Tracking Thunder's path to breaking Warriors' record-setting 73 wins

The Oklahoma City Thunder are marching confidently toward a historic defense of the 2024-25 NBA championship. Tasked with proving their rise to prominence was anything but a flash in the pan, Oklahoma City has somehow achieved a new level of dominance in 2025-26.

With a second consecutive title in their sights, the Thunder have made progress toward achieving a goal even they may not have expected to have a shot at reaching: An NBA-record 74 wins.

Oklahoma City flirted with history in 2024-25 when it went 68-14 during a stunningly brilliant regular season. It fell just two wins shy of becoming the third team in NBA history to win at least 70 games in a single season and became the seventh to reach 68.

For as difficult as it may be to imagine a team building upon a 68-win season, the Thunder have managed to make early progress toward doing so—against all odds.

Oklahoma City was dealt a rather devastating blow when Jalen Williams underwent wrist surgeries in July and October. As a result of the procedures, the All-NBA and All-Defense honoree was forced to miss the Thunder's first 19 games.

Oklahoma City not only overcame Williams' absence, but set the pace for a season of unrivaled proportions by going 18-1 in his absence—and it's difficult to imagine too many more losses in their future.

Thunder need to go 51-9 the rest of the way to reach 74 wins

If the Thunder maintain their current pace, they'll finish the 2025-26 season with a rounded-down projected record of 78-4. Unrealistic as that may be, it's a testament to how brilliantly they've played behind the efforts of reigning MVP, Finals MVP, and scoring champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander is far from alone in his brilliance, however, as the Thunder have benefited from the internal development of the players who comprise their depth chart.

Ajay Mitchell is an early favorite for Most Improved Player and Chet Holmgren is making clear progress as a scorer. Furthermore, the likes of Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins continue to thrive and beg the question of how they remain two of the most underrated players in the NBA.

Compounded by the disruptive defensive presence of players such as Alex Caruso, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Cason Wallace, the 2025-26 Thunder are setting an all-time pace.

Not only have the Thunder jumped out to an absurdly dominant start to the season, but their only loss was by just two points. Furthermore, they've started to blow opponents out with regularity as the Association takes note of just how dominant the team is regardless of if they're playing at 100 percent.

The question, of course, is whether or not the Thunder can complete the process of reaching 74 wins in 2025-26—and they're well on their way to doing so.

10 biggest upcoming threats to Thunder's pursuit of 74 wins

In order to complete the process of reaching a record-setting 74 wins, the Thunder will need to overcome a surplus of challenges. That includes a schedule that's certain to pose threats to their pursuit of history.

The next 10 games will consistently be updated below to provide insight into what hurdles await the Thunder and how they may impact their chase of 74 wins.

Trap games are inevitable and must be accounted for, but Oklahoma City's 10 biggest threats through Feb. 1 are a cast of listed contenders and a pair of quality foes in a back-to-back setting.

What was the 73-win Warriors' record at this point in the season?

In order to properly contextualize what the Thunder are in the midst of achieving, a direct comparison to the 73-win Warriors is essential. Not all teams travel the same path to glory, of course, but Golden State went 73-9 by dominating in a surprisingly similar manner.

The key difference between the Thunder and Warriors is that the latter dominant force didn't lose its first game until its 25th outing on Dec. 12.

A loss behind the pace, a 23-1 Thunder team somehow has a task ahead of it that can be described as an uphill battle.

The top five best single-season win-loss records in NBA history

As the Thunder pursue a record 74 wins, it's important to understand just how few teams have even come close to that elusive figure. It's been just 10 seasons since the Warriors reached 73, but it took 20 years for the previous record to fall.

If the Thunder are hoping to make history, then they'll have to pass teams led by the likes of Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, and Wilt Chamberlain.

Thunder's full schedule and updated records

Note: The Thunder's record and results will be updated as the 2025-26 NBA regular season progresses.

The 2024-25 Thunder and 1972-73 Boston Celtics also won 68 games, but the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers did so in an 81-game season. As such, they receive the slightest of edges in winning percentage and thus round out the top five.

The question is: Can the 2025-26 Thunder finish the job it started and reach a record-setting 74 wins? Check back for game-by-game updates on the pursuit of history.