The Oklahoma City Thunder are finally on the other side of their most grueling month of the 2023-24 regular season.
During January, the Thunder played 17 games with 11 on the road and an excruciating five back-to-backs. The NBA jammed OKC’s January schedule with several games to make up for lost time following a relaxed December due to the in-season tournament.
With the month finally over, the OKC capped off a 17-games-in-31-days gauntlet by clinching a pivotal season series over the Denver Nuggets. In total, the Thunder went 11-6 — a moderate success considering the level of opponents OKC played.
Fatigueness started to show near the end of the month, with back-to-back losses to the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves, but the Thunder sprinted past the finish line with a third win over the Nuggets.
Entering February, the Thunder (33-15) sit in second place and are one game back from the first seed. An ideal spot to be at with two months left in the regular season.
Here’s what Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and players had to say about surviving the physically taxing month.