3 must-watch OKC Thunder games for October

After a very long off-season, it is finally October Thunder Nation and the season-opener is 18 days away. The start of a new campaign is exciting for many reasons, but for me, nothing is better than everyone starting in the same place, 0-0.

It is pretty well known the OKC Thunder are not going to be competing for a title this season. However, the play-in tournament could be within their reach and after two years nowhere near playoff contention, simply vying for a spot would be a tremendous forward for this team.

The 2022-23 NBA regular-season will kick off on October 19 for the Oklahoma City Thunder, they will play six games this month. Below are the three can’t miss games for OKC in October.

What are the three must-watch games during October for the OKC Thunder?

3: Thunder @ Timberwolves: October 19th

This game was an easy choice to include in the list because it will be the first official look at the current iteration of the Thunder. Yes, there will be pre-season games between now and then, but nothing beats the season opener. This game also serves as the T-Wolve’s season-opener and will be the league’s first look at Rudy Gobert alongside Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns, which is pretty intriguing.

2: Thunder @ Nuggets: October 22nd

The schedule makers wasted no time giving the young Thunder a challenge, it will come in their second game of the year. In addition to playing against the Nuggets who could be a top-four team in the West, the altitude in Denver makes Ball Arena a historically difficult environment.

1: Thunder @ Mavericks: October 29th

It was difficult picking between this game and the home opener, but since OKC’s first home game is a rematch with Minnesota it made more sense to advocate for watching Oklahoma City battle Luka Doncic and the Mavs.

Oklahoma City will face multiple tests coming right out of the gate, if they stay even keel during this stretch it could provide hints on their trajectory this season.