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Thunder Announce Isaiah Hartenstein News on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Nov 28, 2025 5:59 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the best team in the NBA so far. The reigning champions are on a 10-game winning streak and have only lost once so far, boasting an 18-1 record.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company are only the fifth team in history to start a season with an 18-1 record or better. With their current pace, the Thunder are well on track to have a 70-win season, something that only the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (73-9) and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10) have achieved.

OKC returns to action against the Phoenix Suns on Friday after a Thanksgiving break. However, the Thunder are not fully healthy, with a key starter being ruled out for the contest.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks on during a game.© Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Ahead of the showdown, Isaiah Hartenstein — who has started in all 19 games for the Thunder so far — suddenly landed on the injury report due to right ankle soreness. He was not on the injury report earlier in the day, but now, he's officially sidelined for the game. It's the first game Hartenstein will miss this campaign.

Hartenstein is averaging 12.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season. He has been a key piece in OKC's dominant start, so his absence is certainly a significant blow to a team looking to extend its winning streak.

With Hartenstein out, the Thunder will need starting forward Chet Holmgren and backup center Jaylin Williams to pick up the slack. The Phoenix Suns are 12-7 on the season and on a good run, having won nine of their past 11 games.

Phoenix visits Oklahoma City at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday in an NBA Cup game. Both teams are 3-0 in Cup play, so the winner advances to the quarterfinals as a group winner. The loser will hope to be the one Western Conference wild card.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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