Why Thunder Contest Against New Orleans is a Must-Win Game for OKC

After a rough stretch in December and early January, the Oklahoma City Thunder appeared to have gotten back on track.

The team went 6-6 from Dec. 13-Jan. 5 after a historic start to the 2025-26 campaign, including a loss to the Charlotte Hornets and a trio of losses to the San Antonio Spurs. After that stretch, though, the team won five consecutive games, including 20-point wins against the Spurs and Houston Rockets, as well as a 12-point victory against the Miami Heat and a 21-point comeback against the Memphis Grizzlies without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Since then, the Thunder have dipped again, though, losing three of its last five games including back-to-back home losses at the hands of Indiana and Toronto. Of course, Oklahoma City earned big wins against Cleveland and Milwaukee prior to its last two losses, and Mark Daigneault's team is dealing with a slew of injuries.

Despite that, however, OKC is now 37-10 on the season and needs to get back on track after another lackluster stretch of play. Additionally, the team is nearing one of the toughest points in its schedule and will have to play better in order to come out with a solid grip on the Western Conference's No. 1 seed.

On Tuesday, the Thunder welcome the New Orleans Pelicans, West's last-place team with a 12-36 reocrd, to the Paycom Center in a must-win contest for Oklahoma City. Not only does Daigneault's team need another confidence boost to right the ship after two losses, but the group's schedule becomes significantly more difficult following Tuesday night.

Starting Jan. 29, 12 of OKC's next 13 games come against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Detriot Pistons and Nuggets once again.

Six of those teams hold the No. 2 through No. 7 spots in the Western Conference, while five are among the Eastern Conference's top eight seeds. The only squad amongst that group who isn't currently among the East's top eight teams is the Milwaukee Bucks, who have one of the top players in the world on their roster.

Even heading into March following the aforrementioned stretch, the Thunder's schedule doesn't ease up much, making each win the team can get along the way even more important. For that reason, Oklahoma City's matchup against the Pelicans on Jan. 27 should be viewed as a must-win game.

Even then, though, New Orleans won't be an easy task, as the team is fresh off a 104-95 win against the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 25.

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