Thunder open 2026-27 season with road win over Spurs, then beat Denver
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened 2026-27 with a 116-104 road win over San Antonio, then beat Denver 96-84.
OKC chases a second title in three years after trading three 2025 title-team players.
Background
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the NBA team that won the 2025 championship and lost the 2026 Western Conference finals in Game 7 to San Antonio. In the 2026 offseason OKC traded away Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Lu Dort — all part of that title team — for a combined seven second-round picks and no players, per The Oklahoman. The team's Big Three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (a two-time reigning NBA MVP), Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren remains intact, and the season opener was a rematch of that Game 7 loss.
How it unfolded
- May 30, 2026OKC lost Game 7 of the Western Conference finals to San Antonio, ending its bid for back-to-back championships.
- Jun 21, 2026The Thunder traded Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks.
- Jun 23, 2026 -24, 2026OKC drafted Aday Mara (No. 12), Bennett Stirtz (No. 16) and Otega Oweh (No. 41).
- Jun 26, 2026The Thunder traded Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons.
- Jul 19, 2026The Thunder traded Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks.
- Oct 20, 2026OKC opened the season with a 116-104 road win over the Spurs; the 15th standard roster spot remained open, with the team $6.9 million under the second apron.
- Oct 23, 2026OKC beat Denver 96-84 in its home opener; Gilgeous-Alexander's 20-point streak ended.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- The Oklahoman's Justin Martinez notes OKC's Big Three stays intact and the three trades returned seven second-round picks and no players.
- Caution
- OKC Thunder Wire's Clemente Almanza called the 96-84 Denver win 'about as flat as it gets' for a home opener, with Gilgeous-Alexander at a new regular-season low before the team woke up in the second half.
Still unverified
The Oklahoman asks whether the Thunder will back up preseason predictions and win OKC's second NBA championship, answering 'Stay tuned.'