Last season, Oklahoma City was one of the NBA’s biggest surprises. The team was almost universally expected to win less than 30 games and it was supposed to be the last rebuilding season. After Chet Holmgren went down with a foot injury and was set to miss the whole season, the Thunder had a very obvious hole in the front court.
The team shattered expectations and exceeded its preseason win line by over 15 games. Vegas isn’t wrong many times, but they whiffed on the Thunder win total line. They same mistake was made this season too.
With 19 games left in the season, Oklahoma City has already surpassed its win total set in the preseason. Most sports books had the Thunder’s total set at 43.5 or 44 before the season began. With a win over the Miami on Friday night, Oklahoma City notched it’s 44th victory compared to just 19 losses.
Oklahoma City has flip flopped back and forth with the top spot in the West, but as of Sunday afternoon the Thunder holds the No. 1 spot over Minnesota. Even Thunder diehard fans couldn’t have envisioned a season like this on deck. Hitting the preseason win total with 19 games remaining and in sole possession of the top seed in an incredibly difficult conference is impressive to say the least.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP leap coupled with the improvement from the rest of the roster has been the perfect recipe for success. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren have been rising stars, and the entire team fits Mark Daigneault’s style as a coach. Complimentary basketball has been the way to success for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City’s franchise record for wins is 60, set in 2012-13. This year’s team is unlikely to reach those heights, but it’s not mathematically out of the equation yet. With 55 wins, the Thunder would tie its third best season in Oklahoma City.
This team is still young and the playoffs could be unpredictable, but all the data from the regular season suggests the Thunder are legit.
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