Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder open their NBA title defense on Oct. 21. Here are the top 10 games to watch next season for OKC.
The OKC Thunder's full schedule for the 2025-26 NBA season has been revealed.
After winning its first championship in franchise history, OKC figures to contend for a title once again. And with 34 of its 82 regular-season games set to be nationally televised, the Thunder has plenty of marquee matchups on its schedule.
Here are the top 10 games to watch for OKC during the 2025-26 season:
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Top 10 OKC Thunder games to watch in 2025-26 NBA season
(This list does not include repeat opponents.)
10. OKC takes on Los Angeles Clippers during daunting final road trip (April 8)
OKC cruised at the end of last regular season and finished with a 16-game lead for the top seed. But the West has become even more competitive since then.
Houston secured its superstar by trading for Kevin Durant. Teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver got deeper. And if OKC does need to win games down the stretch for seeding purposes this time around, it'll have its hands full.
The Thunder's final road trip consists of games against the Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets. The Clippers game on April 8 is arguably the toughest of the bunch because it's on the second night of a back to back. This road trip could end up having a ton of importance, but it could also not.
9. OKC gets early look at Cooper Flagg in road game against Dallas Mavericks (Oct. 27)
The OKC-Dallas rivalry had the potential to be great for years to come, but it lost its luster when Luka Doncic was traded away. Thanks, Nico Harrison.
Still, Dallas has a new face of the future in Cooper Flagg, who was the top pick in last year's draft. He'll go up against the reigning champion Thunder on Oct. 27 in just his fourth career NBA game.
It's quite the early test for Flagg, but he'll have some help. Even though Kyrie Irving is injured, Dallas has a competitive roster that's led by Anthony Davis. The Mavericks are more than capable of putting up a fight against the Thunder, and maybe that'll jumpstart this once-promising rivalry.
8. OKC faces Indiana Pacers on the road in 2025 NBA Finals rematch (Oct. 23)
Speaking of losing its luster, the rematch between OKC and Indiana on Oct. 23 only comes in at No. 8 on this list.
Both teams battled throughout an entertaining seven-game NBA Finals series last season. But this matchup doesn't hit the same without Tyrese Haliburton, who's sidelined with a torn Achilles he suffered in Game 7. The Pacers also watched Myles Turner sign with Milwaukee this summer.
The saving grace for this sequel is that it's the season and home opener for Indiana. And one thing the Pacers still have is a dedicated fan base, which should pack Gainbridge Fieldhouse with revenge on its mind.
7. OKC hosts Anthony Edwards and Minnesota Timberwolves in NBA Cup group play game (Nov. 26)
OKC will have another notable rematch when it hosts Minnesota on Nov. 26. The Thunder bested the Timberwolves in last season's Western Conference finals by a series score of 4-1.
Minnesota has since lost Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who now plays for Atlanta. But there are plenty of other great storylines with this matchup.
It's a battle between Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards, two of the NBA's biggest stars. It's also a battle between two of the best benches in the league. And it's an NBA Cup group play game that'll surely have a playoff-like atmosphere.
6. OKC battles New York Knicks under bright lights of Madison Square Garden (March 4)
Basketball never died in New York. Even when the Knicks were the laughingstock of the league in the late 2010s, passionate fans still packed the iconic Madison Square Garden.
But the atmosphere is even more electric now that New York is one of the top teams in the NBA. And OKC will visit The Big Apple for a big-time matchup on March 4.
Don't expect the Thunder to shy away from the bright lights. OKC has won its last seven games at New York, and who can forget Gilgeous-Alexander's game-winning shot against the Knicks two seasons ago? Here's to hoping another great game will be added to MSG's legendary history this time around.
5. OKC travels to face Cleveland Cavaliers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 19)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19 is one of the most prestigious dates for NBA games, and OKC will participate with a must-watch matchup. It'll face Cleveland on the road.
The last time the Thunder played inside Rocket Arena was on Jan. 8. It snapped its franchise-best win streak of 15 games with a 129-122 loss to the Cavaliers.
Cleveland went 24-7 at home last season, which was second only to OKC, and it should be just as difficult to defeat this time around. Expect a thrilling battle between two teams that could meet in the NBA Finals.
4. New-look Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers come to town (Nov. 12)
After Dallas traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, there were numerous reports that the Mavericks were concerned about the superstar guard's conditioning.
That surely served as some extra motivation for Doncic, who appears to have gotten in great shape this offseason. He was even on the cover of Men's Health magazine recently with the headline "Luka Doncic muscles up: The skinny on the Lakers star's summer shred."
Los Angeles also bulked up its roster this offseason with the additions of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart. And, of course, it still has LeBron James. The Lakers will go up against the big guns on Nov. 12 when they face the Thunder on the road.
3. OKC hosts San Antonio Spurs in first Christmas Day game since 2018 (Dec. 25)
Christmas came early for OKC this year.
For the first time since the 2018-19 season OKC will play on Dec. 25 as a part of the NBA's Christmas Day slate of games. It'll host San Antonio, which could be a breakout team this season with the duo of Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.
The only thing missing is the Christmas jerseys, a tradition that ended in 2017 when Nike took over the NBA's uniform contract from Adidas. Still, it won't be hard to get into the holiday spirit once the ball tips off.
2. OKC tests itself with road game against revamped Denver Nuggets (Feb. 1)
Before its seven-game series against Indiana in the NBA Finals, OKC got pushed to seven games by Denver in the second round. And, according to Isaiah Hartenstein, that was the biggest challenge during the Thunder's title run.
"I think the only series where we were kind of a little bit on the ropes was Denver," Hartenstein said during an appearance on Podcast P With Paul George in July. "That was the only series we were like, 'Even if we do everything right, they probably still have a chance.’ Every other series was like, 'If we do the right things, we're good.'"
OKC will be challenged again when it faces Denver on the road on Feb. 1. The Nuggets have since traded Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson, giving them a sharpshooter with defensive versatility. They also bolstered their bench with the additions of Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr.
1. OKC hosts Kevin Durant and Houston Rockets on Opening Night (Oct. 21)
Obviously.
It doesn't get better than Opening Night. OKC will receive its rings and raise its banner before a home game against Houston, which is led by Durant.
He's the same guy who almost brought the Thunder its first championship in 2012. He's also the same guy who left OKC in 2016 to join Golden State, where he went on to win two titles. And he's the same guy who gets booed mercilessly every time he touches a basketball when he's back in town.
The NBA cooked when it scheduled this game, and everyone is sure to eat it up.
Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Top 10 OKC Thunder games to watch for 2025-26 NBA season
Category: Basketball
