OKC Thunder Should be Rooting for a Warriors’ Win over Suns Tonight

Oklahoma City has reason to want Golden State in its first-round matchup.

Apr 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) smiles on the court after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The NBA Play-In Tournament will wrap up tonight, with the Hornets facing off against the Magic, and Warriors matchup up against the Suns for postseason bids. 

The Thunder are still awaiting their first-round matchup, with the winner of Golden State-Phoenix seeing a quick turnaround for Sunday’s Game 1. As the top team in the league, the Thunder won’t fear either team, but there are a few reasons to prefer Golden State to the Suns in the upcoming seven-game series. 

Here are three reasons the Thunder and its fans should be rooting for a Warriors’ win tonight:

An easier first-round series

While the Warriors have plenty of talent in superstar Stephen Curry, a versatile all-time forward in Draymond Green and several workable role players, they are simply the lesser team for a few reasons.

Firstly, the Dubs have been dealing with injuries all season long, granting up-and-down performances for the last few months. Curry only recently made his way back to the lineup, and the Warriors have far less wins than any other Play-In teams at just 37. Even more, it took an explosion from Curry and former Thunder Al Horford for Golden State to narrowly outlast the Clippers. Should they face off against a complete OKC team, they won’t have much going for them. 

The Suns have a stingy defense and more fire-power with Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, and are just looked at as the better team. 

Better NBA Draft odds

Outside of the matchup itself, a Warriors’ win over Phoenix would mean even better 2026 NBA Draft odds for Oklahoma City. With the Clippers’ loss on Wednesday, the Thunder secured yet another lottery pick, much to the dismay of the rest of the league.

The pick will land at No. 11 should the Warriors make the postseason, and No. 12 if Phoenix is able to punch its way in. 

The differences are small, though OKC will have a 9% chance at jumping up to the top-four with a Golden State win, and a 7% chance should the Suns win. 

A heliocentric warm-up

The Warriors offer a heliocentric style of offense around Curry, who commands the rock as one of the game’s greatest ever scorer and shooters. 

That brand of play would be a nice warm-up for Oklahoma City, who is sure to see more of that style as the postseason wears on. They would see that with Kevin Durant and the Rockets in Round 2, or Luka Doncic and the Lakers if he’s able to make his way back from injury. 

Plenty of teams revolve around one player, and kicking off a postseason run by guarding one of the best ever would be a nice building block.