Should OKC Thunder root for Suns or Warriors to capture 8th seed?

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy a week off before the 2026 NBA playoffs. Like the last two years, the first seed won't know their Round 1 opponent until Friday. After the first two play-in tournament games, it'll either be the Phoenix Suns or the Golden State Warriors .

The Thunder had a 64-18 regular-season record. They finished with a league-best plus-11. 1 point differential.

Despite dealing with injuries all season, they sat atop the NBA standings all year. The Suns will get one more chance to clinch a playoff spot. They lost to the Portland Trail Blazers for the seventh seed on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Warriors won a thriller over the LA Clippers to keep their year alive. Stephen Curry had a vintage outing. Let's spell out every argument for the Suns and Warriors as to why the Thunder should and shouldn't favor a matchup against them in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs: The case for the Suns Respectfully speaking, the talent discrepancy is too wide to ignore.