OKC Thunder: How Might the Northwest Division Unfold Next Season?

Oklahoma City hasn’t claimed the Northwest division title since 2016, the same year Kevin Durant chose to leave the Thunder later on in July.

Since then, the division has been up for grabs for just about every team.

The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets both hold three titles since the Thunder last found the top spot. Of course, the Nuggets went on to win the NBA championship in the 2022-23 season alongside their divisional success. This marked the division’s first team to win the entire thing since the Seattle Supersonics did it in 1979.

Looking ahead, the Nuggets are early favorites to claim the title again next season at +470, per Bet MGM. Naturally, they’ll be the divisional favorites, too, with their odds to win the division at -500.

The Minnesota Timberwolves — who finished second in the division last season, two games over the Thunder — have the second best odds to win it at +550.

OKC has the third best odds standing at +700, then the Jazz at +3500 and the Portland Trail Blazers at +6000.

While it’s no secret Denver will take the division barring any unforeseen circumstances, where will the next two teams up in Minnesota and OKC land at the end of the season?

These two are a toss up for the second spot, as are Portland and Utah in the final two spots, but anything can happen of course.

Minnesota and Oklahoma City have grown alongside each other in their own respective rebuilds, comprising their team of young and dependable talent who are built to win games in this league. Last season, the Timberwolves cleared the Thunder three times out of four games, with one of those wins being more important in their 120-95 play-in victory to advance to the playoffs.

Despite Minnesota’s routing of OKC in the play-in bout, each game was competitive in the series.

The two teams will take each other on in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament this season on Nov. 28, marking it the last game for group play before the quarterfinals. This game might mirror much of how the rest of the series could look, as this is an imperative contest to help boost team confidence and morale, so each team will be giving their all.

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