As we wait for the All-Star break to end, it has been clear that the Oklahoma City Thunder look like the best team in the NBA. They have an eight-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies for top seed in the Western Conference. Despite lengthy absences from Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, the team has mostly won, and mostly won by large margins. With 28 regular season games remaining, the Thunder’s dominance this season has them on pace to set a new NBA record.
Thunder Looking To Set New NBA Record With 28 Games Left
Thunder On Pace To Set NBA Record For Point Differential
The Thunder aren’t on pace to have the best record in NBA history. As a matter of fact, at 44-10, they already have more losses than the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who went 73-9. Despite that, Oklahoma City still is on pace to have the best scoring differential margin in NBA history.
Through their first 54 games, the Thunder are averaging 117.8 points while giving up 104.9. They are outscoring their opponent by 12.93 points per contest. If they can keep up a similar rate for their final 28 outings, they will finish with the best point differential in NBA history. Nearly one-third of their wins (14) have come by 20+ points. Only eight of their wins have come by less than 10 points. Oklahoma City’s largest margin of victory came on January 12 when they defeated the Washington Wizards by 41 points.
Remarkably, it took the Thunder 54 games to finally lose a game by more than 11 points. In their most recent outing on February 13, they fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves by the score of 116-101. Otherwise, their other nine losses have come by two, 11, two, six, three, seven, eight, six, and seven points.
It’s all the more incredible that they have done so when Holmgren has been out of the lineup so often. Arguably their second-best player, the 22-year-old has only appeared in 13 of Oklahoma City’s first 54 outings. The 7-foot-1 big man missed 39 straight games from November 11 until February 5 due to a right iliac fracture.
Best Point Differential Came More Than 5 Decades Ago
If the season ended today, the Thunder’s +12.93 point differential per game would be the best in NBA history. Will they finish the season still atop the list?
The best point differential per game in a full season comes courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers. During the 1971-72 season, they outscored their opponents by 12.28 points per contest. They finished the regular season 69-13 and won the NBA Finals, defeating the New York Knicks in five games.
Altogether, the Lakers outscored their opponents by 1,007 points for the season. Through their first 54 games, the Thunder have outscored the opposition by 698 points. That means in order to surpass Los Angeles, they would need to score 310 more points than their opponents over their last 28 games. That would entail the Thunder ending the year with a +11.07 point differential over their remaining schedule.
The Thunder’s next game comes on Friday, February 21 where they travel to play against the 13-41 Utah Jazz. Oklahoma City has 13 games left at home and 15 on the road.
Photo credit: © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
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