Suns-Thunder playoff schedule is set

Playoff basketball is back in downtown Phoenix, and the Suns are opening the 2026 NBA playoffs with a first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

For Valley fans, that means the usual spring ritual is on: checking tip times, figuring out which games are on national TV, and planning around nights at Footprint Center or watch parties around town.

The original schedule roundup from Sporting News focuses on the full series slate, including dates, game times, TV channels and updated scores as the matchup unfolds. If you’re trying to keep everything in one place, that’s the key information to watch as the series moves from game to game.

What stands out for Phoenix is the challenge in front of the Suns. Oklahoma City has been one of the West’s toughest teams, so this isn’t the kind of first-round draw that lets anyone ease into the postseason. Every possession is going to matter, and every game on the schedule will feel big right away.

For fans here, the home games will put the spotlight back on Footprint Center, where playoff crowds tend to bring a different level of energy than the regular season. If you’ve spent time downtown during a Suns run, you already know the vibe: packed sidewalks, jerseys everywhere, and that nervous-excited feeling before tipoff.

If you’re following from home, the series is being carried across the usual playoff TV partners, with channels and times assigned game by game. As always in the postseason, later games in the series can shift depending on how things play out, so it’s worth double-checking listings before making plans.

The Sporting News item is also set up to track scores throughout the series, which is helpful once the matchup gets going and the schedule starts filling in with results.

What Phoenix fans should watch

This series has all the ingredients for a tense first round: a playoff-tested Suns team, a talented Thunder group, and the pressure that comes with the Western Conference bracket.

For Phoenix, the big question is simple: can the Suns find enough consistency over a full series against a deep, dangerous opponent? In the playoffs, one hot quarter can swing a game, but one bad stretch can swing a series.

How to keep up with the series

Fans looking for the complete game-by-game schedule, tip times, TV channels and score updates can follow the Sporting News playoff tracker here:

[Thunder vs. Suns schedule, dates, times, TV channels and scores](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/thunder-suns-schedule-dates-times-channels-scores-nba-playoffs/e6037d52344e405abb3a8d61)

As the first round unfolds, expect plenty of attention across the Valley — from downtown Phoenix to living rooms and sports bars across metro Phoenix. When the Suns are in the playoffs, the whole city tends to feel it.