With the NBA back in action tonight and Oklahoma City returning to action tomorrow, the Thunder leads the league in wins for a second straight season, but the gap from the rest of the pack narrows coming out of the All-Star break.
Coming into the 2025-26 NBA season, the Thunder appeared to be the favorites to repeat as champions and in the best position to win back-to-back since the Golden State Warriors went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
After finishing a league-best 68-14 in 2024-25 and capturing its first-ever championship, OKC returned its entire core, except for a couple of end-of-the-bench guys. To begin the 2025-26 season, the infamous championship hangover didn’t appear to affect this Thunder team, as they looked to be well on their way to another championship, tying an NBA record with a 24-1 start.
Since then, however, OKC hasn’t looked the same. The Thunder have gone 18-13 since the historic start, and have already matched last year’s squad in total losses. While OKC currently leads the league in wins, a few teams pose a legitimate threat and could dethrone the reigning champions.
Thunder’s Biggest Threats the Rest of the Season
Denver Nuggets
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder made a statement a couple of weeks back when they met for the first time this season in Denver, defeating the Nuggets, but both teams were missing multiple starters and key players in that game.
The Nuggets gave the Thunder all it could handle in the second round, as the series went to seven games, with the Thunder ultimately coming out on top, passing the test of being a team with a championship pedigree, earning a hard-fought 4-3 series victory.
The stress of Nikola Jokic‘s offensive prowess alone makes Denver a title contender and a formidable opponent. Still, the added depth in the offseason, the emergence of Peyton Watson alongside Jamal Murray having an All-NBA-caliber season, and the continuous ascension of Aaron Gordon make the Nuggets arguably the biggest threat to the Thunder’s title hopes down the stretch.
Denver is currently the third seed, 6.5 games behind Oklahoma City in the West at the All-Star break.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are telling the league that the future is now, as San Antonio has shown it matches up well with the Thunder.
The season series has already been completed, as both teams have met five times this season, with the Spurs winning four of those games. The Spurs beat the Thunder three times in 12 days by a combined 37 points. OKC would finally get its revenge with a 21-point win on January 13th, with the Spurs closing out the season series by defeating a depleted Thunder team.
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs certainly pose unique issues and challenges for the Thunder, but would this young, inexperienced group be able to knock off a team with championship experience in its very first playoff run?
San Antonio is currently the second seed and is only three games behind Oklahoma City in the West at the All-Star break.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are the biggest wild card in the Western Conference, and this budding rivalry between these two teams has gone under the radar.
The two teams met in the Western Conference Finals, with the Thunder gentlemen sweeping the Wolves en route to winning the championship.
The Timberwolves are one of only two teams to beat the Thunder more than once, having won two of the three matchups. These two teams will wrap up their season series on March 15th.
Anthony Edwards, who has a postseason history of dethroning defending champs, is in the midst of taking that next step, and the size and athleticism make Minnesota a dark horse in the West. Add in the fact that they’ve been in the Conference Finals the last two years, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that these two teams could meet in the Conference Finals for a second consecutive season.
Minnesota is currently the sixth seed and is eight games behind Oklahoma City in the West at the All-Star break.
Main Image: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
