The Oklahoma City Thunder are considered the winners of the Western Conference by almost all experts and even Vegas with fanduel giving OKC odds of +300 to win the conference, which is the best chance to win the conference ahead of Dallas, Denver, Minnesota, Phoenix and company.
Oklahoma City earned this spot for a reason: After winning 57 games last year, the Thunder made a major upgrade this offseason. They went into free agency and signed Isaiah Hartenstein — signing him to the biggest contract in franchise history — to shore up the frontcourt rotation that doomed them a year ago.
The improvements didn’t stop there, general manager Sam Presti started the summer with a major trade move, trading Josh Giddey, who wasn’t a good fit, for Alex Caruso, who is a great fit as an All-Defensive Team member and 40 percent 3-point shooter.
The NBA unveiled its 82-game schedule for all 30 teams on Thursday, and Oklahoma City will open its 2024-25 campaign on the road in Denver against the Nuggets, who have the third-best odds (+480) to win the West Division. That game will be part of TNT’s opening week coverage on Oct. 24.
Fanduel has laid out the top line for this game, which sees the Oklahoma City Thunder as two-and-a-half-point underdogs to open the season against the Nuggets. The over/under for this game is set at 225.5 points.
Despite the offseason additions, it will be difficult to start the season 1-0 for Oklahoma City — traveling to Denver to face the altitude right at the start of shooting is no easy task, though the Thunder have a preview of playing in the Mile High City on Oct. 15 for a preseason date.
After that opening battle, the Thunder will travel to Chicago to face the Giddey-led Bulls before opening their home schedule against the Atlanta Hawks – despite opening as underdogs, the Thunder are expected to finish that three-game stretch with a 2-1 record at worst.
According to FanDuel, the Thunder entered the game with a 2.5-point lead over the Denver Nuggets on opening night (October 24). The over/under is set at 225.5.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) August 18, 2024
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