5 obstacles that could stop the Thunder from breaking the NBA wins record

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder have looked unbeatable in the 2025-26 season, as they are 20-1 through their first 21 games despite spending much of the season without All-NBA wing Jalen Williams in the lineup.

Williams, who had offseason wrist surgery, recently returned to action for OKC, and the team has not lost with him so far this season.

There are a ton of great numbers for this OKC team that show that it could be right back in the mix to win the title in the 2025-26 season. There hasn’t been a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors (when Kevin Durant was there), but this Thunder team has the profile of one that could snap that streak.

The Thunder currently rank:

• No. 1 in the league in net rating (+15.3)
• No. 1 in the league in defensive rating (103.6)
• No. 6 in the league in offensive rating (118.9)
• No. 7 in the league in effective field-goal percentage (56.3)
• No. 3 in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.06)

That is going to be tough to beat, especially with the team getting closer to full strength with Williams back in action.

So, that begs the question: Can the Thunder break the NBA record for most wins in a regular season?

The current record is held by the 2015-16 Warriors, who went 73-9 before eventually losing in the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls stand as the only only other team to even win 70 games in a single NBA season, as they went 72-10 and won the title.

At 20-1, the Thunder have a chance to make history this season, but there could be some obstacles in their way.

Here’s a breakdown of five things that could stop reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company from winning the most games in a regular season in NBA history:

1. Staying motivated for all 82 games

This may seem like a nonissue with the Thunder off to a 20-1 start, but there is a chance that OKC locks up the No. 1 seed in the West well before the end of the regular season, leaving it with nothing to play for in terms of the final standings.

The Thunder currently have a four-game lead on the No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, even though L.A. is off to a strong 15-4 start this season. In the 2024-25 campaign, OKC ended up winning the West by 16 games in the regular season, giving the team very little to gain down the stretch.

It’s possible the gap won’t be that wide, but if OKC is going to be in the mix for the wins record (needing 74), it’s likely going to have a large cushion down the stretch in the standings since only two teams in the history of the league have reached the 70-win threshold.

The Thunder will have to truly care about breaking the record in order to have the best shot at doing so.

2. Potential rest situations down the stretch

In a scenario where OKC starts to run away with the Western Conference, it could look to rest players like Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Chet Holmgren down the stretch, which would make it harder on the team to win.

Holmgren has dealt with injury issues in the past, missing his entire rookie season while also playing in just 32 games in the regular season in the 2024-25 campaign. Williams entered the current season with an injury, so the Thunder may want to limit his workload at times as he works his way back into peak shape.

Plus, even Gilgeous-Alexander missed six games last season in his MVP campaign. If the Thunder lock up the No. 1 spot and have a chance to rest players on the second night of a back-to-back, they may choose to do that rather than chase the regular-season wins record.

Ultimately, the chance to win another title may outweigh the team’s desire to make regular-season history.

3. Surviving the injury bug

Injuries have been an early issue for the Thunder this season, as guys like Holmgren, Williams, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Hartenstein, Isaiah Joe and Alex Caruso have all missed time.

OKC is extremely deep, which allows it to weather the storm in this department, but losing one of Williams, Holmgren or Gilgeous-Alexander would put some more pressure on the Thunder as the season goes on.

The Thunder have proven they can win without Williams already this season, but there are still 61 games to go. Health is such a big part of breaking this record, and it could end up derailing the Thunder’s quest for history if it ends up being a persistent issue.

4. Tough strength of schedule

According to Tankathon, the Thunder currently have the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA.

They have to play two games against Cade Cunningham’s Detroit Pistons (the current No. 1 seed in the East), four games against Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, three games against Luka Doncic’s Los Angeles Lakers and two games against Durant’s Houston Rockets.

Those are just a few of the tough opponents with multiple games left on OKC’s schedule, and it’s worth noting that the Thunder have gone 14-1 against teams below .500 this season.

The defending champs are taking care of business against the teams they are supposed to beat, but once the schedule gets tougher, they may struggle to keep up this ridiculous pace.

5. Getting every team’s best shot

There’s an emotional factor involved as well, as teams are going to want to give the Thunder a tough game every time out for multiple reasons.

Firstly, contenders are going to want to see how they match up with the defending champs, as it could help them decide if they need to make a move or tweak their rotations for the playoffs.

Secondly, there likely isn’t a single team that wants OKC to set the record this season. So, if the Thunder are coming close to the historic benchmark down the stretch of the campaign, they can be sure that opposing teams will be giving it their all.

This Thunder team has as good a case as any to break the Warriors’ record, but it is going to have to face some adversity to get there.