OKC Thunder's January Schedule Among Toughest in NBA

The Thunder will need to navigate one of their toughest months to stay at the top.

Dec 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes (5) passes around Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has the best record in the West, but it must face its toughest month of the season. 

On Thursday, the Thunder will host the LA Clippers to tip off the new year. While the Thunder hope 2025 is the year they will win their first NBA championship, they still have months of basketball to navigate.

As far as the regular season goes, January marks Oklahoma City’s toughest test. In the first month of the year, the Thunder begin with perhaps their toughest stretch of the season left.

The Thunder’s first five games of the month all come against teams with winning records, including four games against potential championship contenders. While the Clippers’ status as a postseason team is far from certain, the next four games will come against the best teams in the East.

The Thunder will face the New York Knicks twice, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. That matchup against the league-best Cavaliers is the first of two games against them this month.

Overall, the Thunder’s January slate is the third-toughest in the league, with opponents having an average winning percentage of 55.7%. While the teams they face will be tough, the Thunder’s home-road split is far more balanced than December’s, playing seven games at home and on the road.

Along with meeting some of the best teams in the East, the Thunder will get a couple of matchups against the Dallas Mavericks, who knocked Oklahoma City out of the playoffs last season. 

While the Thunder’s schedule is tough and features some of the top teams in the league, it also has matchups against a few of the league’s worst. Oklahoma City will have a chance to get some easy wins against the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers.

Along with getting some easy matchups, the Thunder have proven they can beat the best in the league, going 15-3 against teams over .500. As long as it can continue to find that success, Oklahoma City should have no issues keeping its big lead atop the West.

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