Western Conference Remains Tight as OKC Thunder Hit Tough Stretch

Several teams in the West sit within a few games of each other as the NBA season wears on.

Sitting at 11-6 with a 65% win percentage, the Oklahoma City Thunder have overachieved in the early portion of their 2023-24 season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has continued his MVP ways, Chet Holmgren looks like a bonafide All-Star in his first-ever season and a number of other players seem to have taken jumps.

Even still, the Western Conference has been and will continue to be a gauntlet, as evidenced by the team’s 3-point loss on Tuesday that dropped them from No. 2 to No. 5 in the standings.

With a chance to tie the No. 1 Timberwolves with a win, OKC ultimately fell due to stingy defense on Minnesota’s part, losing 106-103. The loss caused Denver, Dallas and Phoenix to pass OKC up in the standings.

Of course, just 17 games in, it’s still early. But the conference’s volatility could be an early peak into exactly what the end of the season may hold. Which is why each and every matchup for the Thunder matters.

Oklahoma City is amidst a tough stretch of games, which it’s started 0-2 in. In four of their next five, they’ll take on the Lakers, Mavericks, Kings and Nuggets, all of which they could end up needing tie breaker wins against.

With Jalen Williams back from a hip injury, OKC will potentially return to similar form that fueled them to eight wins in nine tries just a few weeks ago. But there's no question the Western Conference will offer a significant challenge for the young squad.

OKC takes on Los Angeles at 7 p.m. Thursday in Paycom Center.

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