Thunder Amidst Competitive Five Game Stretch

The Oklahoma City Thunder had won four consecutive games heading into Friday evening's road matchup against the Kings. Sacramento, who is currently third in the Western Conference, snapped OKC's win streak with a 118-113 victory, kickstarting what will be a gauntlet schedule over the next week for the Thunder.

On Saturday, Jan. 21, Oklahoma City will meet the top-seeded Nuggets in Denver on the second night of a back-to-back. OKC is 0-3 against the Nuggets this season, falling by just five points in two of the three contests.

The two squads' last meeting was on Nov. 23 at the Paycom Center, a game that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander go off for 31 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Jokic, however, answered with 39 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists of his own, leading Denver to a 131-126 win.

After winning the MVP for a second consecutive season in 2021-22, the Nuggets superstar big man is right back in the mix for the award in 2023. Jokic is averaging 25.1 points, 11 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game while shooting a whopping 62.6% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc.

Following their game in Denver, the Thunder will return home for the final three matchups in their tough five game stretch. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, Norman native Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks will travel to the Paycom Center for a matchup against Oklahoma City.

The Hawks are currently slotted eighth in the Eastern Conference, but are 0-1 against OKC this year. On December 5, the Thunder took down the Hawks 121-114 behind 35 points, six rebounds and five assists from Gilgeous-Alexander.

For Atlanta, Young is averaging 27.1 points and 9.7 assists per game. Atlanta is also the home of former Thunder wing Vit Krejci.

On Friday, Jan. 27, Oklahoma City will welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers, who defeated OKC 110-102 in early December. The Cavs are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, led by superstar guard Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 28.4 points and 4.8 assists per game.

To close out their difficult run, the Thunder will meet the defending champion Golden State Warriors for the first time all season on Monday, January 30 in the team's annual Lunar New Year Celebration Game.

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