Rest assured, the Thunder have a strong case to chase 70 wins

In a 145-117 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder put on another amazing show. 

OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played efficiently, scoring 27 points and going 9-for-14 from the floor. Isaiah Joe shot 8-for-14 from deep and scored 31 points. Meanwhile, a lockdown defense — anchored by Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren — shut down a Bulls team that had been on fire. 

But the game was over before halftime, with the Thunder — who are 63-12 with seven regular-season games remaining — leading by 34 when the second-quarter buzzer sounded. 

Although it's the NBA's youngest team, the Thunder are tied with the 1995-1996 Bulls for the best net rating in a season (13.4, h/t: StatMuse). That means that this season, the Thunder have beaten teams by an average of 13.4 points per 100 possessions. 

That’s not the only major accomplishment they could reach, though. Oklahoma City could become the third team in NBA history to reach 70 wins in a season, joining the aforementioned 1995-1996 Bulls and 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors. But with OKC having clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, should it attempt to reach 70 wins or rest key players to prevent injuries before the playoffs?

The answer is: why not do both?

The Thunder have proved capable of winning even with significant players missing. On March 19 against a Portland Trail Blazers team vying for a play-in spot, they rested all five usual starters and Wallace. The Thunder still destroyed Portland 107-89, getting 30 points from Aaron Wiggins and a triple-double from Jaylin Williams. 

In the seven games All-Star forward Jalen Williams hasn’t played, Oklahoma City is undefeated. It has gone through significant chunks of time without frontcourt mates Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, but the Thunder won anyway.

The major constant throughout the season is Gilgeous-Alexander, who has only missed three games. (The Thunder are 2-1 with him out.) If plotted out well by the team, he could sit out games down the stretch against struggling Phoenix, Utah and New Orleans, but his teammates easily could pick up the slack. 

The Thunder’s historic season could be enshrined forever with 70 wins and the best net rating ever as an exclamation point. OKC's goal, of course, is to win an NBA title. If the Thunder go on to hoist a Larry O'Brien Trophy, however, the final seven regular-season could determine the team's place in NBA history. So, the message to the team should be: "Let's go for 70."