Easier Schedule Should Help OKC Thunder Get Back on Track

The Thunder have fallen flat after their 24-1 start, but they should have a chance to start another winning streak.

Dec 25, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gestures to his team as they play against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City is facing some adversity for the first time this season, and it should soon have a chance to reset and get back to its winning ways.

On Thursday, the Thunder hosted a Christmas Day game against the San Antonio Spurs, marking Oklahoma City’s first game on the NBA’s premier holiday since 2018. While the defending champs had the honor of playing at home on Christmas, they didn’t have the joy of winning on Christmas.

Falling to the Spurs for the third time in the past two weeks, the Thunder fell to 26-5. While that is still the best record in the league, the Thunder have been slipping lately, losing four of their past six, with a loss in Minnesota also in that mix.

Although Oklahoma City’s hopes of beating the 73-win record are likely out the window, its goals for the season remain unchanged. Sure, the Thunder got a taste of some of the West’s top competition in recent weeks, but the road to back-to-back titles was never going to be easy.

Although the Thunder have had a rough patch, their schedule lends a great opportunity to rack up some more wins. On Jan. 13, the Thunder will host the Spurs for the teams’ fourth meeting this season in what should be another premier game for the league.

With nine games to play before that matchup, Oklahoma City has a solid chance of entering that game on a nine-game winning streak, given its upcoming opponents. Of the Thunder’s next nine games, six will come in Oklahoma City. While there are two back-to-backs in that stretch, the Thunder will get to play at home in both second nights of those back-to-backs.

Of the nine opponents Oklahoma City will be facing, only four have winning records, and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Thunder’s next opponent, is the only team in this upcoming stretch currently in the top six in their conference. 

With teams well under .500 in Charlotte, Utah and Portland also on the slate, the Thunder will be in a position to get back to playing their style and playing some winning basketball. Sure, it’s a tall task for any team to run off a nine-game winning streak just because the schedule looks mostly easy on paper. Yet, this Thunder team has shown again and again it can respond to adversity in emphatic fashion, and Oklahoma City has a real opportunity to show it’s still the league’s most dominant team.

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