Relive Thunder's Christmas Day history: Durant's scoring, Westbrook's assists, Adams' rebounds, and a new chapter unfolding.
Oklahoma City has a game on Christmas Day for the first time since 2018 when Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams were leading the charge.
The franchise should have received an invitation last year considering it was coming off being the youngest one seed in league history, but the NBA did not oblige. It’s ironic that the league subsequently scrambled to market the Thunder in the second half of last season. At least the NBA rewarded the reigning champs this year. It’s a nice gift for Thunder fans and players.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren get their first chance of securing a Christmas victory against San Antonio at 1:30 p.m Central. The Spurs are 2-0 against the Thunder this season, including a win in the NBA Cup Semifinals. Look for this game to have everything from superstars to bad blood to a roaring home crowd.
Oklahoma City has a strong Christmas record, so hopefully Gilgeous-Alexander and company continue this trend. Here is a brief summary of the Thunder’s Christmas resume:
- Defeated Nuggets in 2010 – Leading Thunder scorer was Kevin Durant (44)
- Defeated Magic in 2011 – Kevin Durant (30)
- Lost to Heat in 2012 – Kevin Durant (33)
- Defeated Knicks in 2013 – Kevin Durant (29)
- Defeated Spurs in 2014 – Russell Westbrook (34)
- Lost to Bulls in 2015 – Kevin Durant (29)
- Defeated Timberwolves in 2016 – Russell Westbrook (31)
- Defeated Rockets in 2017 – Russell Westbrook (31)
- Lost to Rockets in 2018 – Paul George (28)
Durant set the scoring record for a Thunder player on Christmas in 2010. He dropped 44 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field. Westbrook owns the assist record with 15 dimes in 2016, while Adams holds the rebounds record with 15 boards in 2014.
Of these three Thunder Christmas records, Westbrook’s seems to be the safest. Oklahoma City shares the ball too much for a single player to record 16 assists. However, Gilgeous-Alexander is capable of producing 45 points against San Antonio, and Isaiah Hartenstein is a threat to grab 16 rebounds.
Overall, expect this game to once again be an annual tradition for the Thunder because Oklahoma City is set up to compete for titles for the next decade. Adam Silver also captures the Canadian market thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, which is an added incentive for the NBA to schedule the Thunder on Christmas Day.