The San Antonio Spurs will kick off the 2026-27 NBA season on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Barring injury, San Antonio and OKC are quite clearly the two best teams in the Western Conference, although they're expected to be neck and neck at the top of the standings.

The Spurs got the best of the Thunder last year in the playoffs, regular season, and NBA Cup. Victor Wembanyama's distaste for Chet Holmgren is well-documented, and the Spurs and Thunder have the best rivalry in the NBA.

It took the Spurs a while to find their footing in the preseason, although they looked locked in for the last two games. San Antonio will start a backcourt trio of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper in the first game, and they're ready to hit the ground running.

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In terms of sheer talent, almost no one matches San Antonio. However, three of their four best players have vastly similar skill sets, and their play styles could clash.

After Fox, Castle, and Harper started in the last two preseason games, the trio feels good about where they are and understands that there might be some growing pains.

"I feel like we all have put in our due diligence and we've attacked this preseason the right way, obviously, and just going in with the right mindset and the right amount of details, and I feel like we'll be good to go come Tuesday," predicted Harper.

Spurs' brass, though, would have liked to see a bigger sample size. Fox missed the first three preseason games with soreness, though, so the team is going in with a small sample size.

"You're never gonna have enough time," emphasized Mitch Johnson. "And then you don't wanna overdo it, and you gotta balance that and everything. So just trying to maximize while also being smart with the time that we have."

Even with a lineup that isn't fully figured out, the Spurs are expected to give the Thunder a run for their money. Remember, San Antonio is heading into the season with a chip on their shoulder after falling flat in the Finals. The same, though, can be said of Oklahoma City, which wants revenge over San Antonio after losing in the Western Conference Finals.