The NBA released their regular season schedule for every team. The Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) received 15 nationally televised games (via ESPN/TNT). However, it is worth noting is that 12 of those games are on the road. If you include NBATV as a nationally televised broadcasts, then the Thunder will have 25 nationally televised games.
OKC will open its season on TNT.
While there are plenty of games fans should be marking down on their schedules following the schedule’s release, there are a few games, in particular, that could be argued as the most important for this hungry Thunder squad.
6 Most Anticipated Game for the Thunder for the 2024-25 season
Thunder @ Denver Nuggets (Oct. 24)
The Thunder will kick off their 2024-25 season on the road against Denver on TNT. Not only will the on-court action itself be high-level, but the matchup has some entertaining storylines.
The Thunder’s big free agency acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein gets his first opportunity to prove that he fixes OKC’s biggest deficiency: rebounding, screening, and physicality. It’s the perfect opportunity too, as Nikola Jokic is currently the best player in the world and will be a thorn in OKC’s championship aspirations.
This will be the first opportunity for the Thunder to showcase their two-big lineup featuring Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren against a very formidable front-court in Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon.
The season opener will be an excellent interior test.
Hartenstein was not the only major offseason acquisition, as former Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso will also be making his Thunder debut after being traded for Josh Giddey this offseason.
Caruso is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, and he joins a very strong perimeter defensive group that contains Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
It will be fun to see how Caruso gets himself accumulated to this group.
Finally, it could potentially be the debut of the rookie Dillon Jones. Jones is a name to watch throughout the year given the Thunder’s potential lack of depth at the forward spot.
Overall, this will be a great opportunity for OKC to showcase that they are the best team in the West and are legit championship contenders.
Dallas Mavericks vs Thunder (Nov. 17)
This will be the first meeting between these two teams since the Dallas Mavericks knocked the Thunder out of the playoffs. I believe it’s too early to call this a rivalry, but there are sentiments of a rivalry brewing between these two teams.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic will be battling over one another for the MVP, as well as be in contention for the best and come out the West. The stage is already set for a social media war, as the two fanbases have been going at one another since the two teams met in the playoffs.
With the addition of Alex Caruso, the Thunder have another defender to throw at Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who made things tough for both of them.
Another key note: During the Dallas-OKC series, OKC outscored Dallas by 21 points during their six-game series with Chet Holmgren on the court but couldn’t stay afloat when he was off the court. With the Thunder upgrading their backup center position. What to watch for in this matchup: Will Hartenstein allow the Thunder to survive the non-Holmgren minutes?
This will also be a new look for Dallas, as the Mavericks added Klay Thompson in free agency, replaced Derrick Jones Jr. who is now a Clipper with Naji Marshall, replaced Josh Green with Quentin Grimes, and added Spencer Dinwiddie.
Wouldn’t be surprised if there are lingering feelings, and don’t be surprised if there’s something extra in this matchup.
Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs (Nov. 19)
The Spurs may not be contending right now, but Victor Wembanyama is already one of the best players in the league.
As long as Wembanyama continues to ascend and reaches superstardom and rival big Chet Holmgren helps the Thunder reach title contention, a rivalry between Wembanyama-Holmgren, and Thunder-Spurs will be pushed.
With Wembanyama receiving all this national attention (rightfully so), it will be worth seeing how – Year 2 Wembanyama, the addition of Chris Paul, and these young Spurs fairs against the new-look Thunder.
Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren will dominate the headlines, as this game will have extra meaning to it — with it being an NBA Cup game, and it will be on TNT.
Thunder @ LA Lakers (Nov. 29)
Although the Lakers have not been actual contenders over the last couple of years and the Lakers have done little to capitalize on LeBron James’ dwindling time, as long as you have a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis you can never truly count them out.
The Lakers were one of the teams that truly had the Thunder’s number a season ago. The Thunder were 1-3 against the Lakers a season ago.
It was a result of shooting variance — due to the Lakers’ size, game plan, and having the personnel to expose the Thunder’s biggest deficiencies. But with an improved defense and the additions of Hartenstein and Caruso, it will be fun to see how the new-look Thunder matches up with the Lakers this season.
The headlines of this game will most likely be dominated by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, as this NBA Cup game will be on ESPN.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Thunder (New Year’s Eve)
Oklahoma City will continue its tradition of playing on New Year’s Eve, which will be a spicy and the first matchup of the season against fellow Western Conference contender — the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder-Timberwolves regular season series tied at a very entertaining 2-2 last season. After the two teams’ final regular season matchup against one another last season, Anthony Edwards stated: how he couldn’t wait to see the Thunder again.
Anthony Edwards is one of the upcoming faces of the league and will be a thorn in OKC’s championship aspirations.
The headlines of this game will most likely be dominated by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards, as these are two of the best guards in the league, and the Thunder has a chance to end 2024 in great fashion.
Boston Celtics vs Thunder (Jan. 5)
The Boston Celtics are the defending champs, as Boston ran through the playoffs and easily won their first championship since 2008.
The Celtics retained every key rotation player from their championship team and are currently the golden standard around the league. From the way the front office constructs a team: their five-out offensive scheme, perimeter shooting, self-creation, point-of-attack defense, rim protection, and versatility at every position, Boston is the team to beat.
How the new-look Thunder matches up with Boston’s five-out offensive scheme and their elite defense will be a fun story to watch.
I view Boston as a more seasoned and mature version of the Thunder. Boston can throw out big or small lineups, without losing their versatility, which is the ideal version of OKC. This will allow the Thunder to explore multiple lineups against a with similar personnel, who happens to be the defending champs.
This early January matchup is a perfect chance for OKC to test themselves against the defending champs and potential Finals opponent.
The game is after a tough four-game stretch against the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Clippers, and Knicks. This is an opportunity for the Thunder to make a statement against Boston.
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