The Oklahoma City Thunder came out of the gates this season like a team on a mission. With a young core firing on all cylinders and an elite defense anchoring their play, there were whispers-loud ones, at that-about whether this group could chase down the hallowed 73-9 regular season mark set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
But after back-to-back losses to the San Antonio Spurs, those whispers have quieted. And for good reason.
Thunder Hit a Bump-and the Record Looks Safe
Oklahoma City still boasts an impressive 26-5 record, but the math now gets steep. To eclipse Golden State’s 73-win season, they’d have to go 48-3 the rest of the way.
Even tying it would require a 47-4 finish. That’s not just a tall order-it’s the NBA equivalent of threading a needle during an earthquake.
Over an 82-game season, even the best teams hit turbulence. A couple of off nights, an ankle tweak to a key player, or simply running into a team that’s playing inspired basketball-any of that can derail a historic run. And the Thunder just ran into a Spurs team that’s been doing exactly that.
San Antonio Sends a Message
The Spurs have now beaten the Thunder three times this season and are riding an eight-game win streak of their own. At 23-7, they’re very much in the thick of the Western Conference race, and they’re not doing it with smoke and mirrors. This is a team that’s defending with intensity, moving the ball with purpose, and playing like they believe they belong among the West’s elite.
Denver, too, is lurking just behind at 22-8, and with their playoff pedigree and depth, they’re not going anywhere. So while the Thunder may still be the top seed and arguably the most complete team in the conference, the margin for error is shrinking fast.
A Crowded Western Conference Picture
What this two-game stumble really does is shift the conversation. It’s not just about whether OKC can rewrite the regular-season record books. It’s about whether they’re truly the team to beat in the West-or if they’ve just been the early-season frontrunner in a race that’s far from finished.
Because when you’ve lost three times to the Spurs, it’s fair to ask: What happens in a seven-game series? That’s not a knock on the Thunder-it’s just the reality of a loaded conference where the top seeds are separated by inches, not miles.
And Don’t Count Out the Warriors Just Yet
Golden State, meanwhile, has been hanging around. They’ve already shown they can go toe-to-toe with the Spurs and nearly knocked off the Thunder even without Stephen Curry. When Curry is on the floor, we’ve seen flashes of vintage brilliance-those stretches where he turns into a one-man offense, draining threes from the parking lot and bending defenses in ways few players ever have.
If the Warriors can find some consistency and maybe make a savvy move at the trade deadline, they could be a wildcard in this whole equation. It's hard to imagine them winning four straight playoff series against this level of competition, but it’s also hard to count them out entirely when Curry’s healthy and locked in.
The Bottom Line
The Thunder are still one of the best teams in basketball. That hasn’t changed.
But the dream of chasing 73 wins? That’s probably off the table.
What’s on the table now is a Western Conference that’s shaping up to be an absolute gauntlet. The Spurs are surging.
The Nuggets are steady. The Warriors are lurking.
And the Thunder, while still elite, are learning that staying on top is just as hard-if not harder-than getting there.
There’s a long way to go, and if the early season was about dominance, the rest of the year might be about resilience.