OKC Thunder to Continue Streak of Starting Seasons on the Road

The Oklahoma City Thunder will continue their streak of opening on the road to start the 2023-24 season.

If it feels like it’s been a while since a season opener has been in Oklahoma City, that’s because it has been. The Thunder have not opened a season at home since 2017-18, when Paul George and Carmelo Anthony made their debuts.

OKC’s season opener in Chicago will be its sixth consecutive on the road. That marks the longest streak in the NBA and is part of a larger pattern for OKC.

After starting their first four seasons in OKC with home games, the Thunder have started their season at home just twice. Without home-court advantage, the Thunder have struggled to open seasons on the right foot.

In its past five season openers, all on the road, Oklahoma City has gone 1-4. Going back to its first season opener away from home in 2012-13, Oklahoma City is an underwhelming 3-6 in those games.

Each of the Thunder’s three wins in that situation has been uniquely memorable. Most recently, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began the 2020-21 season by nailing a game-winner in Charlotte. The others tipped off the two best individual seasons in Thunder history.

The Thunder’s first season-opening road win came in Utah to start the 2013-14 season. Kevin Durant’s MVP campaign began with a 42-point outburst to beat the Jazz while Russell Westbrook recovered from a knee injury.

Westbrook would start his MVP campaign in 2016-17 as the Thunder beat the Philadelphia 76ers. That game in Philadelphia also has a great case for the most memorable season opener in Thunder history.

Aside from starting Westbrook’s MVP run, it marked the Thunder’s first game in the post-Durant era and was future MVP Joel Embiid’s first career game. Infamously, the game also featured a courtside fan giving Westbrook a taste of Philadelphia’s brotherly love.

Fortunately, history may be on the Thunder’s side when they head north to face the Bulls in late October. The Bulls are projected to be a team fighting for a play-in spot next season and could easily finish with a losing record.

That is important because, in the Thunder’s nine season-opening away games, their three wins have all come against teams under .500. Meanwhile, all six losses have come to teams with winning records, most of which were on or near a 50-win pace.

Winning on the road against a 50-win team is difficult at any point of the season, but especially the first game. Since the Bulls don’t look like a 50-win team, the Thunder have an excellent opportunity to start the season on a high note. And perhaps start the path toward beginning their season in Oklahoma City again in 2024.

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