The festivities begin before tip-off as the OKC Thunder hosts a few pre-game events around town. Those events include a clinic at the local Boys & Girls Club and Thunder Alley, which is a block party on the plaza outside the arena before the game.
Thunder Alley kicks off on the south side of the arena at 4:30. The party includes Thunder entertainers, including the Thunder Girls and Thunder Drummers, as well as interactive games, face painting, music, a Thunder merchandise trailer and more.
The Thunder will also hold a clinic for members of the Boys & Girls Club of South Central Kansas, teaching them fundamentals of basketball.
The game at INTRUST Bank Arena will tip off at 7 p.m.; doors open to the public at 5:30. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and wear blue to support the Thunder.
Local performers will be featured during the game presentation. Keith Townsend of Wichita State University will give the invocation. Representatives from McConnell Air Force Base will present the colors, and Ross McCorkell, a student at Wichita State University, will sing the national anthem. In addition, Thunder mascot Rumble the Bison and the Storm Chasers dunk team will present the halftime show.
Fans throughout the region can tune in to the game on FOX Sports for the first Thunder TV broadcast of the season, featuring Thunder broadcasters Brian Davis, Grant Long and Lesley McCaslin. FOX Sports Midwest will carry coverage across most of Kansas, broadcasting on Cox channel 34/2034 HD and DirecTV channel 679 – check listings for Dish Network.
Oklahoma fans can watch on FOX Sports Oklahoma, via Cox channel 37/722 HD, DirecTV channel 679 and AT&T U-verse channel 754 – check listings for Dish Network. The game will also be broadcast with Matt Pinto on the Thunder Radio Network, led by WWLS-The Sports Animal.
