Oklahoma City plays four games this week, but the only one that affects the record is the regular season opener at San Antonio on October 20. The Hawks game tonight finds the Thunder well rested and most of the rotation tagged for rest, with the Pacers game two days later lining up as the better measure of the full roster.
Tonight's rest advantage
Oklahoma City is at Atlanta tonight after four days off, the longest break of this stretch. The Hawks have one day of rest and are playing their third game in the past seven days, after going 46-36 last season under Quin Snyder. Luguentz Dort, now part of that Atlanta roster, is held out for rest alongside Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and CJ McCollum, and Henri Veesaar remains out with a knee injury.
Three games, one that counts
Indiana visits Tuesday, then Houston hosts the Thunder Thursday in a game on NBA TV. Both are preseason, same as tonight's trip to Atlanta. The stretch ends October 20 at San Antonio, broadcast on NBC and Peacock, the night Oklahoma City's record stops sitting at 0-0 and the regular season actually opens. That game, not this week's other three, is the one that matters.
Rest wave breaks by Tuesday
Most of the rest-related names on Oklahoma City's list, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain and Kenrich Williams, carry the same projected return date, October 13, lining up with the Pacers game. That makes tonight's trip to Atlanta the one most likely to be played without the full rotation, while Tuesday could be the first look at a fuller lineup. Jaylin Williams' heel and the knee injury Thomas Sorber is managing are the separate issues still without a clearance.
Does this week's record count toward the Thunder's standings?
No. The Hawks, Pacers and Rockets games are preseason; the record stays 0-0 until the regular season opens October 20 at the Spurs.
When will the Thunder have more of the rotation available?
Most players held out for rest carry a projected return of October 13, the Pacers game, so Tuesday is a better test of the full roster than tonight's trip to Atlanta.
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