The Warriors’ current season doesn’t quite resemble their iconic 2015–16 run, but someone else has carried that same energy. The defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, brought their title swagger into this year, riding a 24–1 start that almost matched the Warriors’ legendary 24-0 game streak.

Heading into the NBA Cup semifinals against the Spurs, OKC wasn’t just chasing a win; they were carrying the weight of history while also trying to keep their own 16-game winning streak alive.

The Thunder were chasing history, but Saturday night put a pause on that dream. Oklahoma City couldn’t get past the Spurs, falling 111–109 and suffering just their second loss in 26 games. That defeat officially ended their shot at matching the Warriors’ iconic 24-game start from 2015–16. OKC still sits at 24–2, but the moment mattered, and the Warriors’ benchmark remains untouched, at least for now. However, OKC tied them only on best 25-game record (24–1), not on an unbeaten 24–0 opening.

Here’s how the Thunder stack up with the all-time great starts:

• 1995–96 Bulls: 20–2 after 22 games
• 2015–16 Warriors: 22–0 after 22 games
• 2025–26 Thunder: 21–1 after 22 games

Record after 25 games:

• 2025–26 Thunder: 24–1 (.960)
• 2015–16 Warriors: 25–1 (.960)
• 1995–96 Bulls: 23–3 (.920)

Longest winning streaks for context:

• Warriors (2015–16): 24
• Bulls (1995–96): 18
• Thunder (2025–26): 16

While the Warriors’ 73–9 still stands as the gold standard, OKC’s current pace projects to 76 wins, keeping the door open to history. Only two teams have ever won more than 70 games: the 1995–96 Bulls (72) and the 2015–16 Warriors (73). The Bulls finished the job with a championship, while Stephen Curry‘s Warriors fell short in the Finals against Cleveland.

Fueling this run is a loaded Thunder roster led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, one of the league’s deepest benches.

Before the setback vs. the Spurs, Shai made the team’s mindset clear: “Absolutely. Winning matters. And no matter what form it looks like to me. So absolutely.”

The streak is gone, but the bigger goal isn’t. The Thunder may not have caught the Warriors’ opening run, yet the chase for a record-breaking season is still very much alive.

Can OKC break the Lakers’ record?

A 16-game winning streak has pulled the Thunder into rare air, close enough to hear echoes of the 1971–72 Lakers’ 33-game run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knows exactly what shadow they’re walking in, and he didn’t dodge it. “That’s a lot more games to win. Hopefully, we get there. That’s the goal,” he said, putting words to a chase that’s suddenly very real.

That Lakers team remains the standard by which dominance is measured. Back in 1971–72, the Los Angeles Lakers rattled off 33 straight wins, cruised to a 69–13 season, and delivered the franchise its first championship after relocating to the West.

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Their run stood untouched for over 20 years, until the 1995–96 Bulls went 72–10. Even the numbers told a story of control, a +12.3 net rating that screamed superiority long before analytics became fashionable.

What makes this Thunder run even more intriguing is that they’ve already shown they can rewrite old records. Just last season, OKC topped that Lakers mark with a +12.9 net rating on the way to their first championship.

This year, they’ve taken it a step further, sitting at an outrageous +17.5 net rating. Outside of early overtime scares against the Rockets and Pacers, resistance has been minimal.

Whether they reach 33 straight wins or not, one thing is clear: the OKC are daring to rewrite history.