3 Best OKC Thunder Christmas Day performances
By Ivan White
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are no stranger to playing on the NBA’s premier date: Christmas.
While they have not had a Christmas Day game in five years, the Thunder were a lock for a Dec. 25 matchup with Russell Westbrook on the roster. Alongside Westbrook in many of those contests was 2014 MVP Kevin Durant.
The OKC Thunder have a rich history of Christmas Day appearances.
Durant and Westbrook led the Thunder to new heights in the team’s first several seasons. Among those were a Finals run in 2012 and three other playoff runs that ended in the Western Conference Finals.
With so much success, the Thunder earned a premier Christmas matchup in most seasons, including playoff rematches in 2012, 2014, and 2017.
Overall, the Thunder boast a 6-3 record on Christmas, winning four of five games in Oklahoma City. The lone home loss came in 2015 to Jimmy Butler and the Chicago Bulls.
On the road, the Thunder have had a couple of memorable wins in back-to-back seasons. Starting in 2013 with a trip to New York, where the Thunder blew out the Knicks in a matchup of blue and orange sleeved jerseys.
The next season, the Thunder had a signature win in San Antonio after not putting up a fight in any of their three games there in the 2014 WCF. While those two teams are not back to that status yet, with Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama matching up down low, expect to see a Christmas battle between them in the coming years.
But before the Thunder get back to playing on the NBA’s big day, let’s look at some of the best Christmas performances in team history: