The NBA has rolled out its entire 2026-27 regular season schedule. The annual mid-August event provides a jolt of excitement in an otherwise mundane part of the calendar. Reviewing how things shook out in the basketball marathon, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be a main character once again.
The Thunder have the fifth-most national TV appearances at 30 games in the 2026-27 regular season. Four other teams are ahead of them with 34 games each — the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Little surprising the Thunder didn't get the maximum 34 national TV games allowed. Especially considering some of the teams ahead of them. Alas, there's a decent chance that OKC will get a few more added to its schedule as the 2026-27 regular season progresses.
Breaking down OKC's national TV schedule, it will play nine games on NBC/Peacock, eight games on Amazon Prime, seven games on ESPN, four games on ABC/ESPN and two games on Peacock.
Some of the bigger 2026-27 national TV games the Thunder will play include Opening Night at the Spurs, OKC's home opener against the Denver Nuggets and Christmas Day at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It really shouldn't be a surprise to anybody to see the Thunder so heavily featured in the NBA's primetime slots. They're entering the 2026-27 season as co-title favorites — alongside the Spurs. Sure, OKC lost some of its depth this offseason in cost-cutting moves, but the pillars of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren should keep them smack-dab in the middle of the title conversation for the foreseeable future.
The Thunder have been the first seed for three consecutive seasons. A lot of folks forecast a similar year of 60-plus wins. As long as Gilgeous-Alexander stays healthy, OKC should hover around that range. The two-time MVP has become a regular-season wins machine over the years.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder to play 30 games on national TV during 2026-27 regular season