JUMP TO:
The Oklahoma City Thunder are redefining what dominance looks like in the NBA.
After winning 68 regular-season games in 2024-25, featuring the league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, then winning their first-ever NBA title in June, Mark Daigneault’s unit has somehow improved so far in the 2025-26 campaign. Not only have the Thunder cemented themselves as the team to beat this season — they’re blowing opponents out on a nightly basis.
With Gilgeous-Alexander once again leading a deep group of two-way contributors, Oklahoma City is off to one of the best starts to a season in NBA history. In fact, no team has ever been better through 25 games, and the Thunder are on pace to push the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best record ever.
Here’s a look at where the Thunder fit into the best starts to a season in NBA history.
What was the best start in NBA history?
The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors have the best start in NBA history by various standpoints — most notably, they own the record for most consecutive wins to open a season. Steve Kerr’s squad opened the season 24-0 before losing its first game, and the Warriors went on to win 73 games in 2015-16.
Those 2015-16 Warriors are also tied for the best 25-game start in NBA history (24-1) and own the best overall one-loss stretch to open a season, going 29-1 before losing their second game.
Best starts in NBA history
There are plenty of ways to define the best “start” to a season, depending on how many games you use. Here’s a breakdown of a few different benchmarks to open an NBA campaign.
Longest undefeated starts to an NBA season
In terms of the most consecutive wins to open an NBA season, or the best possible starts without a loss, the 2025-26 Thunder won’t fall close to the top of the list due to their November loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. They started 8-0 before their first loss.
The longest undefeated stretch to open a season belongs to the 2015-16 Warriors, who went 24-0 before a loss to the Bucks. In 2024-25, the Cleveland Cavaliers tied for the second-best unbeaten start at 15-0.
Here are the longest winning streaks to open a season:
| Season | Team | Starting Streak | Final Record |
| 2015-16 | Golden State Warriors | 24-0 | 73-9 |
| 2024-25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 15-0 | 64-18 |
| 1993-94 | Houston Rockets | 15-0 | 58-24 |
| 1948-49 | Washington Capitols | 15-0 | 38-22 |
| 2002-03 | Dallas Mavericks | 14-0 | 60-22 |
| 1957-58 | Boston Celtics | 14-0 | 49-23 |
| 1997-98 | Chicago Bulls | 12-0 | 62-20 |
| 1982-83 | Seattle Supersonics | 12-0 | 48-34 |
| 1997-98 | Atlanta Hawks | 11-0 | 50-32 |
| 1997-98 | Los Angeles Lakers | 11-0 | 61-21 |
| 1990-91 | Portland Trail Blazers | 11-0 | 63-19 |
| 1964-65 | Boston Celtics | 11-0 | 62-18 |
Best starts in NBA history with 1 loss
In terms of one-loss stretches to open an NBA season, the 2025-26 Thunder were tracking to compete for the new league record, but that ended with a loss to the San Antonio Spurs in their 26th game.
Through 25 games, Oklahoma City sat at 24-1, which fell short of the 2015-16 Warriors’ record of 29-1 through 30 games. Golden State lost its 31st game that season to fall to 29-2.
Here are the longest one-loss stretches to open an NBA season:
| Season | Team | One-Loss Streak | Final Record |
| 2015-16 | Golden State Warriors | 29-1 | 73-9 |
| 2025-26 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 24-1 | TBD |
| 1969-70 | New York Knicks | 23-1 | 60-22 |
| 1993-94 | Houston Rockets | 22-1 | 58-24 |
| 1990-91 | Portland Trail Blazers | 19-1 | 63-19 |
Best 25-game starts in NBA history
The 25-game mark is often used as a point for record comparison, as it’s around one-third of the way through the NBA’s 82-game season. No team has ever been unbeaten through 25 games, but two have had just one loss: the 2015-16 Warriors and 2025-26 Thunder.
Here are the best 25-game starts in NBA history.
| Season | Team | 25-Game Start | Final Record |
| 2015-16 | Golden State Warriors | 24-1 | 73-9 |
| 2025-26 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 24-1 | TBD |
| 1969-70 | New York Knicks | 23-2 | 60-22 |
| 1966-67 | Philadelphia 76ers | 23-2 | 68-13 |
| 2008-09 | Boston Celtics | 23-2 | 62-20 |
| 1995-96 | Chicago Bulls | 23-2 | 72-10 |
Thunder record vs. 2015-16 Warriors
This section will be updated through the Thunder’s start.
| Team | Record through 26 games | Final record |
| 2025-26 Thunder | 24-2 | TBD |
| 2015-16 Warriors | 24-1 | 73-9 |
Thunder 2025-26 start by the numbers
+437
The Thunder had a point differential of +437 through their first 25 games, which was by far the best in NBA history.
Oklahoma City outscored its opponents by a total of 437 points, surpassing the 2007-08 Celtics (+380) and the 2015-16 Warriors (+375) for the best 25-game mark ever. On average, the Thunder were beating opponents by 17.4 points per game through 25 games — OKC also set the full-season record for largest average scoring margin in 2024-25 at 12.9 points per game, but it’s on-pace to break that this season.
75-7
Through 26 games, the Thunder aren’t just on pace to break the NBA’s single-season wins record. They also have some wiggle room in the final two-thirds of the season.
Based on a .923 win percentage so far in 2025-26, Oklahoma City is on pace to win 75 games in the regular season, which would set the new league record by two games.
1,189
According to ESPN, the Thunder have gone 72-10 over their last 82 regular season games as of their Dec. 10 win over the Suns, dating back to the 2024-25 season. In that span, they outscored opponents by 1,189 points — which is the best point differential over any 82-game span in NBA history.
Thunder upcoming schedule
Here’s a look at the Thunder’s next four games.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Thurs., Dec. 18 | vs. Clippers | 8 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 19 | at Timberwolves | 9:30 p.m. |
| Mon., Dec. 22 | vs. Grizzlies | 9:30 p.m. |
| Tues., Dec. 23 | at Spurs | 8:30 p.m. |
