National Basketball Association

Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 Games To Watch In November

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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When you look at the schedule for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, five games in the month of November stand out.

Oct 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts to a play against the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The excitement of the season is ramping up for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s a new day, a new team and a new motto: Taking on tomorrow, today. Still, the Thunder faithful aren’t as confident about this team’s hopes of an NBA Finals appearance.

The loss of Kevin Durant still stings the fan base in OKC.

However, life goes on and so must we as fans. The Thunder retooled and reshaped themselves before and after Durant departed. Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova will complement Russell Westbrook and this team.

The team picked up rookie Domantas Sabonis during the offseason by trading Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic.

Sabonis played most of the preseason; he played well averaging 6.4 points a game on 46 percent shooting. He also averaged two rebounds and an assist per game as well. The team believes Sabonis will be a huge part of their success this season.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti brilliantly tweaked this roster and kept the Thunder ship afloat. Now with the team ready for the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are out to prove that they will shock the rest of the NBA.

Recently, the Thunder shed some extra weight. They waived troubled player Mitch McGary, while also waiving Ronnie Price, Chris Wright and Kaleb Tarczewski. Their first game of the 2016-17 NBA season proved to be a challenge, beating Philadelphia 103-97 behind Westbrook’s 32 points and 12 rebounds.

There’s no question the Thunder may have the toughest road to the NBA Finals this season, to overcome the loss of one of the great players of this generation and remain formidable would be a great accomplishment.

Here are five games during November that could shape this landscape for the Thunder’s season.

October 25, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) against the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

1. Oklahoma City vs. Golden State, Nov. 3

It’s only fitting that the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first meeting with Golden State in their head-to-head matchups this season will be on the road. It’s also noteworthy that this will be the second game in as many nights for OKC as well.

Still, this game is going to be a hyped-up mess come Nov. 3. Golden State has already lost one at home to the Spurs and Twitter would love to see another home loss. The game will be on TNT and Charles Barkley will likely pick the Thunder to win.

What I’m more curious to see is if the Golden State fans will boo the Thunder and give Russell Westbrook the business. Both Westbrook and Kevin Durant have made several comments recently to a variety of media outlets.

This only adds to the drama that was Durant and Westbrook’s relationship.

Another component of this game is if Westbrook can play under control. In the past, many have pegged Westbrook as an emotional player; who at times, goes into killer instinct mode and just takes over a game.

This is exactly what the Warriors want to do, the Warriors will look to exploit that part of Westbrook’s game.

In order for the Oklahoma City Thunder to be victorious, they’ll have to play in control and in the system devised by head coach Billy Donovan. They must block the noise and focus on stopping the ball movement and bring this juggernaut offense to a halt.

Oct 12, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) drives against Denver Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson (1) in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Minnesota won 105-88. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

2. Oklahoma City vs Minnesota, Nov. 5

Following a back-to-back with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, the Thunder return home for a day of rest then a game with Minnesota. Normally, Minnesota hasn’t posed much of a threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Not since the days of Kevin Love have we seen a nail-biting game against the Timberwolves.

However, Minnesota is much improved. Karl-Anthony Towns is a walking double-double and newly appointed head coach Tom Thibodeau is a defense genius. This team is young and exciting to watch, making it the perfect game for a Saturday night home game.

Minnesota is a division rival. Although, they haven’t won a division title since 2004. They can very well challenge for one this season. These divisional games are important, they’ll shape the landscape of the playoffs.

Towns will likely be matched up with Steven Adams that night, making this even more exciting. Steven Adams’ defensive skills will be put to the test by Towns and his athletic ability.

Oct 20, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Serge Ibaka (7) drives past New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) during the third quarter of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

3. Oklahoma City vs Orlando, Nov. 13

This will mark former Thunder player Serge Ibaka’s return to Oklahoma City since his trade on draft night. The Thunder traded him to Orlando for the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis. This trade was a bit of a surprise to the Thunder die-hards.

Ibaka being a fan favorite in Oklahoma City was a huge deal. In fact, Serge’s younger brother Igor Ibaka recently played for Oklahoma State. Igor has since announced he intends to transfer following the trade of Serge.

Nevertheless, the fans will most likely cheer for Ibaka when his name is called in the starting lineups. Ibaka and the Thunder had some great years in Oklahoma City. However, that ship has sailed and now Serge is on the other side.

The Magic have an interesting roster. With Ibaka, the Magic have former Thunder Jeff Green, Bismack Biyombo, Aaron Gordon, and Elfrid Payton. The Magic also added former Indiana Pacer head coach Frank Vogel to work with Ibaka and Biyombo.

Frank Vogel is an old-school coach. He likes to work the paint and feed the post. Ibaka and Biyombo will benefit from his style of coaching greatly. Ibaka will likely avoid shooting threes and return to the paint and learn how to be a dominant power forward.

Oct 19, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) gets defended by Toronto Raptors center Lucas Nogueira (92) during the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Raptors won 103-92. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

4. Oklahoma City vs Detroit, Nov. 26

This will mark the second time that Reggie Jackson has returned to Oklahoma City since the fallout between him and the Thunder. However, it was announced in early October that Jackson will miss six to eight weeks recovering from a procedure to treat tendinitis in his knee.

It is unclear if Jackson will be healthy enough to play in this game.

There’s hope that he will. As the Oklahoma City Thunder faithful have such discontent for Jackson. The Pistons; however, have the same roster they had last season when they made the playoffs. The Pistons will be drastically different without Jackson’s leadership.

Former Thunder player Ish Smith will take the point guard position without Jackson sidelined.

Either way, this game should be a walkthrough for the Thunder. The Pistons don’t pose much of a threat to the Thunder defense. The Andre Drummond-Steven Adams matchup will be fun to watch, but all eyes will be on Russell Westbrook and Jackson if he makes the trip.

Oct 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) dribbles the ball during a game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

5. Oklahoma City vs New York, Nov. 28

There’s something about playing in Madison Square Garden, it’s almost magical. Players from all over the NBA have had some epic games in the Garden, including Russell Westbrook. Last season, the Thunder beat the Knicks in overtime 128-122.

Westbrook scored 30 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds for the Thunder.

Durant had 44 points as a member of the Thunder during that game as well. There’s no real rivalry with the New York Knicks. However, players tend to show out in the Garden.

In 2009, Kobe Bryant scored 61 in Madison Square, Michael Jordan had 55 in 1995, Carmelo Anthony now holds the record with 62 points in the Garden.

This will be a fun game to watch because of star power. People want to see Westbrook in the Garden. The Knicks have a nice roster this season and will give the Thunder fits. This game will be enjoyable to watch assuming Derrick Rose is healthy come Nov. 28.

These games along with several others are a test for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They key will be to stand up early during the regular season in order to solidify your position in the Western Conference playoff standings.

If the Thunder are to face Golden State in the playoffs, a regular season conquest must be had from Westbrook and company.