Oklahoma City Thunder: 2019-20 game-by-game prediction

This Oklahoma City Thunder team is a new-look team. They should still be able to end the season over .500. Here is a game-by-game look at the 2019-20 regular season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are going into this season with a completely different team than they expected at the end of last season. With Paul George gone and the face of the franchise in Russell Westbrook gone things look bleak for the Thunder.

Thunder fans should not fret though because it looks like this team will still be in the playoff mix. Here is a game by game prediction of the season.

October

23- Loss versus Utah (away)
25- Win versus Washington (home)
27- Loss versus Golden State (home)
28- Loss versus Houston 10/28 (away): This is the first time that OKC will meet the Rockets. They won’t win this game. James Harden and Westbrook will have a great year as one of the dynamic duos to grace the NBA.
30- Loss versus Portland (home)

The Thunder will start out slowly. They will have games against some of the toughest teams in the West in Golden State, Houston and Portland back-to-back-to back. That’s not to mention a tough Utah team to start out the season.

Also, this is a completely different team and a team that is not better than last year’s team. When you lose two MVP caliber players in one offseason your team will start out slow.

November

2- Win versus Pelicans (home): This is the first meeting the Thunder will have with Zion Williamson. They should win this game as the Pelicans are a young team with a lot to still learn. Chris Paul, Steven Adams and the rest of the supporting cast should lead the Thunder to victory.
5- Win versus Orlando (home): The games versus Orlando this season should be dog fights. Both teams have talent and the Thunder with their talent should make things interesting for the Magic.
7- Loss versus San Antonio (away)
9- Loss versus Golden State (home)
10- Loss versus Milwaukee (home)
12- Win versus Indiana (away): This is the first surprise in this prediction. The Pacers have a lot of talent and Oladipo should be back but the Thunder after a three-game losing streak should be able to take this one away.
15- Loss versus Philadelphia (home): The battles between the Sixers and Thunder are legendary but with Westbrook gone this should be just another game.
18- Loss versus Clippers (away): This will be the first meeting that the Thunder will have against Paul George. They will lose this game as Kawhi Leonard and George will be too much to handle.
19- Loss versus Lakers (away)
22- Loss versus Lakers (home)
25- Loss versus Golden State (away)
27- Loss versus Portland (away)
29- Win versus New Orleans (home)

The Thunder will face their toughest stretch at the end of November when they will have to face the Clippers, Lakers (back to back), Warriors, and Trail Blazers all back to back. This will result in a tough five-game losing streak.

OKC, after eating all those blows, will come back and win against the Pelicans.

December

1- Loss versus New Orleans (away)
4- Loss versus Indiana (home)
6- Loss versus Minnesota (home)
8- Win versus Portland (away)
9- Win versus Utah (away)
11- Win versus Sacramento (away)
14- Loss versus Denver (away)
16- Win versus Chicago (home)
18- Win versus Memphis (home)
20- Win versus Phoenix (home)
22- Loss versus Clippers (home): Paul George will be coming back to OKC on this day. They will lose again.
26- Loss versus Memphis (home)
27- Win versus Charlotte (away)
29- Win versus Toronto (away)
31- Win versus Dallas (home)

After having a dismal November the Thunder should make up for it in December. They will finally beat Portland and Utah and win games against inferior competition. They may not win three games in a row three times in one month but they should have a lot of success in December.

January

2- Win versus San Antonio (away)
4- Win versus Cleveland (away)
6- Loss versus Philadelphia (away)
7- Win versus Brooklyn (away): The OKC Thunder will surprise the Nets on this date. The Nets will still be without Kevin Durant so they could get got right here on this day on their own home court.
9- Loss versus Houston (home): This is the biggest game on the schedule when Westbrook comes back to OKC. The Thunder will not win this game but this game will be a tear-jerker and will be nostalgia-laden.
11- Loss versus Lakers (home)
13- Win versus Minnesota (away)
15- Win versus Toronto (home)
17- Win versus Miami (home)
18- Loss versus Portland (home)
20- Loss versus Houston (away)
22- Win versus Orlando (away)
24- Win versus Atlanta (home)
25- Win versus Minnesota (away)
27- Loss versus Dallas (home)
29- Win versus Sacramento (away)
31- Win versus Phoenix (away)

The month of January will be another day at the office for the Thunder. There are some winnable games and then there’s the big game with Westbrook on the ninth.

February

5- Win versus Cleveland (home)
7- Win versus Detroit (home)
9- Loss versus Boston (home)
11- Win versus San Antonio (home)
13- Win versus New Orleans (away)
21- Loss versus Denver (home): This is the second out of three nationally televised games that the Thunder will have. They won’t win this game because Denver will be one of the best teams in the league.
23- Loss versus San Antonio (home)
25- Win versus Chicago (away)
27- Win versus Sacramento (home)
28- Loss versus Milwaukee (away): OKC will go 0-3 when it comes to nationally televised games. They won’t beat Milwaukee as Giannis Antetokounmpo will be out to prove he deserved his MVP award.

Going into the All-Star break the Thunder will be 29-26. That is good considering what they lost in the offseason. That would mean that they made it through a tough schedule filled with a lot of games against good teams.

They will be and are expected to be in the mix at the bottom of the playoff hunt.

March

3- Loss versus Clippers (home)
4- Win versus Detroit (away)
6- Win versus New York (away)
8- Loss versus Boston (away)
11- Loss versus Utah (home)
13- Win versus Minnesota (home)
15- Win versus Washington (away)
17- Win versus Memphis (away)
18- Loss versus Atlanta (away): On the second night of a back to back and away the OKC Thunder will get caught sleeping against Trey Young and the Atlanta Hawks.
20- Win versus Denver (home)
23- Loss versus Miami (away)
26- Win versus Charlotte (home)
28- Loss versus Golden State (away)
30- Loss versus Denver away (away)

OKC has eight out of 14 games in March against teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year. They should be able to take advantage and build something on the way to the end of the season. March is the month to make the playoffs.

April

1- Win versus Phoenix (home)
4- Loss versus Clippers (away)
5- Loss versus Lakers (away)
7- Loss versus Brooklyn (home)
10- Win versus New York (home)
11- Loss versus Memphis (away)
13- Win versus Utah (home)
15- Win versus Dallas (away)

At the end of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder should finish with a 42-40 record. The balance of power has yet to be seen with how the new NBA looks but the West should be the better conference.

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A 42-40 record may not be enough to make the playoffs (the eighth seed last year had 48 wins) but they should be over .500.

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OKC Thunder: 2019-20 regular season game-by-game prediction

By Albert Dadson | Aug 15, 2019