Story by
History favors Thunder’s second title chances after crossing 30-win plateau
- Story by
- History favors Thunder’s second title chances after crossing 30-win plateau
History favors Thunder's second title chances after crossing 30-win plateau appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
For the second year in a row, the Oklahoma City Thunder has 30 wins through the first 35 games of the regular season, which puts the defending champions in rare company. As the Thunder pursue back-to-back titles, its regular-season record through 35 games is identical to the Chicago Bulls ' in back-to-back seasons, which led to back-to-back championships in 1997. Oklahoma City hopes to do the same in 2026.
Advertisement
The 2016-17 Warriors , as the Thunder's 30-5 record through 35 games , were 30-5 through three consecutive seasons. The identical record through 35 games is conducive to making an NBA Finals appearance, according to recent history, per Underdog NBA.
The Thunder's historic regular season has reached intriguing milestones synonymous with the Warriors and the Bulls, two of the NBA's recent dynasties, as Oklahoma City is on pace to make a similar run. The Thunder defeated a shorthanded Warriors squad 131-94 on Friday, extending its winning streak to five.
Thunder's 2025 dominance puts them with Warriors, Bulls
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The Thunder closed out 2025 with 86 wins , putting them in the same company as those Warriors and Bulls dynasties amid their pursuit of a second title. It's the fifth-most wins in a year by an NBA team, trailing only Stephen Curry 's 2015 (88) and 2016 Warriors (87), the Phoenix Suns (88) in 2021, and Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls (89) in 1996.
Advertisement
For the third consecutive year, Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate. The defending scoring champion and MVP is averaging 32.1 points on 56.1% shooting, including 42.5% from deep, 6.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
The Thunder will look to improve on its 30 wins when it faces the Suns on the road before hosting the Hornets at the Paycom Center on Monday, the second night of a back-to-back.
Related: Thunder's Chet Holmgren isn't focused on potentially winning DPOY
Related: Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga ruled out with back injury vs. Thunder
