NBA Releases Schedule; Key OKC Thunder Dates

The NBA has released the full schedule ahead of the 2023-24 season. They recently announced the In-Season Tournament schedule, which can be found here.

The news comes at a good time, as the NBA is currently in the driest period it is in a calendar year. Media days and training camps are just around the corner and teams mostly have a good idea of the roster they're taking into that period.

Here are some key dates for the Oklahoma City Thunder's regular season:

Season opener: Oct. 25 -- Thunder @ Bulls; 7 p.m. CT

Home opener: Oct. 29 -- Thunder vs. Nuggets; 2:30 p.m. CT

Zion vs. Chet: Nov. 1 -- Thunder vs. Pelicans (ESPN); 6:30 p.m. CT

Embiid vs. Chet: Nov. 25 -- Thunder vs. 76ers; 4 p.m. CT

New Year's Eve: Dec. 31 -- Thunder vs. Nets; 6 p.m. CT

Rivals Week: Jan. 24 -- Thunder at @ Spurs; 6:30 p.m. CT

Season Finale: Apr. 14 -- Thunder vs. Mavericks; 2 p.m. CT

Full schedule:

BOOM pic.twitter.com/4bxXomMf3k
— Thunder on SI (@OKCThunderSI) August 17, 2023

Takeaways:

- Chet Holmgren, primed for his NBA debut after missing a year with injury, gets to show his abilities in front of the Thunder fans for the first time by taking on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The team's home opener comes against the reigning champions.

- The Thunder close out their season with five straight away games followed by four straight home games. That nine-game stretch could prove to be crucial for playoff seeding or a potential playoff push for the Thunder.

- Holmgren gets to battle out the reigning MVP on Nov. 25, adding another test to his skill. Joel Embiid has been able to thrive against the Thunder's small-ball approach, but that may change with the 7-footer anchoring things down in the paint.

- Lu Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander return to Canada on Mar. 22 at 7 p.m. CT. The Thunder travel to take on the Toronto Raptors.

- With one of the best young cores in the NBA, the Thunder are becoming a league-wide team. This earned them eight national TV games (ESPN or TNT). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's breakout, Jalen Williams' and Josh Giddey's potential and Holmgren's debut season are all to be attributed to this national attention. One of those games is Zion Williamson vs. Chet on Nov. 1 on ESPN. The two should match up incredibly well and make for great television.

- 13 combined national television games when including NBA TV alongside ESPN and TNT.

- The NBA added the Thunder to rivals week. The Thunder travel to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 24, where the league will market a matchup between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama.

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