Summary of this article
The NBA Western Conference playoffs start on April 18
The Oklahoma City Thunder enter as the defending champions and the top seed in the NBA
This marks the first playoff appearance for Victor Wembanyama
The 2026 Western Conference playoffs commence on Saturday, April 18, with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder claiming the top seed after a league-best 64-win season. The bracket is a gauntlet of superstars. Victor Wembanyama leads a resurgent Spurs as the 2nd seed, while the Lakers and Nuggets loom as dangerous title threats. In a conference defined by historic depth, the race for the Larry O'Brien Trophy remains wide open.
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18) Vs No. 8 Phoenix Suns (45-37)
Season series: Tied, 2-2.
Story line: The defending NBA champion Thunder open up against a Suns team that has nothing to lose and just ousted Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in a do-or-die play-in tournament finale. To be fair, the teams did split four regular season contests this year. Also to be fair, thinking those games will look anything like the looming playoff matchups might be ridiculous, since it seemed like every game had teams dealing with players out, players hurt, players resting or some combination thereof.
Key matchup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Dillon Brooks. Canada vs. Canada here, the best Thunder player — and probably someone about to win his second straight MVP award — in Gilgeous-Alexander against one of the best pesterers in the game in Brooks. The only way Phoenix will have a real shot in this series is if Gilgeous-Alexander is somehow knocked off rhythm, and Brooks seems to live for those enormous challenges.
Prediction: Thunder in 5.
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs (62-20) Vs No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers (42-40)
Season series: Spurs, 2-1.
Story line: San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama's playoff debut is here. Same goes for Portland star Deni Avdija — who waited six years, and blossomed into an All-Star this season, before getting to this stage. There are some stats that suggest this is a matchup nightmare for San Antonio, such as head-to-head FG% (.440 for the Spurs, .439 for the Blazers), 3-point FG% (.344 for the Spurs, .339 for the Blazers) and rebounds per game (50 for the Spurs, 47.3 for the Blazers). But there's also this one really big point to consider, that being that Wembanyama didn't play in any of the three games against the Blazers this season.
Key matchup: Wembanyama vs. Everybody. This is what we've all been waiting for, Wemby in the postseason. The Spurs won 62 games in a loaded West, contended for the No. 1 overall seed until the final days of the season, were a matchup nightmare for just about everyone and Wembanyama is at the center of it all — rarely looking fazed in any moment. Avdija is great, but he'll have to be otherworldly for Portland to have a real chance.
Prediction: Spurs in 5.
No. 3 Denver Nuggets (54-28) Vs No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)
Season series: Nuggets, 3-1.
Story line: The Nuggets roll into the playoffs with a 12-game winning streak that vaulted them into third place in the Western Conference and a matchup with what’s become a familiar foe. Denver and Minnesota have played 28 games since 2022 and this will be the third postseason meeting in four years between the clubs. Denver beat Minnesota in the first round in 2023 en route to its first NBA championship, but the Timberwolves avenged that in a crushing way the next year when they came from 20 points down in Game 7 of the West semifinals to end Denver’s title reign.
Key matchup: Nikola Jokic vs. Rudy Gobert. Jokic is perhaps the most well-rounded player in the game, averaging a triple-double for the second straight season and becoming the first player to lead the NBA in rebounds and assists per game. He finished with averages of 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists. Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, but it’s a huge task for he or any center to slow down Jokic
No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers (53-29) Vs No. 5 Houston Rockets (52-30)
Season series: Lakers, 2-1.
Story line: Another postseason matchup between LeBron James and Kevin Durant is the headline, but who James and the Lakers are missing is the real news. Luka Doncic, who led the NBA with 33.5 points per game, and Austin Reaves, their second-leading scorer, were both injured April 2 and won’t be ready for at least the start of the series. It puts a massive burden on the James, who ties Karl Malone and John Stockton for another NBA record with his 19th postseason appearance.
Key matchup: James vs. Durant. They have been Olympic teammates and NBA Finals rivals, first in Miami and Oklahoma City, later in Cleveland and Golden State. James is the NBA’s career scoring leader and Durant is No. 5, but with James now 41 and Durant 37, they are running out of time to win another title. Now one of them won’t even get out of the first round.
Prediction: Rockets in 6.
