OKC Thunder Will Have to Navigate Tough Stretch in 2024-25 Season

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have to navigate a tough stretch in the 2024-25 NBA season.

Dec 14, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) reacts after being called for a foul against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder look forward to one of the most anticipated seasons in Bricktown. With nearly every National Media pundit predicting the Thunder to win the Western Conference and contest the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals with the Vegas odds backing up that projection.

After a summer of moves that netted the OKC Thunder massive upgrades in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to upgrade the weaknesses, the team suffered with a year ago. The Thunder are expected to match or surpass the 57-win mark they posted a year ago good enough for the No. 1 seed in the NBA's Western Conference.

A year ago, the Thunder did a masterful job navigating their schedule avoiding long losing spells and racking up wins. However, this season the Western Conference will be just as tough with the parity in the league being the best it has been. There are pot holes lurking around the corner for most NBA teams. Though, Oklahoma City should once again be talented enough - and care enough - to swerve right past them.

As the calendar flips to January, the Oklahoma City Thunder will have to navigate a tough nine-game stretch. If OKC was ever poised to drop multiple games in a row it projects to bei n this stretch between Jan. 2 and Jan. 17.

In that span, the OKC Thunder face two back-to-back stints and six playoff teams from a year ago. It starts on Jan. 2 for the front end of an L.A. Clippers-New York Knicks back-to-back set. Then, Oklahoma City welcomes in the Boston Celtics on Jan. 5 before hitting the road to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks again on Jan. 8 and 10. The lone reprieve of this segment of the schedule comes on the road in D.C. against the lowly Wizards on Jan. 12.

Things wrap up with a three-game in four nights stretch starting on Jan. 14 in the City of Brotherly Love taking on the 76ers and ending with a home-road back-to-back that sees the Thunder hosting the Cavs on Jan. 16 before traveling down I-40 to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 17.

That will be a challenging start to 2025 but the Thunder are deep enough and talented enough to come out on the other side unscathed.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.