The Thunder couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2024-2025 NBA season. They have the best start in franchise history at 7-0 and are the last remaining unbeaten team in the Western Conference. They have been doing this with the league’s best defense and a below-average offense. Chet Holmgren looks to be an early Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Despite a slower offensive start, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still playing at a high level. Third-year wing Jalen Williams has continued his well-rounded impact.
However, even though they have gotten off to a great start, it is still a long season, and many things can still happen. Furthermore, the Thunder’s next 15-game stretch could be crucial for how the Western Conference goes for the remainder of the year. Today, we will analyze the Thunder’s next 15-game stretch and why it is important for the Thunder moving forward.
Thunder Schedule: The Next 15 Games Will Be Crucial for OKC
Thunder Has an Opportunity to Claim Major Advantage In the West
The Thunder are currently 7-0 and have the number one seed in the West. They have a one-game lead over the second and third seeds and a three-game advantage over seeds four through nine. This is a pretty good head start for the beginning of the season. However, the Thunder could increase that lead in the next stretch of games. All of their next 15 games are against Western Conference Opponents, with some being in seeds two through nine. They have a chance after these 15 games to be in the driver’s seat in the West.
NBA STANDINGS UPDATE:
CLE and OKC remain unbeaten
Download the NBA App for more
https://t.co/wV1YsrFUXw pic.twitter.com/tshswpFLib
— NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2024
Coming into the season, people were thinking the Western Conference was going to be a tight race like it was last year. Last year, the West seeds, one through eight, were within only ten games of each other. In addition, seeds one through three were only one game apart. This year, it most likely will be another tight race in the West, but it could have one big difference. That difference is how much seeds one through three are apart.
If the Thunder can come away from this stretch with 11 or more wins, they will be 18-4 at worst. With that, they can increase their lead to three or four from seeds two and three and by five or six over seeds four through nine. That is a big advantage with a little over 20 games in, and they could have an opportunity to run away with the Western Conference. Compared to a year ago, the Western Conference wasn’t won until the last game of the regular season.
Important Head-to-Head Matchups
In these 15 games, the Thunder not only have a lead over other teams but also stand to gain crucial tiebreakers. Last year, the Denver Nuggets had the same record as OKC, but the Thunder secured the first seed thanks to their tiebreaker advantage. After this stretch, they can improve their chances of winning tiebreakers against specific teams. They will have faced the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, and Rockets twice by then. All these teams are competing for a playoff spot in the West, so if the Thunder defeat them, they will be closer to winning tiebreakers. If the Western Conference race remains tight until the end, these tiebreakers could determine whether the Thunder can claim the number one seed again.
Eight of the Next 15 Games are Home
Another factor that is important in this stretch is the amount of home games they have. Eight of their next 15 games are at home against Western Conference teams. Winning these home games for the Thunder against the West is very important. If they lose these home games, then they have to win the ones on the road. Furthermore, the Thunder don’t want to put themselves in a position where they might have to play catch-up on the road in the West.
For example, if they go 7-8 in these next 15 games and only win four of their eight home games. Then they will have a record of 14-8 and might lose the top seed in the West. This means they will have to play catch-up and try and reclaim the number one seed, playing a majority of their Western Conference games on the road. This is a situation the Thunder don’t want to find themselves in.
The Last Word
The Thunder’s next 15 games could have major impacts on them for the rest of the season. If they can come out of this stretch winning a majority of their games, they can set themselves up to run away with the West and control their destiny. However, if they struggle during this stretch and come out around .500, then they might be playing catch-up for the rest of the season. In addition, the West might come down to the final regular season game in consecutive seasons. The Thunder will have the opportunity to prove that their 7-0 start is the real deal, and they could create some significant separation in the standings. Regardless, if they do struggle during this stretch, it isn’t the end of their season; however, claiming the top seed or the top three seeds may become more difficult.
The post Thunder Schedule: The Next 15 Games Will Be Crucial for OKC appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.