The NBA’s full 2026-27 regular-season schedule is out, and one of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s more notable dates lands on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
OKC will be on the road against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. CT.
It comes as the back half of a home-and-road back-to-back, with the Thunder hosting the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Even though that Mavericks game is not a national TV broadcast and will air on local broadcasts, it still puts the Thunder on one of the league’s biggest regular-season stages. The NBA’s MLK Day slate has become an annual showcase, filling the holiday with games across the day.
That’s just one piece of a big season for Oklahoma City. The Thunder will have the fifth-most national TV games in the league in 2026-27 with 30 broadcasts, a clear sign they’re being treated like one of the NBA’s marquee teams. They also enter the season as co-title favorites with the San Antonio Spurs.
It fits the way the league is framing this group. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren give Oklahoma City one of the NBA’s top trios, and with one ring already in the bag, the expectation is that they’ll keep piling up wins in the regular season.
The matchup with Dallas has its own pull, too. Cooper Flagg is already part of the conversation around the Mavericks’ future, while Kyrie Irving is slated to return after missing the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL. Dallas also enters a new chapter with first-year head coach Dusty May, who brings Morez Johnson Jr. with him in their first year together in the NBA.
The Thunder and Mavericks will meet four times in the 2026-27 regular season, and three of those games will be on national TV. That kind of treatment suggests the schedule-makers are betting on a Dallas rebound, with the possibility of a postseason run if things break right.
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Now comes the next layer of the challenge. With contract extension decisions approaching for players such as Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell, the front office will have to keep threading the needle between present value and future flexibility. Oklahoma City has set a standard for sharp roster management, but the real test is whether it can continue making those calls without disrupting the long-term plan that has made the Thunder so hard to outmaneuver. [Read more 🡒]
Jared McCain Could Be The Key To OKC's Dangerous New Look
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That is where Jared McCain starts to look especially interesting. If his shooting keeps coming along, he can help Oklahoma City widen the floor, but the more valuable step may be what he becomes as a passer and connective piece. The Thunder do not need another one-note guard so much as a player who can make the game easier for the people around him, and if McCain grows into that role, he could give this roster a different kind of danger without forcing anyone out of place. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Schedule Puts OKC In Contender Spotlight Again
The NBAs newly released 2026-27 schedule reinforces just how firmly the Thunder have moved into the leagues top tier. Oklahoma City landed 30 nationally televised games, fifth-most in the NBA, another sign that the defending contender is expected to spend the season under a brighter spotlight with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams leading the way.
The national attention comes with a demanding calendar, too, as the Thunder will have to navigate several back-to-back stretches that can test a deep roster over the grind of a long season. For a team already being treated like a co-title favorite, the schedule sets up plenty of premium matchups and a chance to prove the hype is justified, even if the real measuring stick wont be clear until the spring. [Read more 🡒]