OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – NOVEMBER 12: Ajay Mitchell #25 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball in front of Marcus Smart #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Paycom Center on November 12, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 12-1 start has been nothing short of impressive, and has come with plenty of adversity, too. It’s never easy to open a season this strong, but the way Oklahoma City has done it makes the run even more notable.
The team’s second-best player, Jalen Williams, still hasn’t played a single game. Chet Holmgren and Luguentz Dort, both starters, have already missed several games. Key rotation pieces like Aaron Wiggins have missed time, along with Isaiah Joe, who wasn’t available to start the year. Kenrich Williams still hasn’t made his season debut, as injuries have been a constant hurdle.
But perhaps the bigger challenge has simply been the grind. Because the Thunder won the championship and opened the NBA season with ring night, it kicked things off early. And since then, it has basically been nonstop games with very little breathing room.
To start the season, the Thunder played every other night for the first four games, then immediately had a back-to-back after the fourth contest. That meant five games between Oct. 21 and Oct. 28. From there, the team got one day of rest, then turned around and played again on Oct. 30, making it six games in the first 10 days of the season, all with either one or zero days of rest between them.
After that stretch, Oklahoma City finally got its first two-day break. The Thunder didn’t play Oct. 31 or Nov. 1 before taking on the Pelicans. But things picked right back up, as the team played on Nov. 2, 4 and 5 — three games in four nights — then continued a road trip after that back-to-back with games in Sacramento on Nov. 7 and Memphis on Nov. 9. Again, just one day of rest between each. Then it was another single day off before coming home for a back-to-back against the Warriors and Lakers most recently.
With that in mind, the Thunder has already had three different back-to-backs and only one stretch with more than a single day of rest. That’s partly a function of starting on opening night — once the NBA calendar launches, the schedule just runs — but it has still been a grind. From Oct. 21 to Nov. 12, the Thunder played 13 games. That’s essentially three weeks of non-stop basketball, whether that means being on the court or on the road traveling.
But Oklahoma City has pushed through all of it and is now in the middle of its second two-day break of the season before taking on the Hornets on Saturday. It’s only the second time all year the team has had multiple days off, but this one feels more meaningful than the first, even if it’s still early in the season.
From here, the Thunder will play at Charlotte on Saturday, then go to New Orleans on Monday before coming home to face the Kings for the third time this year on Wednesday, Nov. 19. And that’s where the real optimism kicks in. This current rest window should pay off. Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins could be nearing returns, and Jalen Williams could make his season debut against Sacramento — if not then, possibly Sunday at home against Portland to open a three-game homestand if his current timeline for injury recovery ends up being an optimistic one.
It has been a packed schedule, which is an underrated part of why Oklahoma City has been so impressive. But despite three back-to-backs in 13 games already, along with just two breaks of more than one day, the team is still 12-1 and the best in the entire NBA.