The OKC Thunder Must Be Prepared For Either Winner Of The Last Play-In Tournament Game

Oklahoma City will end up playing either the Suns or the Warriors, and must be ready to match up against either squad.

Apr 2, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) dribbles down the court against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC’s first-round opponent is closer than ever to revealing itself. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder officially start their playoff journey on Sunday, and their opponent is now down to just two teams. The Golden State Warriors took down the Clippers on Wednesday night, meaning they will take on the Phoenix Suns for the honor of claiming the eight-seed in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City will be favored no matter which team shows up to play on Sunday, but is there a squad that OKC would rather play? Each team definitely has its advantages and weaknesses, but let’s take a look at which team OKC would rather see standing across from them on the court Sunday. 

Apr 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates on the court in the second half against 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

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors entered the NBA Play-In Tournament as the 10-seed, but they aren’t ready to go home just yet. This isn’t the Warrior team of old, as Golden State has continuously struggled this year. The Warriors had a losing record this year for the first time since 2019-20, and were in the bottom portion of the league, only averaging 114.6 points per game. 

A lower-scoring offense will have a tough time scoring against the stout Oklahoma City defense, and with the Warriors allowing 115.2 points per game, their defense isn’t good enough to keep up with the Thunder either. This all seems like OKC would have no problem with Golden State, but one problem could arise, and its name is Stephen Curry. 

This hasn’t been Curry’s best season by any means, as he only played in 43 games in the regular season, but he is still dangerous. The sharpshooter was the reason that Golden State beat the Clippers on Wednesday night, and could be the reason they beat Phoenix on Friday. 

As a team, the Warriors shouldn’t worry the Thunder, but in a seven-game series, Curry can make any series interesting. 

Apr 14, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) celebrates with Ryan Dunn (0) against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second half during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Phoenix Suns

The Suns were the seven seed at the end of the regular season, but now a loss to Portland is making them face elimination come Friday. This Phoenix team has relied on its defense this year to keep it in games, as it isn’t built for a shootout. 

The Suns are in the bottom five in points per game in the league, with 112.6 per game, but they only allow opponents to score 111.1 per game. Phoenix would love to say it's just its slow style of play that limits its points, but that isn’t the case. The Suns have the third-worst field goal percentage in the league, only making 45.5% of their shots. 

With an already poor shooting percentage, a full series against the Thunder would be tough for Phoenix and would probably end in a Thunder sweep.

The Thunder won’t know who they play for sure until Friday’s game has concluded, but whichever team gets the honor of officially making the playoffs will have an uphill battle against the defending champions.