OKLAHOMA CITY, Sporting Alert – The following is the complete 2015 preseason schedule for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This year will see the Thunder playing six exhibitions in October, two of which will be at home at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will get going on Wednesday when Oklahoma City take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on 8:00 p.m. CT.
It will also be the first competitive game for new head coach Billy Donovan, who replaced Scott Brooks, who was fired last season after seven years with the club.
Following the opener against the Timberwolves, Oklahoma City will then host Turkish side Fenerbahce Ulker on Friday, Oct. 9 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, before traveling away from home for two more preseason road games.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, they have a date with the Dallas Mavericks, a game that will be played in Tulsa at the BOK Center, prior to meeting the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum in Tennessee, three days later.
The Chesapeake Energy Arena will be the venue for the Denver Nuggets visit on Oct 18, with the final preseason fixture being against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at EnergySolutions Arena.
Meanwhile, head coach Donovan spoke about his experience working with point guard Westbrook ahead of the new season.
He said: “One thing I’d say about Russell, it’s amazing when you’re out there on the court with him, he’s been in the league for a while but the stuff that I’m throwing out at him on offense, he knows his position and he knows the four other positions and I think that speaks volumes how cerebral a guy he is out there on the court, how much he sees.
“As a coach, that’s great because I can get a lot of feedback from him.”
Westbrook averaged 28.1 points, 8.6 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game last season and played an average of 29.12 minutes per contest.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will tip-off its regular season fixtures against fellow Western Conference powerhouses San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
2016 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
OCTOBER
Oklahoma City Thunder Schedule
Wed, Oct 7 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM Target Center
Fri, Oct 9 vs Fenerbahce Ulker 8:00 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena
Tue, Oct 13 vs Dallas 8:00 PM BOK Center
Fri, Oct 16 @ Memphis 8:00 PM FedExForum
Sun, Oct 18 vs Denver 7:00 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena
Tue, Oct 20 @ Utah 9:00 PM EnergySolutions Arena
