With 25 games remaining, the OKC Thunder look to close out the season with the toughest remaining schedule. What should Thunder fans expect?
The final stretch of the NBA regular season is upon us with the OKC Thunder poised to enter the playoffs as one of Western Conference’s top teams. Sporting a 37-20 record, Oklahoma City holds a three-game lead over fourth-placed Portland Trail Blazers and are looking to hunt down the Denver Nuggets who are two-games ahead in second position.
With the hardest remaining schedule in the NBA, can OKC bridge the gap?
What is Strength of Schedule?
The Strength of Schedule (SOS) tool is used to determine which teams have the hardest remaining games based on the opposing team’s record, the game’s location and the total number of back to backs.
Oklahoma City’s schedule is as follows:
- 18-25 games against teams above .500
- 14 games at home, 11 games away remaining
- five back-to-back sets
Luckily for OKC, the Denver Nuggets also have a tough remaining run to the playoffs with an SOS of 0.504 (fifth overall). The Nuggets possess a 39-18 record thanks to an impressive 25-4 home record. However, Denver has been less than impressive away from home sitting at .500 with a 14-14 record.
Oklahoma City has an opportunity to leapfrog the Nuggets and take control of the second spot should they continue their strong run of form prior to the All-Star break. So what should fans expect?
Examining the schedule
The tweet below shows what OKC’s remaining schedule actually looks like.
Oklahoma City's schedule is the hardest remaining schedule in the NBA with an SOS of .572. Here is what it looks like: pic.twitter.com/AitLAOkxyh
— Lord Presti (@Mhat1G) February 20, 2019
The two toughest aspects of the Thunder’s schedule is the five back to back sets and four-game road trip which sees them play four Western Conference teams in six nights. Despite this, OKC does have 14 games at home against teams who have struggled on the road this season.
Of all 15 teams in the West, only three teams possess winning records on the road – the Golden State Warriors (19-9), OKC Thunder (17-13), and Los Angeles Clippers (16-15) with the Nuggets sitting even at .500 (14-14). The Thunder host four teams jostling for playoff positioning in the West none of which possess a winning record on the road.
OKC’s greatest challenges appear to come from the East. OKC play Toronto twice in three days (home and away set), Indiana twice and see Philadelphia, Miami, and Detroit once in their remaining games. While the Heat and Pistons are hardly world beaters, the two figure to be competing for final playoff positions and will be tough outs if they’re in striking distance of the finals.
Predictions
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OKC is a legitimate threat to win it all and has just gotten deeper up front with the addition of Markieff Morris. While they have the toughest remaining schedule by the numbers, Oklahoma City has shown plenty of resolve and fight when the chips are down. With this kind of determination, the Thunder are well positioned to finish strong despite some tough challenges ahead.
My prediction is OKC go 17-8 in their last 25 to finish with a 54-38 record. While I believe OKC is capable of finishing with at least 55 wins, there are a number of trap games and back to backs in the schedule.
With Russell Westbrook and Paul George leading the way, anything is possible.