The Oklahoma City Thunder are among the teams who will tip off the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament on November 3rd when they host the Golden State Warriors at the Paycom Center. Along with the Dubs, the Thunder are also in West Group C with the Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Like each team, the Thunder will play two games each at home and on the road. For this article, we'll talk about the key dates, opponents, and bold predictions for the Thunder in the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.

NBA In-Season Tournament 101

Before we dive into the Thunder, here is some brief information on the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.

Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Round of the NBA In-Season Tournament — with the winners of the six groups (three from each conference) booking an outright berth. The last spots will go to the wild cards, which will consist of one team from each conference with the best record in the Group Play games that finished second in their group. These Knockout Round games will be single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals, and Championship. The eight teams will fight for a prize pool and the right to become the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament champ.

The league created the In-Season Tournament to pique the interest of NBA fans during a rather quiet stretch of the regular season. With attractions like eye-catching courts, fresh threads, and a shiny new NBA Cup trophy, this should be an exciting tournament that NBA fans can look forward to.

Group Play games that count to the standings? Knockout rounds? All these may be too much to absorb for Thunder fans. But don't worry, we have you covered on everything you need to know regarding the Thunder's In-Season Tournament journey, from their schedule and opponents throughout the Group Play.

Thunder In-Season Tournament Schedule, Opponents, and Scouting Report

Golden State Warriors

  • Friday, November 3
  • 8:00 PM EST
  • Paycom Center (home)

The Thunder open their In-Season Tournament against arguably the best team in Group C, the Golden State Warriors. Golden State has been rolling to start the season with a 4-1 record.

The Warriors have also won all of their three games on the road, while OKC has won just one of its three games at home. The early trends of the season indicates that the Thunder could drop their In-Season Tournament opener. But with the emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as an All-NBA star and Chet Holmgren already looking comfortable as a rookie, Oklahoma City certainly has a chance to win against anybody on any given night.

Sacramento Kings

  • Friday, November 10
  • 10:00 PM EST
  • Golden 1 Center (road)

The Kings could be the model the Thunder look up to in terms of a team that made the jump last season. From a 16-year playoff drought, Sacramento made its return to the postseason as the No. 3 seed. Oklahoma City likely won't make that kind of a monstrous leap this year, but it does have the personnel to become a playoff team.

OKC won just one of its four encounters with the Kings last season. But these 2023-24 Thunder are a different and more mature team. They should be able to compete well against a Kings squad that features one of the best guard-big tandems in the NBA in De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. The Thunder, in fact, have an intriguing one themselves with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, which should make for a great matchup next Friday.

San Antonio Spurs

  • Tuesday, November 14
  • 7:30 PM EST
  • Paycom Center (home)

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren put on a show in their preseason meeting just a few weeks back. Just imagine how epic this encounter would be now that it is on a brighter and bigger stage. Wembanyama went for 20 points and five rebounds in that preseason game, while Holmgren tallied 21 points and nine boards.

Of course, this game will be more than just a Wemby-Chet showdown. The Thunder won all of their three games against the Spurs last season. But that was last year, and San Antonio did not have its unicorn yet. This should be an intriguing matchup that will draw a massive viewership on November 14.

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Tuesday, November 28
  • 8:00 PM EST
  • Target Center (road)

This game also features an exciting matchup between two of the league's brightest young shooting guards in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards. The two studs faced off during the summer when Canada, led by SGA, took on the Edwards-led United States in the Bronze Medal game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Gilgeous-Alexander wound up getting the best of Edwards and left the Timberwolves star medal-less when he flew back to Minnesota.

Nonetheless, this game is more than just the two All-Stars and looking at their team's season series from a year ago, Edwards actually has Gilgeous-Alexander's number. The Timberwolves won three of their four encounters with the Thunder last season.

Thunder Bold Prediction for NBA In-Season Tournament

Thunder advance to Knockout stage

On paper, the Thunder could be the fourth-best team in their group. But they do have an intriguing core of talented young studs, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City has shown in spurts that it can hang with some of the best teams in the NBA. With SGA's knack for draining clutch shots, they have a chance against anybody in the league.

The Thunder should be able to beat the Spurs considering they have more talent on paper. If they are somehow able to win two out of the three games against the Warriors, Kings, or Timberwolves, they could shock the NBA and advance to the Knockout Round.