NBA Wire Roundtable: Will Thunder or Suns win Round 1 playoff series?

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.