Spurs-Thunder West rematch headlines 2026-27 NBA opener

Just 143 days after Game 7 of the 2025-26 Western Conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder will meet again in a highly anticipated rematch on opening night of the 2026-27 NBA regular season.

The Spurs-Thunder duel highlights the NBA’s opening night, with Eastern Conference showdowns between Boston and Detroit and Philadelphia and New York also featured in the massive tripleheader.

The pain is still fresh for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder after Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs dethroned them on the road, 111-103, in Game 7 on May 31, 2026, at Paycom Center.

With that Game 7 win, the Spurs reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years, but Jalen Brunson and the Knicks eventually defeated them in just five games.

In retrospect, it was Wembanyama who made life miserable for the Thunder in Game 7, wrapping up the victory with an all-around effort of 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.

The trio of Julian Champagnie, Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox also shot the lights out in Game 7, delivering 20, 16 and 14 points, respectively.

However, Jalen Williams, SGA’s OKC co-star, was hobbled throughout the seven-game series and had to sit out most of the final four games to recover from a left hamstring strain.

Now healthy and ready to go, Williams is prepared to go all-out on opening night and support SGA against an expected loud and passionate San Antonio crowd at Frost Bank Center.

The Thunder also added some key pieces for their revenge tour, bolstered by the presence of the towering Aday Mara, the franchise’s No. 12 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

According to OKC’s coaching staff, Mara’s interior prowess will be a valuable asset to Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, who both had trouble stopping Wembanyama in the Western Conference finals.

Other key holdovers from last season’s roster include Alex Caruso, Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams.

On the other hand, San Antonio still has its core group intact, spearheaded by Wembanyama, Fox, Castle, Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, Carter Bryant and Harrison Barnes.

The Spurs made one major offseason acquisition by signing veteran power forward Tobias Harris to a deal, but the former Detroit star will be sidelined against OKC because of a calf injury.

Both teams struggled during the recently concluded NBA preseason, with the Spurs finishing the five-game stretch with a 2-3 record while OKC went 1-4.

Can the Thunder immediately get into San Antonio’s head with a quick regular-season victory? Or will Wembanyama and the Spurs continue their winning ways against Oklahoma City?