After five months off, OKC Thunder fans officially find themselves preparing to see meaningful, on-court basketball be played, as the ball club is heading out to Denver to take on the Nuggets in their 2024-25 season opener.
Following a highly successful and history-setting 2023-24 campaign, this summer GM Sam Presti went about and made several win-now, roster-bolstering moves headlined by the trade for Alex Caruso and the signing of Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency as the franchise gears up for what is hoped to be a title-winning year.
Of course, before even getting the opportunity to take aim at the illustrious Larry O'Brien Trophy under the bright lights of the NBA playoffs, the Thunder must get through their upcoming 82-game slate, with game one kicking off Thursday night in Mile High City.
Thunder projected starting lineup vs. Celtics
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Cason Wallace
Luguentz Dort
Jalen Williams
Chet Holmgren
Thunder projected rotation vs. Nuggets
The Thunder find themselves heading into their opener notably hobbled, as they are slated to be without two of their three primary big men in Isaiah Hartenstein (left-hand fracture) and Jaylin Williams (hamstring).
On top of this, Jalen Williams' status for the contest is still a bit up in the air as he continues to nurse an ankle injury sustained during the club's preseason finale against Atlanta. Fortunately, reports are the ailment is not considered to be "severe."
Because of this, coach Mark Daigneault may need to get experimental with his frontcourt sets, which could mean a few newcomers could wind up seeing some action against Denver.
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell
SG: Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe
SF: Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Dillon Jones
PF: Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng, Dillon Jones
C: Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng
Thunder injury report
Isaiah Hartenstein (hand), Jaylin Williams (hamstring), and Kenrich Williams (knee) are all ruled out for the season opener against the Nuggets.
Jalen Williams (ankle) is considered "day-to-day" and will likely be a game-time decision.
Nuggets projected starting lineup vs. Thunder
Jamal Murray
Christian Braun
Michael Porter Jr.
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
How to watch Thunder vs. Nuggets season tip-off
Thursday's opening night bout between the OKC Thunder and Denver Nuggets will be broadcast nationally on TNT, with tip-off set for 9:00 p.m. CT. For those without cable, the game will also be offered via stream on Max, Sling TV, and Youtube TV, all of which offer TNT.
Next five regular season games for Thunder
Saturday, October 26 at Chicago Bulls (7:00 p.m. CT)
Sunday, October 27 vs. Atlanta Hawks (6:00 p.m. CT)
Wednesday, October 30 vs. San Antonio Spurs (8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN)
Friday, November 1 at Portland Trail Blazers (9:00 p.m. CT)
Saturday, November 2 at LA Clippers (9:30 p.m. CT)