The Oklahoma City Thunder are about to end a tough season in which they will have to battle with teams like Minnesota throughout the season for Western Conference supremacy throughout the year, just as they did a year ago, needing every day of the regular season to clinch first place and earn 57 wins during the 2023-24 campaign.
The Thunder earned first place largely due to tiebreakers earned throughout the regular season. One of the times they played Oklahoma City very hard was against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the two teams splitting the season series, with three of the four games ending by six points or less.
That went a long way toward hanging a divisional banner in the rafters of Paycom Center last season.
However, an interesting quirk of the schedule makes these games not only equally important, but could end up giving either team a distinct advantage.
The Thunder will face the Timberwolves three times in February, with the first matchup scheduled for Feb. 13 before the NAB All-Star break and the other two in a series of back-to-back games after the All-Star break on Feb. 23-24.
Playing the same team in such a short span of time over an 82-game marathon is a risky proposition. Sure, the goal is for these two teams to play a close series for the second year in a row, but the risk is that a minor injury could leave one team at a considerable disadvantage.
If either team suffers a sprained ankle or a chance injury, such as stepping on a cameraman, during this period, it could decide the season series and therefore the Western Conference.
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