OKC Thunder Set to Face Familiar Foe With New Expectations

Oklahoma City will get another chance to knock off the West's best to begin the season.

Dec 16, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball over Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City will head to Denver for its season opener in a matchup that shows how far the Thunder have come.

On Thursday, the Thunder will open the 2024-25 season against the Nuggets on TNT in a matchup between the West’s top contenders. While the two teams met in the first week of the season last year, this game carries a much different tone.

Last season, the Thunder did not enter the year with championship expectations, with most expecting a slight jump from their 2023 play-in appearance. After winning their first two games on the road and looking like one of the most improved teams in the league, the Thunder headed to Oklahoma City for their home opener against the Nuggets.

That game was a potential test for Oklahoma City to see how it competed with the upper echelon of the league. Despite the momentum from its first two games, Oklahoma City was blown out by the defending champions.

The loss left a sour taste in the Thunder’s mouth and seemingly halted the expectations placed on them through two games. However, that loss was the last the Thunder would take against the Nuggets.

Oklahoma City won the final three games of the season series, including two in Denver, to earn the tiebreaker that would eventually give the Thunder the West’s No. 1 seed. With the offseason additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder have cemented their spot as favorites to earn the first seed again in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets shook up their roster in the offseason, including signing former Thunder star Russell Westbrook, to try to re-establish themselves as the best team in the West. 

While the first matchup is in Denver this season, the stakes are roughly the same as last season. One team is trying to prove it is the clear No. 1 in the West, and the other is looking to prove it belongs with the rest of the contenders. Only this season, the roles are reversed.

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