5 NBA Schedule Quirks for OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen its NBA schedule release unfold this past week. There are five scheduling quirks that the OKC Thunder are going to have to navigate.

Jan 24, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) looks to pass in front of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The NBA announced the regular season schedule for the 2025-26 campaign on Thursday and through that there are plenty of dates to circle for the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Schedule also includes five interesting quirks that heavily relate to the Thunder as they try to navigate the 82-game slate to capture the No. 1 seed for the third straight season.

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots against Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. (5) during the Emirates NBA Cup championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

1) NBA Cup Championship Spoiled For OKC Thunder

The NBA is trying to make the NBA Cup matter. They want the artist formally known as the in-season tournament to own stakes, pride and intrigue from the next generation of basketball fans.

To this point, the league has done a great job of showcasing the Cup. Pool play games, the knockout stage, the semi-finals are all uninterrupted and spaced out to get the best product on the floor. Sure, that creates a jam-packed January slate for teams to make up for missed games in November in order to get added rest for Cup games, but that is a sacrifice the league is willing to make to prop up this event.

Then, the NBA stepped on a rake and was wacked in the head.

The Oklahoma City Thunder host the L.A. Clippers on Dec. 17, the very next night after the NBA Cup Championship in Vegas.

So if the Thunder reach the NBA Cup Championship again, they play a meaningless 83rd game that doesn't impact the league's stats or standings, but has now added a 14th back-to-back to their schedule, with the second leg of that set counting in what projects to be a thin margin of error in the Western Conference standings. How does that add up after you spend the first two months of the season moving mountains to create rest for this event?

Sure, it only turns into a legitimate complaint if the Thunder advance to the NBA Cup championship again, but they will have a better chance to do so than anyone. If the Thunder and Timberwolves do not survive NBA Cup Group A, flanked by the Kings, Suns, and Jazz, something has gone terribly wrong. That means the deepest and most talented team in the league needs just two more wins to make this nightmare a reality.

This could've been avoided by just having Oklahoma City and the Clippers meeting up a day later.

Feb 29, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) battle for position in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

2) The Christmas Day Double Dip

The Oklahoma City Thunder are back on Christmas Day. A former staple of the Holiday Hoop season, makes the return to the showcase tentpole on the NBA calendar for the first time since 2018.

The Thunder play host to the San Antonio Spurs at 1:30 PM CT on ABC with the Spurs making their second straight appearance on the Holiday.

This is going to be fantastic basketball game and arguably the best on the hardwood contest of the Christmas Day lineup which is far from devoid of storylines.

You have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama battling it out, The Wembanyama-Chet Holmgren rivalry, a fantastic young core in San Antonio looks to make a statement and the still new addition of De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs lineup.

It is going to be awesome with a sold out Paycom Center crowd eager to attend this special event.

The only problem?

The NBA sees the Thunder and Spurs play on Dec. 23 in San Antonio on the second night of a home-road back to back to give the NBA world a sneak peak of this matchup in a baseball style series.

This would've been able to drum up more hype had we not seen the matchup less than 48 hours prior to tip-off.

Jan 10, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) and forward Precious Achiuwa (5) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

3) Seeing Double Back to Back Sets

The Oklahoma City Thunder were lucky to only get 13 back-to-back sets this season. Tied for the fewest in the NBA. However, an interesting scheduling quirk is that despite the low number there are a few teams the Thunder only play while managing a back-to-back.

Matchups the Thunder only play in the Midst of Back-to-backs:

• New York Knicks
• Orlando Magic
• Detroit Pistons

These are three Eastern Conference Contenders with just two games on the docket each against the Thunder but both matchups come in the middle of a back-to-back set. That doesn't truly allow for Oklahoma City to use these games as a measuring stick. It is just an interesting quirk given how few back-to-backs the Thunder have that they can still play spoiler to fun matchups.

Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

4) Rivalry Week Blunder

Rivalry week only works in College Football.

The NBA has tried to make this tradition happen and the reality remains there are just not enough true rivalries within the league to make it a success.

Take this season, for example. The National TV spotlight games on rivalry week feature the Charlotte Hornets vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers (The Ball Bowl?), The Houston Rockets vs. the Detroit Pistons (The Thompson Tilt) and the two foes for the Oklahoma City Thunder? The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers.

Ah, yes, all the historic battles between the Bucks and the Thunder to look back on. The only logical reason to put these two on Rivalry week falls flat. Sure, they played in last season's NBA Cup Championship with Milwaukee coming out on top, but does anyone truly care? Did anyone grow bitter or sour on the Bucks? Highly unlikely. In reality, this is just showcasing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander facing off with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Pacers on the other hand makes more sense. It is a rematch of the NBA Finals, and for this season, it has lost its luster due to the injury suffered by Tyrese Haliburton in Game 7 back in June and losing Myles Turner to the Bucks this July. However, these two franchises will always be linked together. The best season of each small market club's history happened a year ago, seeing them battle in the NBA Finals. That can at least spark a rivalry as things play out.

Jan 31, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) after the game at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

5) The Philadelphia 76ers Are Tied for the Most Back to Backs with the Denver Nuggets

This is a double whammy. Perhaps a triple whammy.

The Oklahoma City Thunder only have to ensure 13 back-to-back sets this upcoming season, tied for the fewest in the NBA. That should bolster the Thunder's chances at capturing its third straight No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Their biggest threat? The Denver Nuggets, who are tied for the most back-to-backs with 16 such sets.

The Nuggets already have to prove that the regular season still matters to the Mile High Crew, but under new head coach David Adelman and with its reworked depth after a fantastic offseason, it seems clear that Denver is a lock for a home-court advantage seed again. Though the Nuggets should be eyeing the top spot, and for the Thunder's sake, it would be beneficial to see Denver in the No. 2 or 3 line to avoid a matchup with Denver until the possible Western Conference Finals.

However, the biggest team that these back-to-backs threaten is the Philadelphia 76ers. They would struggle to manage three back-to-backs a year; the NBA just handed them a league-high 16 such sets.

With question marks heading into the season regarding Joel Embiid and Paul George's injury status, on top of a rotation that features Kyle Lowry and Andre Drummond in the Year of our Lord 2025, this could quickly turn the 76ers into a M.A.S.H. unit by midseason.

Why is that relevant to the Oklahoma City Thunder? The Bricktown ballers own the 76ers top-four protected first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. A loaded class that might feature Oklahoma City being gifted a lottery pick due to the nature of Philadelphia's injury reports and back-to-back navigation.