The NBA schedule is officially out, which means it’s time to start circling dates and securing those tickets and watch parties for game day.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, there are plenty.
OKC enters the 2026-27 season in an interesting spot. The Thunder are still among the NBA’s elite, but after San Antonio handed them four losses during the regular season and ultimately ended their season in the Western Conference Finals, there’s a new hurdle standing in their way.
Around them, the West didn’t exactly sit still, either. Teams retooled. Stars relocated. Old friends found new homes. And a few matchups that would’ve felt relatively normal a year ago suddenly have a little more spice to them.
So, no, we’re not ranking every game on the schedule. But if you’re looking for the nights that could actually mean something, in what has, at times, felt like a meaningless regular season, whether that’s because of history, storylines, star power, or simply good basketball, these are the 10 I’m circling heading into the season.
10. Jan. 24 at Golden State Warriors
Steph Curry is still Steph Curry, and that’s enough to make this appointment television. But there’s something bigger here, too. Golden State represents the previous standard for sustained dominance in the Western Conference, while OKC is trying to build something that eventually belongs in a similar conversation. We’re not putting the two on the same historical level—not even close—but there’s something special about watching the generation that defined the West share the floor with one trying to take control of it. With Curry entering the latter stages of his career, enjoy these matchups while they’re still here.
9. Nov. 2 at Cleveland Cavaliers
This matchup might not carry the drama of some of the others on the list, but from a pure basketball standpoint, sign me up. Cleveland has enough talent to make real noise in the East, while Donovan Mitchell gives us another elite guard matchup against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Both teams will still be establishing themselves early in the season, and sometimes we don’t need revenge, reunions or offseason drama. Sometimes two really good basketball teams sharing the floor is enough.
8. Jan. 26 at Los Angeles Lakers
Welcome to the Luka era in Los Angeles. The Lakers have spent the offseason reshaping their roster around Luka Dončić, making this matchup interesting beyond the obvious SGA-Luka headliner. We’ll spend the first few months of the season figuring out which Western Conference teams are actually capable of challenging OKC, San Antonio and Denver at the top. Los Angeles wants to be part of that conversation, and this will be its chance to prove it belongs.
7. Feb. 11 vs. San Antonio Spurs
Yes, San Antonio is on here twice. It earned it. Opening night will carry all the emotion from how last season ended, but this February matchup should tell us considerably more. By then, OKC will have had months to adjust, evolve and potentially find answers for a Spurs team that seemed to have plenty of them last season.
Was it simply a bad matchup? Will the Thunder have figured something out, or is San Antonio legitimately the team standing between OKC and where it wants to go? We should know a lot more by then.
6. Nov. 18 vs. Atlanta Hawks
This one is different because Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins are coming back to Oklahoma City. There doesn’t need to be some deep basketball explanation for why this game belongs on the list. Both were important pieces of this era of Thunder basketball, and Dort, in particular, became synonymous with the identity OKC built over the years. Seeing them walk into Paycom Center wearing somebody else’s colors is going to feel weird, but it should make for one hell of a reunion.
5. Oct. 31 at Houston Rockets
Keep an eye on Houston. The Rockets won 52 games last season, but another early playoff exit left them entering the summer with more questions than answers. Their response was to get even deeper, adding Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović while keeping most of the core around Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson intact.
There are plenty of fun individual matchups here, but Amen against SGA might be the one to watch. Houston has spent the last few years trying to kick down the door of the Western Conference’s elite. OKC is already standing on the other side of it.
4. Oct. 22 vs. Denver Nuggets
OKC’s home opener comes against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets. Not bad. Denver remains one of the standards in the Western Conference, while Jokić vs. SGA has become one of those matchups where you’re probably going to learn something about both teams, regardless of who wins.
There’s even a little offseason seasoning on this one. The Thunder made a run at Spencer Jones before Denver matched OKC’s offer sheet, taking on a considerably larger luxury-tax bill to keep him. No, we’re not calling it beef, but we’re also not going to pretend it doesn’t make the matchup a little more fun.
3. Dec. 25 at Minnesota Timberwolves
Christmas basketball already comes with a little extra sauce. SGA against Anthony Edwards on Christmas makes it even better, but Minnesota enters this season looking considerably different after adding LaMelo Ball alongside Edwards in the backcourt. That pairing alone makes the Wolves one of the NBA’s more intriguing teams.
Minnesota has also consistently shown it can make OKC uncomfortable. The Wolves have the size, physicality and defensive versatility to make a normal regular-season game feel much more important. Now add LaMelo to the mix, place it on Christmas Day and we’re absolutely tuned in.
2. Feb. 7 vs. New York Knicks
The champs are coming to town. New York finished the job last season, beating San Antonio in the NBA Finals after the Spurs eliminated OKC in the previous round. That makes this a pretty easy measuring stick for a Thunder team that still believes it belongs in the championship conversation.
By February, we’ll have a good idea of what both teams actually are. Forget preseason projections and offseason rankings. If OKC still views itself as a championship-level team, this will be an opportunity to see how it stacks up against the team currently holding the crown. Sometimes that’s enough of a storyline.
1. Oct. 20 at San Antonio Spurs
Come on. Where else could we finish? The Thunder opens its season on national television against the team that gave it more problems than anybody else last year. San Antonio beat OKC four times during the regular season before delivering the biggest blow in the Western Conference Finals. Now the Thunder gets an immediate opportunity to see how much—if anything—has changed.
Then there’s the obvious: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace against Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper. Two young cores. Two teams carrying championship expectations. And after last season, maybe the beginning of something that feels a lot more like a rivalry. We won’t have to manufacture a storyline here.
A Few That Just Missed
Boston on Feb. 17 deserves consideration, and so does Philadelphia on Feb. 13. Denver’s Jan. 30 trip to OKC and the Thunder’s April 11 visit to Denver could become considerably more important depending on how the Western Conference standings shake out, while Minnesota gets another look March 28. Portland suddenly isn’t just Portland anymore, either, with Ja Morant’s arrival giving those matchups considerably more juice than they would’ve had a year ago.
That’s the fun part about doing this in August. Some games we’re circling now won’t mean nearly as much by April, while others that look like random Tuesday nights will suddenly become appointment television. But entering the season, these are the 10—and Oct. 20 can’t get here fast enough.
You forgot to list any games the Thunder play versus Suns!