The NBA announced the 2024-25 regular season schedule on Thursday, allowing everyone to plan for the upcoming 82-game marathon. With the Oklahoma City Thunder among the contenders this season, their schedule announcement this year carries a little more weight than in the past.

Fresh off a 57-win season in 2023-24 that saw the Thunder revitalize Oklahoma City’s fan base in their return to the playoffs and make Paycom Center shake like it did in the 2010s, they’ve made a series of offseason changes that have everyone expecting them to win the Western Conference heading into this season.

Despite being the clear favorites in the West, this has made the 2024-25 regular season the most anticipated year since 2017-18. Everyone can’t wait to see the new-look Thunder team, with the big signing of Isaiah Hartenstein, the trade that brought in defensive star Alex Caruso, and another year of growth for their young core.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will open their 2024-25 season on the road in Denver against the Nuggets. The game will be broadcast on TNT on October 24. The Thunder have not started a season in Bricktown since the 2017-18 season.

Oklahoma City will play its first regular-season game on Oct. 27 at Paycom Center against the Atlanta Hawks, headlined by Trae Young of Norman, Oklahoma. Just like a year ago, that game will take place on a Sunday in Bricktown, but on the second night of a back-to-back game for the freshmen against Josh Giddey’s Chicago Bulls.

This will be the second time in as many weeks that the Thunder will face the Hawks in Oklahoma when the two teams meet on October 17 for the Thunder’s final preseason game.

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