IT'S THE WILD WEST! SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER AND DEFENDING CHAMPION THUNDER FACE VICTOR WEMBANYAMA AND SPURS IN WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS BEGINNING MONDAY, MAY 18, AT 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBC AND PEACOCK

Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder Continue Title Defense as Wembanyama and Spurs Aim to Dethrone Reigning Champions

NBC Sports' Mike Tirico, Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford, Zora Stephenson, and Ashley ShahAhmadi to Call Western Conference Finals

On-Site NBA Showtime Studio Coverage - featuring host Maria Taylor and analysts Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady - from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City Begins Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock before transitioning to NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. - May 16, 2026 - It's the Wild West! Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion and No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder face 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama and the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, exclusively on NBC and Peacock, beginning, Monday, May 18, at 8:30 p.m. ET. Live on-site coverage from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City begins with NBA Showtime at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock before transitioning to NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET.

NBC SPORTS' 2026 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS SCHEDULE

Date Time (ET) Matchup Platforms

Mon., May 18 8:30 p.m. Game 1: Spurs at Thunder NBC, Peacock

Weds., May 20 8:30 p.m. Game 2: Spurs at Thunder NBC, Peacock

Fri., May 22 8:30 p.m. Game 3: Thunder at Spurs NBC, Peacock

Sun., May 24 8 p.m. Game 4: Thunder at Spurs NBC, Peacock

Tues., May 26 8:30 p.m. Game 5: Spurs at Thunder* NBC, Peacock

Thurs., May 28 8:30 p.m. Game 6: Thunder at Spurs* NBC, Peacock

Sat., May 30 8 p.m. Game 7: Spurs at Thunder* NBC, Peacock

*If necessary

All seven games of the Western Conference Finals will be presented exclusively on NBC and Peacock, with on-site NBA Showtime studio coverage at every game as well. This will be the first Western Conference Finals game on NBC since Game 7 on June 2, 2002, that saw Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeat Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, and the Sacramento Kings, 112-106. NBC Sports' Marv Albert, Steve Jones, Bill Walton, and Jim Gray called the game.

NBC Sports' Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford (analysts), and Zora Stephenson and Ashley ShahAhmadi (courtside reporters) will call every game of the series.

Live on-site coverage of Game 1 on Monday begins with NBA Showtime at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock before transitioning to NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET, hosted by NBC Sports' Maria Taylor alongside Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady. Anthony played for the Thunder from 2017-2018, while McGrady finished his NBA career with the Spurs in 2013.

The Thunder come into the Western Conference Finals a perfect 8-0 through the first two rounds of the postseason, sweeping both the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Oklahoma City looks to become the first team since the Golden State Warriors in 2018-2019 to advance to consecutive NBA Finals - and could become the first team since the Warriors in 2017-2018 to win back-to-back Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander aims to cap off yet another historic season that saw him finish second in the NBA in scoring (31.1 PPG) and win the NBA Clutch Player of the Year Award. Oklahoma City has also been led by Chet Holmgren, who ranks third in the NBA in blocks this postseason (1.8 BPG).

In one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent NBA history that saw them go from losing 60 games in the 2023-24 season to winning 62 games this season, the Spurs are making their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2017. Wembanyama had a stellar regular season, becoming the youngest player to ever win the Defensive Player of the Year award and the first player to ever win it unanimously. Alongside fellow 2026 NBA All-Star De'Aaron Fox, 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, and blossoming rookie star Dylan Harper, San Antonio went 4-1 against Oklahoma City in the regular season.

Emmy Award-nominated actor Timothy Olyphant stars in a cinematic, Western-inspired promotional open in advance of the Western Conference Finals. "If you can win the West, you can win it all," Olyphant says as images of the Western Conference's standout players - including Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama - appear. The open, which includes classic Western imagery of cowboys and desert landscapes, can be viewed here.

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NBC Sports' coverage of the NBA is led by coordinating producer Frank DiGraci and director Pierre Moossa. Sam Flood is Executive Producer & President, NBC Sports Production.

NBA Showtime precedes every NBA playoff game on NBC and Peacock. The coordinating producer of NBA Showtime is Adam Littlefield. NBA Showtime is directed by Jared Sumner.

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ABOUT NBC SPORTS

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