OKC Thunder tied for most back-to-backs in 2024-25 season among last year’s playoff squads

January 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) passes the ball against the Washington Wizards in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

After finishing as the top seed last season, the odds are stacked against Oklahoma City Thunder to repeat this feat for the 2024-25 regular season.

Review of the 82-match schedulea large number of consecutive games are underway. The Thunder are tied for the most consecutive games among playoff teams last season with 16. An increase from 14 last year.

The LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans also have 16-game winning streaks.

This is a revelation that wreaks havoc on the Thunder. Even with their youth, there could be some surprising losses caused solely by this scheduling issue.

The league has tried to reduce the number of back-to-back games in recent years. It backed away from that goal in favor of the NBA Cup, which will give most teams a semifinal week in December.