The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder begin their quest for back-to-back NBA championships when they battle the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of their Western Conference first round series on Sunday. Phoenix earned the eighth seed in the West with a 111-96 win over the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In Tournament on Friday night. The Suns (45-37), who placed second in the Pacific Division, were 20-21 on the road during the regular season. The Thunder (64-18), who have won seven of their past 10 games, are 34-7 on their home court.
Tipoff from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The Suns lead the all-time series 138-126, but the Thunder won three of five meetings this season. The Thunder are 15.5-point favorites in the latest Suns vs. Thunder odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 215.5.
Before making any Suns vs. Thunder picks, you NEED to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
SportsLine's model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 23-9 roll (72%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!
The model has simulated Suns vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Under on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits over 60% of the time!
Who wins Suns vs. Thunder, and which side of the spread hits over 60% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the model on a 23-9 roll on top-rated NBA picks!
GET VEGAS EXPERT PICKS FOR NFL, MLB, NBA, CBB, GOLF, NHL, HORSE RACING AND MORE - PLUS ADVANCED COMPUTER SIMULATIONS, WINNING TOOLS, AND MORE!
Written by Daniel Kohn
View expert profile
