The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night at Frost Bank Center in a rematch nobody who watched last spring's playoffs is likely to forget. The game closes out the NBA's 2026-27 opening night and reunites Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama for the first time since a brutal Game 7.
A Rematch Nobody Has Forgotten
This marquee matchup is a rematch with both sides having plenty left to prove after a seven-game Western Conference Finals last spring. The Spurs needed every bit of that series to get past the defending champions.
San Antonio won the last meeting, beating Oklahoma City 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. That win capped a dominant stretch, since the Spurs had already won the regular-season series 4-1, including an NBA Cup meeting, giving San Antonio eight wins in the 12 total meetings between the clubs during the 2025-26 season.
San Antonio's run didn't end there. The Spurs went on to lose to the New York Knicks, who claimed their first NBA championship in 50 years, leaving Wembanyama and company with a Finals hangover and the Thunder with a long offseason to stew over how it ended.
Start Time, TV Channel and How to Watch
The season opener tips off at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, October 20, which is 8:30 p.m. local time in San Antonio, and it's the final game of the league's opening-night tripleheader, following Celtics vs. Pistons and 76ers vs. Knicks earlier in the evening. Fans can catch it nationally on NBC, with Peacock carrying the live stream.
The MVP Duel Returns
Both stars arrive with gaudy résumés. Gilgeous-Alexander enters the year after posting an elite 31.1 points per game, second in the NBA, while Wembanyama poured in 25.0 points per game last season. Wembanyama is also coming off career averages of 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks, and his rim protection was magnificent in the playoffs, helping swing the series against the Thunder.
For Gilgeous-Alexander, there's extra incentive: regardless of how the two-time MVP plays on Tuesday night, he'll have another MVP showdown for the home opener on Thursday, giving him a quick chance to answer either way.
Injury Report and Projected Lineups
San Antonio Spurs
Coach Mitch Johnson is rolling with a new look in the backcourt. Johnson plans to start De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper together, alongside Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs will be shorthanded up front, as the team opens without a key forward who was limited by a calf injury in training camp.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City's roster looks notably different from the one that fell in Game 7. Cason Wallace impressed in that winner-take-all loss, scoring 17 points and making five 3-pointers, while Luguentz Dort scored just three points in 16 minutes in what turned out to be his final game with the Thunder. This offseason, Oklahoma City also made a notable financial commitment, as the team re-signed center Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $75 million deal, replacing a $28.5 million team option.
Despite some absences among younger players, the Thunder enter Tuesday's matchup with their established core, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, all available. Williams returning to full strength is a significant boost after he was limited for stretches last postseason.
What Comes Next
Whatever happens at Frost Bank Center, the night is just the opening act of a long rivalry rematch. Both franchises are expected to be near the top of the Western Conference all season, and Thursday's follow-up for Oklahoma City's home opener will offer an immediate chance to build on — or erase — Tuesday's result. Fans following the rest of the NBA slate can also track how the league's other opening-night storylines played out, including Paul George's Celtics debut and LeBron James' debut with Philadelphia earlier in the tripleheader.
For now, all eyes in San Antonio and Oklahoma City are on whether Gilgeous-Alexander can finally solve Wembanyama's defense, or whether the Spurs' young core picks up right where it left off in May.