The NBA is amazed at the Oklahoma City Thunder. The champion’s dominance takes on proportions that amaze even experts.
With an impressive 138:89 against the Phoenix Suns, the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their record in the NBA season to 24 wins and just one loss. In doing so, they equaled the best 25-game start to a season in league history, a record set by the Golden State Warriors in the 2015/16 season.
Overall, the Thunder have outscored their opponents by 437 points, an average of approximately +17.4 points per game – the highest point differential ever recorded after 25 games in the NBA.
Oklahoma is destroying the competition in the NBA in a systematic way
This value is around 90 points higher than the previous record set by the Boston Celtics in the 2007/08 season.
This is not a temporary wave of success. It is a systematic and sustained destruction of competition.
For OKC, most games are like practices
The game against the Suns highlighted how exceptional this team is. Despite personnel failures, Phoenix played in Oklahoma City and had to return home with a historic defeat of 49 points – the worst defeat in the history of the Suns.
It’s also notable that Oklahoma City has spent more time leading by over 20 points than they have trailed at all this season. For a reigning champion, this means not just “doing the duty” but turning games into training situations.
The comparison to the Warriors of the 2015/16 season is obvious: the team with the current record of 73 wins this season (in 82 games) now has the best start over 25 games at 24:1 together with the Thunder. Golden State started with 24 straight wins before losing their 25th game; Oklahoma City has replicated this start almost identically – in a league that is now deeper, relies more on three-point shots and pays more attention to load management than it did a decade ago.
The most impressive thing about Oklahoma’s big star? How little he has to play
While Golden State serves as a stylistic comparison, the 2007-08 Boston Celtics provide the statistical benchmark. The team led by NBA legends Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen won 66 games this season and the title, with a point difference of +13.9 after 25 games. Oklahoma City has taken this standard to a new dimension.
After last season, in which they achieved the highest point difference in NBA history with +12.9 points per game and ultimately won the title with a record of 68:14, the Thunder have raised the level even further.
They were already the best team in basketball last year. This year they have increased significantly again. Every team with dynasty potential needs a central star, and for Oklahoma City that is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (known as “SGA” in the NBA) – the reigning NBA MVP who has improved from last year’s season by averaging 32.7 points per game.
SGA is once again one of the league’s best scorers with over 32 points per game while helping to stabilize one of the NBA’s best defenses from his position. But what’s most impressive isn’t his pure production – but rather how little he’s needed in the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma is so good that SGA always gets to watch in the end
By early December, SGA had played in the fourth quarter in just 10 of its first 21 games – meaning he had missed more fourth quarters than he played.
After the blowout against the Suns, that number had increased to 14 missed fourth quarters – a number that brings him close to the modern benchmark of Stephen Curry, who sat out completely in 19 fourth quarters during Golden State’s 73-win season because of a very large lead.
Like Curry a decade ago, Gilgeous-Alexander is putting up MVP numbers again, often watching the final 12 minutes from the bench because the game is already decided.
When you also consider that OKC’s offense has a roughly +19 point differential per 100 possessions when Shai is playing compared to when he is away, the picture emerges of a central star whose team is both dependent on him and plays so dominantly that it rarely needs him late in the game.
What makes this start seem sustainable and not solely Shai-driven is the way Oklahoma City is asserting itself on both ends of the court.
The game against the Suns was almost a caricature of what this team is at its best. They hit 22 three-pointers, forced 21 turnovers and converted them into 34 points. In addition, 12 of 13 players hit at least one three-pointer.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams combined for 67 points in three quarters before being substituted. The third quarter was a lesson in how their length, activity and pace reinforce each other: Phoenix went minutes without a successful shot from the field while the lead grew.
Holmgren’s protection at the basket and his ability to shoot from distance, Williams’ creativity on the ball and defense on the wing, Lu Dort’s defense on the ball and a bench full of athletic players and good passers give coach Mark Daigneault the opportunity to use different lineups that can all defend, pass, shoot and play with speed.
Potential for a “super dynasty” that hardly any experts saw coming
Despite all their dominance, the Thunder have another advantage that is the envy of half the NBA. They have a most impressive pool of future draft picks at their disposal because of clever past deals – including a 2026 first-round pick from the Clippers who is currently projected as the top pick.
If general manager Sam Presti decided to trade draft rights for another star, he could do so. But the troubling reality for the rest of the league is: Maybe he doesn’t have to.
But be careful: There are cautionary tales for Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City has the potential for a “super dynasty,” something no expert saw coming to this extent. It’s not just about the sporting strength of the players, but also about the structural design of the club: it could cope with injuries, contract changes and even future supermax contracts for SGA or Holmgren – without collapsing.
Historically, teams from smaller markets like OKC have often had to choose between high salary costs for all players or a quick rebuild. The Thunder are now in a position where they could do both: maintain a championship team while adding inexpensive talent every year.
It is risky to declare a team champion in December – the history of the former “73:9” team serves as a cautionary tale. The 2015-16 Warriors turned their regular season championship into a finals loss. The Celtics of 2007/08, on the other hand, crowned their dominant season with a title – similar to the Bulls of 1995/96: early dominance coupled with a successful conclusion.
