OKC Thunder Sees Another Contest Flexed to National TV

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen another game, this time against the Houston Rockets, on March 3rd set to be on NBATV. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder battle with the Rockets in what projects to be a No. 1 vs No. 2 seeded tilt.

Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) controls the ball against Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) during the fourth quarter in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder have gone wire-to-wire as the best team in the Western Conference this season. After finishing with 57 wins and the No. 1 seed a year ago, the Thunder are tracking to be the No. 1 seed yet again.

Despite this repeat success, the NBA initially did not elect to showcase the OKC Thunder on its National TV slots. However, as the season progresses, the league continues to flex more and more games involving Oklahoma City to these marquee slots.

The latest flex was announced by the NBA this week. On March 3rd, the Thunder will play host to the Houston Rockets inside the Paycom Center with tip-off slated for 7 PM CT. That matchup was originally buried on regional networks but now has been shifted to include NBATV, putting this game on display for a more National audience.

This game projects to be a battle between the Western Conference's top two teams. The Thunder own a 5.5 game cushion on the Rockets for the No. 1 seed as the standings sit on Jan. 31.

On Feb. 5 the Thunder will play the Suns on ESPN in another contest that needed to be flexed in order to make it to the prime TV slot.

Up next, Oklahoma City will take on the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 1 inside the Paycom Center.

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