The NBA had a very successful opening night of the NBA Cup; three games went down to the final seconds of the game, while others were close competitive games. This was exactly what the NBA had hoped for when implementing the NBA Cup last year. However, the Thunder don’t start their NBA Cup journey until this Friday when they take on the Phoenix Suns. Last year, the Thunder struggled immensely, going just 1-3 in their four games. They will look to rebound this year and have a more successful NBA Cup journey.
Coming into the NBA Cup, the Thunder were one of the favorites to win it with how talented their roster is. However, with Chet Holmgren’s recent injury and the Thunder not having a single center healthy, their chances of winning the second NBA Cup have diminished a little. The Thunder were placed in West Group B, today, we will examine and rank the four opponents the Thunder will be facing.
We got a stacked West Group B 😳
Who do you think will advance to the #EmiratesNBACup knockout rounds? West B group play tips off Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 9pm/et!
More info: https://t.co/2vLxMuF6sA pic.twitter.com/LXJmAWszVP
— NBA (@NBA) October 11, 2024
The Thunder’s 4 NBA Cup Opponents Ranked
4. Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz will be the easiest opponent for the Thunder during the NBA Cup. They are currently 2-8 on the year and are the worst team record-wise in the Western Conference. In addition, they already played their first NBA Cup game last night against the Suns and lost 112-120. However, even though the Jazz are a rebuilding team, they still have a great All-Star caliber forward in Lauri Markkanen. To go along with that, the Jazz have a ton of size with Markkanen, Walker Kessler, John Collins, and Kyle Filipowski. This size could give the Thunder a lot of trouble, with them being forced to play small ball with no healthy centers on the roster.
The Jazz’s size is the one advantage they have over the Thunder, and if they can control the paint, they will have a good chance at coming away with the victory. However, even with the injuries to the Thunder, they still have their MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the best defense in the NBA. Ultimately, OKC’s defense, outside shooting, and ability to play fast with the small-ball lineup will be too much for the Jazz to handle.
3. San Antonio Spurs
Ranking just a little bit higher than the Jazz are the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder and Spurs already faced each other earlier in the year in which the Thunder came away with the victory 105-93. In that game, Victor Wembanyama had his worst performance this year, only scoring six points. Shai also had his worst performance of the year, only getting 18 points while shooting 7-20 from the field. The Spurs also out-rebounded the Thunder 52 to the Thunder’s 39, and that was with Chet Holmgren in the lineup. This time around, Chet will not be available. The Thunder were able to get the victory mainly due to forcing 22 turnovers and shooting 41.5% from three.
This time, Wemby will better understand how the Thunder want to play him and should have a better night, especially without Holmgren guarding him. If the Spurs dominate the paint and the Thunder have no answer to slow down Victor, the Spurs could easily get the upset victory over the Thunder. However, just like the Jazz, the Spurs are still a rebuilding team and are in the developing process. The amount of talent the Thunder still have, and their defense will again be too much for the Spurs to overcome.
2. Phoenix Suns
Now we are at the two teams that can give the Thunder the most trouble. First up are the Phoenix Suns, who already defeated the Jazz 120-112 to claim an early lead in the group. However, just like the Thunder, the Suns will also be down a key player in Kevin Durant. Ultimately, they still will have Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, who can take over a game along with Grayson Allen’s shooting. With the Thunder not having a center healthy for this game, the Suns should be looking to dominate the paint with Jusuf Nurkić. If they can control the paint and Booker, Beal, and Allen get lethal from deep, it could be a long day for the Thunder.
However, the reason they are not number one is because their strength in their team is not in the paint. Nurkić and Mason Plumlee aren’t guys you are going to run your offense through. The Suns will run their offense through Booker, Beal, and Allen on the perimeter. This is also the strength of the Thunders defense, as they have multiple perimeter defenders to throw at the Suns. Whoever wins that matchup will most likely determine the outcome of the game and it should favor the Thunder a little more, with the Suns being without Durant.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Finally, the biggest challenge to the Thunder in the NBA Cup is the Los Angeles Lakers. This same team the Thunder struggled immensely against last year, going 1-3 on the season. The Thunder struggled with Holmgren, and this time, they will be without him. The Lakers also have a different head coach in J.J. Redick, and he is getting this Lakers team to play very well. They are 6-4 on the year, and they look like a completely different team from a year ago. Unlike the Suns, the Lakers’ strength is in their frontcourt with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Since the Thunder will be without Holmgren, their rim-protector, the Lakers could easily dominate the paint with drives and running their offense through Davis. However, the good news for the Thunder is they don’t play till November 29th, meaning Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams could be back in time for the game. However, it is unlikely they will come back in time as they are expected to return around December 3rd. If the Thunder have no answers for Davis and LeBron, this could easily turn out to be a blowout game for the Lakers. Nevertheless, Shai and OKC’s elite shooting gives them a solid chance against the Lakers.
The Last Word
Ultimately, the Thunder should still be favored in all of these games despite their injuries. However, because of the injuries, the Thunder’s ability to get past the group stage will be harder. Regardless, even though they may not win their group in the group stage, they should put themselves in a position to have a chance for a wildcard spot. Also, the Thunder will have arguably the best player on the court in all of these games in Shai. Thunder fans should sit back and enjoy what should be very entertaining and competitive games.
