Suns vs. Thunder Round 1 series preview: X-Factors, matchups, prediction

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 finishes 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 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. Before the series starts with Game 1 from Paycom Center on Sunday, Thunder Wire will preview things and break down matchups, X-factors and pencil in a prediction for the first-round matchup: Gilgeous-Alexander against Suns Break down all of the X's and O's minutiae you want — everything boils down to Gilgeous-Alexander. He's the NBA's best player for a reason.