The Thunder join an elite group as the fourth team in NBA history to start a season 20-1 or better, dating back to 1970.
After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers for the second time this season on Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder moved to 20-1 through the first full month of the 2025-26 NBA campaign. It was their 12th consecutive win following an 8-1 start, and they’ve been just as dominant as their record and advanced stats suggest.
The Thunder are on pace to challenge the 2015-16 Warriors’ 73-9 mark. OKC currently has an average point differential of +15.5, almost three points better than its record-setting +12.9 in 2024-25. They’ve won 13 games by at least 10 points, with 10 of those victories by more than 15 points.
That’s not to say it’s been a total breeze to get to 20-1; this team has had to scratch out wins in clutch circumstances multiple times this year. Let’s take a look at their five closest games so far this year.
10/21 vs. Houston: 1-point win
The Thunder and Rockets opened the season with a double-overtime thriller that saw 12 ties and 22 lead changes, but it was OKC who prevailed in the end. Reigning Kia NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 30 of his 35 points in the second half and OT periods, including two game-winning free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining in the second overtime after being fouled by Kevin Durant. SGA also knocked down a jumper with 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter that tied things up at 104, and he stayed locked in by scoring 12 of OKC’s 21 points in OT.
11/05 vs. Portland: 2-point loss
During their only loss of the 2025-26 campaign, OKC held a 41-21 lead over the Trail Blazers after one quarter and led by as many as 22 in the first half. Over the final three quarters, Portland outscored the Thunder 100-78 and held them to just 38.3% shooting from the field in the second half. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points while Aaron Wiggins erupted for 27 points and seven made 3-pointers. The Thunder had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but Isaiah Joe was fouled on a jumper with his foot on the 3-point line, and the Blazers secured the dub.
11/28 vs. Phoenix: 4-point win
Oklahoma City became the fifth team in NBA history to start 19-1 after a 123-119 win over the Suns on Black Friday. They won West Group A with the victory to advance to the Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds, thanks in large part to SGA’s fourth-quarter heroics. He dropped 15 of his 37 points over the final seven minutes of the game, making it 92 straight contests with at least 20 points (tying Wilt Chamberlain). Jalen Williams made his season debut following wrist surgery in July and had 11 points with eight assists in 29 minutes.
10/23 vs. Indiana: 6-point win
SGA took over for OKC in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals. He scored a career-high 55 points while sinking 23-of-26 free-throw attempts in the double-OT victory over Indiana, adding eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Shai dropped 15 points on 4-for-7 shooting and 7-for-7 at the charity stripe across the extra 10 minutes. Ajay Mitchell sparked with a career-high 26 points off the Thunder bench, and Chet Holmgren chipped in 15 points and 12 boards.
10/28 vs. Sacramento: 6-point win
Another close win for OKC, another 30-point outing for SGA. The Thunder trailed the Kings for a majority of the 107-101 win on the second night of a back-to-back, but timely plays from Lu Dort (13 points) and Alex Caruso (two steals) helped the defending champs move to 5-0. Caruso cashed in a triple with 46 seconds remaining to make it 104-99, then Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points) buried a stepback 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in what proved to be the dagger.
