we should get some thrilling finishes between these two squads as well.
Prediction: Thunder in 4
Robert Marvi, Lakers Wire:
This should be the most lopsided first-round playoff series this year. The Suns are a feisty team and have done better than initially anticipated after jettisoning Kevin Durant this past summer. But they’re simply no match for the defending NBA champions.
The Thunder are simply too good across the board, both defensively and offensively, for Phoenix to have any chance of even competing in this series. I’m not even sure Devin Booker, as lethal a scorer and one-on-one player as he is, can win Phoenix one game.
The only way I see Oklahoma City losing a game in this series is if it gets overconfident, complacent or bored, or if it loses concentration long enough. I doubt any of that will happen, at least enough to avert a sweep.
Prediction: Thunder in 4
Mack Baltes, Warriors Wire:
Although I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Suns take a game in this series, Oklahoma City’s depth and defense will prove too much to overcome. Apart from Booker and Green, the Suns don’t have enough weapons to contend, especially in the frontcourt.
Prediction: Thunder in 4
Ky Carlin, Sixers Wire:
Shoutout to the Suns for defying preseason odds and finding a way to jell together and get into the playoffs. They had to battle through the play-in and knock off Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Congratulations, Suns! You now earn the right to face Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder! The Suns have Devin Booker to match up in terms of scoring the ball, and Dillon Brooks will do Dillon Brooks-type things, but they will now be able to match up with OKC in a playoff series. The Thunder should handle business here rather quickly.
Prediction: Thunder in 4
Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire:
The Thunder have once again finished with the best record in the NBA and this time around, this team seems even better than last season with the addition of Jared McCain to their bench. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could win MVP for the second straight season and beyond that, Chet Holmgren has been able to take his game to the next level.
The Suns pulled off an impressive win over Steph Curry and the Warriors to earn the eighth seed and they will need Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks to be at their best if they’re going to beat the Thunder. Center Mark Williams missed Friday’s eighth-seed game due to injury, so his status will be worth monitoring for this series.
Prediction: Thunder in 5
Justin Quinn, Celtics Wire:
If I could call this one at Thunder in three, I would. The Suns have been a great regular-season story, and could likely steal a win or two in most postseason matchups. But they won’t fare well (or last long) against the reigning champs; I’d like to be more charitable given what Phoenix was able to do this season, but I have to agree with Clemente on this one.
Prediction: Thunder in 4
Daniel Donabedian, Celtics Wire:
The Thunder have a championship pedigree. The Suns’ greatest experience lies with Devin Booker, who made it to the promised land but couldn’t win it all in 2021. Phoenix head coach Jordan Ott has helped his team put together a great campaign, but it’s hard to see it lasting for long against the reigning champs. I’ll give the Suns a game because they seem better than the last two first-round opponents the Thunder swept (the 2023-24 Pelicans and 2024-25 Grizzlies). That’s it.
Prediction: Thunder in 5