Thunder Better at Home, Against Winning Teams Heading into the Break

The OKC Thunder head into the All Star Break as one of the biggest surprises in the NBA.

The Thunder blew out Houston on Wednesday to go into the break with a 28-29 record and set themselves up to reach .500 after the break. OKC entered the season as a team in position to be in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, but instead find themselves in conversation for the play-in game.

While OKC is just one game under .500, they’ve been under the mark since starting the season 4-4, though they haven’t been short of chances to reach the mark.

Through the first 57 games of the season OKC has had their fair share of struggles in certain areas, while excelling in a few surprising ones. The Thunder have over performed in games against teams with winning records holding a 10-8 record against those squads. However, they have underperformed against teams with losing records garnering a record of 18-21 in 39 games.

OKC has classically upset some top contenders this season over the course of the season, but have also dropped important games that could have gotten them to .500 or better against losing teams, most recently against the Rockets and Magic.

Most teams would typically have better luck beating lower tier teams in the league, but OKC’s young roster has shown immense poise and ability to play the role of giant killer at times this season.

Like most teams in the NBA, all except for four, OKC plays better in home games than they do in away games, which is what is keeping them around a .500 record. OKC holds a 17-12 home record, while earning an 11-17 record while on the road. Only three Western Conference teams have a winning record on the road, those teams are all in the top-5 in the standings.

In the Western Conference OKC has a 15-17 record, while holding a 5-6 record against divisional teams. OKC sits in third in the Northwest division and currently in 10th in the west, inside the play-in.

OKC has played extremely well under pressure this season including winning in Los Angeles against the Lakers on the same night Lebron James broke the all-time scoring record. The game featured a national TV audience, a sold out, celebrity-filled crowd and a record-fueled Lakers team, but the youngest roster in the NBA stood its ground and stole a win.

The Thunder have also played in plenty of close games this season. They have played in 24 games decided by 10 points or less coming out of them with a 14-10 record. Of those games 10 have been decided by three or less points with the Thunder holding a 5-5 record in those games. They’ve also played in five overtime games this season and hold a 2-3 record in those.

OKC’s success has come as a surprise to many considering the team's makeup as the youngest team in the league. But Shai Gilgous-Alexander’s breakout All-Star season, Josh Giddey’s continued rise, Jalen Williams Rookie of the Year level success and much more have combined into a 28-29 team with playoff hopes as opposed to lottery placement.

For the first time since they began the full rebuild, OKC has its eyes set on a possible playoff appearance after the All Star Break instead of a tank focused on positioning itself for a top draft pick.

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