The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will close out the NBA’s first day of regular-season action Tuesday night, with tipoff set for 9:30 p.m. ET at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
It’s a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals, in which reigning Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs upset two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the then-defending champion Thunder in seven games.
The Spurs went on to fall to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, but the stunning postseason run marked the clear beginning of a new era in San Antonio. Wembanyama is still only 22, and teammate Stephon Castle has already dubbed him the “best player in the f***ing world” — for good reason.
Despite having won the NBA Finals just two seasons ago, the Thunder still have plenty to prove heading into the season after Gilgeous-Alexander’s shooting dipped from 55.3% in the regular season to 46.3% in the playoffs, and Jalen Williams struggled to stay healthy. The team also traded starting 3-and-D specialist Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks this offseason, opening the door for another wing to step up.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Thunder and Spurs face off to close out opening night, airing on NBC and Peacock.