Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 Games To Watch In November

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
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
1 of 6

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
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.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Oklahoma City Thunder

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.