OKC Thunder Dominant Against Eastern Conference

After picking up a 135-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, the Oklahoma City Thunder improved its record to 48-11 — towering above the rest of the Western Conference. Even though Oklahoma City has inserted itself as the favorite to come out of the West, its dominance this season hasn't stopped there. After last night, it now holds a 21-1 record over Eastern Conference opponents.

That's, of course, omitting its NBA Cup Final loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but regardless, the Thunder has taken care of the East by an extraordinary amount. Its only other loss came against the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 8, but eight days later, it got the win back.

That means the Thunder has not only taken down the Cavaliers, but also the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and more. Though the East from top to bottom is certainly weaker than the West, the teams at the top are among the best in the NBA regardless of conference. That has made the run all the more impressive.

Oklahoma City's record isn't the result of the East's relative lack of strength, it simply is a reflection of how elite of a team it's been this season. A historic-level defensive unit, MVP frontrunner in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and so many other areas have pushed it into the top of the NBA conversation.

In the latest entry of the Thunder's campaign, Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 31 points, three rebounds and five assists on 12-of-23 shooting from the field and just 4-of-4 on free throws. Luguentz Dort had a return-to-form performance with 20 points and 6-of-11 made 3-pointers, while Jalen Williams also added 20.

As a collective, Oklahoma City shot 23-of-50 from behind the arc, which torched the Atlanta defense throughout the game. With all of that coming together, it was yet another game where it looked unbeatable.

The Thunder's trend in the East is bound to continue — just as much as it will in the West and into the playoffs.