The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder have stormed out of the gates, compiling a staggering 24-1 record to match the best start in league history. Their relentless dominance has left opponents in the dust, as they outscore teams by an eye-popping 17.2 points per game on average.
The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder have wasted no time asserting themselves as the league’s most dominant force, racing to a 24-1 record that matches the best 25-game start in NBA history. Their margin of victory tells the full story: OKC is outscoring opponents by 17.2 points per game, a pace that would shatter the existing league record for point differential in a single season.
The Unstoppable Thunder: Chasing History
The Oklahoma City Thunder have seized the NBA’s attention with a historic 24-1 start that ties the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors — the team that went 73-9 — for the best record through 25 games in league history. Their +17.2 average margin of victory is not just a number; it represents a level of sustained dominance that the modern NBA has rarely seen.
The Thunder are not stealing close wins — they are dismantling opponents from tip-off, building leads that make fourth quarters irrelevant. As CBS Sports analyst Brad Botkin noted when assessing OKC’s depth: “Injuries are the obvious X-factor, but ask yourself who’s going to get hurt that’s going to upend Oklahoma City’s attack?”
That question has no easy answer, and it starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose league-leading +359 plus-minus underscores just how transformative his presence is on both ends of the floor.
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Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Charge
Oklahoma City’s dominance is built on a two-way foundation that few teams in recent memory can match. Offensively, the Thunder rank third in the league in field goal percentage, driven in large part by Gilgeous-Alexander’s efficiency — 259 makes on 461 attempts through the first 25 games.
His 156 assists reflect a playmaking dimension that keeps defenses from simply loading up on him as a scorer. Defensively, OKC leads the league in forced turnovers, a disruptive edge that consistently generates easy transition buckets and deflates opposing offenses before they can establish any rhythm. The result is a team that punishes mistakes at both ends and rarely gives opponents a foothold to build momentum.
Unmatched Depth Fueling the Juggernaut
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the engine driving all of it, and his 2024-25 campaign is shaping up as one of the most efficient scoring seasons in NBA history.
The 26-year-old Canadian is averaging nearly a point per minute played — a rate that draws legitimate historical comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 1961-62 season, when Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander has connected on 54 three-pointers on 119 attempts while converting at a 88.2% clip from the free throw line (210-of-238), demonstrating a scoring versatility that makes him nearly impossible to game-plan against. Add 35 steals to the ledger, and you have a two-way performer who impacts winning at every level of the game.
Favorites to Break the 73-Win Record?
What separates this Thunder team from other star-driven contenders is what happens when Gilgeous-Alexander sits. OKC still outscores opponents by 16.2 points per 100 possessions without him on the floor — a bench and role-player depth that most playoff teams cannot match. That depth was tested early when second-leading scorer Jalen Williams missed significant time, yet the Thunder still navigated that stretch to an 18-1 record.
The team has led by at least 20 points in 18% of their total minutes played this season, a figure that reflects their ability to bury opponents early and coast. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 111 total rebounds and 17 blocks further illustrate his all-around impact, particularly for a guard-sized player operating as a primary defensive anchor.
What People Are Saying About the Unstoppable Thunder
With 24 wins in 25 games, oddsmakers have installed the Thunder as the frontrunners to challenge the Golden State Warriors’ all-time record of 73 wins in a single season. The efficiency of their wins is just as striking as the volume — Gilgeous-Alexander has been required to play the fourth quarter in only 12 of his 24 games, yet he still leads the league in clutch scoring, a reflection of how thoroughly OKC puts games away before the final period matters.
Their most emphatic statement came in a 49-point demolition of the Phoenix Suns, holding Phoenix to a historically low output while the Thunder’s offense operated without resistance. Injuries remain the one credible threat to this run, but OKC’s roster construction — built through years of draft capital accumulation under Sam Presti — means no single absence is likely to unravel what they have built.
The Thunder’s historic run has ignited conversation across every corner of the sports media landscape, and the consensus is clear: this team is built differently. Analysts and fans alike have zeroed in on OKC’s unmatched depth, noting that the franchise’s stockpile of future draft picks — among the most valuable in the league over the next five years — signals this window is not closing anytime soon. The debate about whether they can reach 73 wins is real, not hypothetical.
At the center of it all is Gilgeous-Alexander, whose scoring efficiency and two-way impact have drawn comparisons to the all-time greats. He is not just carrying a team — he is elevating every player around him while making the Thunder the most complete roster in the NBA. The question is no longer whether OKC is the best team in the league. It is how far into history they can push this season.