OKC Thunder Looking to Add Separation Atop West With Upcoming Homestand

The Thunder could begin pulling away from the Spurs in the standings again.

Mar 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles up court against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has a lengthy stretch of home games upcoming, and it could be massive for the Thunder’s chances of maintaining the top record.

After completing an undefeated three-game road trip with a tight win in New York, the Thunder are back in Oklahoma City for nearly two weeks as they get set for one of their lightest stretches of the season. While the upcoming four-game stretch will feature three matchups against title contenders, the Thunder will also get some nice rest days and a break from travel.

Considering the Thunder are still trying to get guys back from injury and ease others back into their return, this upcoming stretch is a golden opportunity for Oklahoma City in a number of ways. Including the break between Wednesday’s Knicks matchup and Saturday’s Warriors matchup, the Thunder will be getting three two-day breaks during this homestand and shouldn’t have to worry much about their overall workload. 

Although Oklahoma City won’t be getting any easy contests over the next couple of weeks, it should be the clear favorite every time it steps on the floor. Should the Thunder manage to go unbeaten in this four-game homestand, it would be 53-15 ahead of its five-game East road trip, which starts on March 17. 

With Detroit sitting at 16 losses and San Antonio at 17, the Thunder could easily gain an extra game or two of separation in this stretch. Of course, neither of those teams have been losing much recently, but having so few games over a two-week period could be exactly what the Thunder need, as they may get a chance to watch their competition at the top fall.

Last season, Oklahoma City needed Game 7 wins on its home floor in the second round and the NBA Finals. There’s no team in the league that understands the importance of home-court advantage better than the Thunder after the 2025 run, so any chance to get back into the driver’s seat for home-court advantage throughout the postseason is huge.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returning from an abdominal strain and working his way back into action, these extra days of rest come at the perfect time. With the MVP getting back to the top of his game and the Thunder ideally getting some more returns over the next week or so, this homestand could be the stretch that separates Oklahoma City from the rest of the pack again.