OKC Thunder Matchup with Houston Rockets Part of Historic NBA Slate

On Sunday, Dec. 1, the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Houston Rockets in what should be an entertaining matchup between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.

At 15-4, the Thunder hold the top spot in the West while the Rockets, who boast a 14-6 record, sit at second place in the conference. The two teams will meet at 6 p.m. in Houston as part of a historic slate of NBA action on Sunday night.

In the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will also meet on Sunday night in a contest pitting the top two seeds in the East against one another. According to the NBA's social media account, the last time the top two seeds in each conference played on the same day this late into the season was on Dec. 1, 2012.

A DAY THE NBA HAS NOT SEEN IN EXACTLY 12 YEARS

It was exactly 12 years ago (Dec. 1, 2012) that we last saw a day this deep into the season with No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups in both conferences.

In 2012, it was No. 1 Brooklyn vs. No. 2 Miami in the East and No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 2… pic.twitter.com/tbpoUDhIHr
— NBA (@NBA) December 1, 2024

On that date, the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat squared off in the Eastern Conference while Memphis and San Antonio met in the West. The Nets were led by Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez and Deron Williams, while the Heat were armed with LeBron James and would go one to win the NBA title.

Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and Mike Conley helped the Grizzlies to their spot atop the conference, and the Spurs were still in the midst of the Tim Duncan and Tony Parker era.

This time around, the Thunder will be led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams as they take on Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet. Oklahoma City remaining atop the Western Conference, even after losing Chet Holmgren, is a good indicator that the team has enough depth to compete for a title again this season.

The addition of Isaiah Hartenstein has also provided a huge impact for Mark Daigneault and company, especially while Holmgren is sidelined with a hip injury. On Sunday, Hartenstein will look to continue the impressive start to his Oklahoma City career against Sengun as the Thunder take on the Rockets.

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