OKC Thunder Must Take Advantage of Six-Game Homestand

The Thunder will have nearly two weeks between road games.

Apr 21, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder mascot Rumble the Bison waves a giant flag before the start of game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder just suffered their first loss on the road, but they won’t have to deal with a hostile environment for a while.

On Friday, the Houston Rockets will come to Oklahoma City for a matchup between two young rivals. As the Thunder look to bounce back from a tight loss in Denver, this game is also the start of a golden opportunity.

Friday’s game is the start of a six-game homestand for the Thunder. After beginning the season 7-1, the Thunder will benefit from this scheduling quirk and have a chance to strengthen their hold on the No. 1 seed.

The homestand features matchups with the Rockets, Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. With every team on the slate entering the season with playoff expectations, this will be a tough task for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City is undefeated at home this season, winning all three of its previous games in Paycom Center. Last season, the Thunder went 33-8 at home, which was good for the best mark in the West and second-best in the league.

The upcoming homestand is familiar territory for the Thunder, as they also had a six-game stretch of home games early last season. The Thunder went only 3-3 in their October/November homestand last year, losing to every West team they faced.

With only Western Conference foes on the schedule this time and the Thunder entering as an established contender, the Thunder should perform much better this time. Much like the homestand last season, Oklahoma City will also get a slightly more important game with its first NBA Cup game.

The Thunder’s game against the Suns will be the team’s first NBA Cup game this season. Entering the year as a title favorite, Oklahoma City could make another early season statement with a successful NBA Cup run.

Of course, every game on this homestand will be significant for the Thunder. Last season, they earned the No. 1 seed thanks to a tiebreaker, and the standings could easily come down to a tiebreaker again this season.

While the upcoming schedule isn’t easy, having these tough matchups at home could be what pushes Oklahoma City over the top.

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