OKC Thunder react to Suns matchup in Round 1 of 2026 NBA playoffs

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault shakes Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott hand after their game at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

After waiting around a week, the Oklahoma City Thunder have finally learned their Round 1 opponent in the 2026 NBA playoffs. The Phoenix Suns clinched a playoff spot with a play-in tournament win over the Golden State Warriors.

That means a Round 1 date where the Thunder are viewed as the heavy favorite to take care of business against the Phoenix Suns. It'll be a quick turnaround as OKC will host Game 1 on Sunday.

After finally learning their opponent, the Thunder talked about the Suns and gameplanning against them. Here's what Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Ajay Mitchell had to publicly say since they learned who the eighth would be:

Mark Daigneault:

"They’re in the playoffs for a reason. Phoenix had a really good season. They were flirting with the sixth seed for much of the latter half of the season, then they dealt with some injuries that knocked them back. They've been a team that's almost been a foregone conclusion most of the year to be a playoff team. And rightfully so. Had a great season and played a disciplined brand of basketball on both ends of the floor. They're very aggressive on defense. And physically offensively."

"It was an impressive win by them. The shot-making down the stretch stood out. They showed their prowess. Psychologically, that's a tough game to win. They lost a really tough game at home the game before. It's easy to catastrophize in that situation. They played with the type of aggression and confidence from a playoff team."