OKC Thunder's Dominance Against Bad Teams Has Led to Hot Early Start

Every game is important, but taking care of business against bad teams has been the key to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s hot start.

The Thunder has been one of the NBA’s surprise teams this season. While they were expected to take another step forward this season with the addition of Chet Holmgren, the Thunder was not expected to sit at second in the Western Conference through a quarter of the season.

After Monday’s blowout win against the Utah Jazz, the Thunder moved to 15-7 this season. Much like their win against the Jazz, the Thunder has made a living against teams under .500 this season.

Half of Oklahoma City’s games have come against teams with losing records, and it boasts a 10-1 record in those matchups. Oklahoma City’s lone loss came in its first matchup against the Golden State Warriors.

The Thunder’s loss came in their first In-Season Tournament game in a controversial two-point loss with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out injured. With their superstar available in the next three matchups with the Warriors, the Thunder went 3-0.

The Thunder’s domination of teams with losing records began in the season opener with a 20-point road win against the Chicago Bulls. The Thunder used a big second-half run to pull away in that one and has typically used a large scoring run to take control against other bad teams.

Beating underperforming teams also helped Oklahoma City build a six-game winning streak, its largest since the 2018-19 season. That stretch ended with five games against teams with losing records.

The Thunder not only won those games but also displayed their dominance. Aside from an overtime comeback against the Warriors, the Thunder had four wins of at least 14 points, including a 36-point win against the San Antonio Spurs and a 43-point win in Portland.

However, the Thunder will not get to show out against those teams in the next couple of weeks, as only one of their next 10 games comes against a team with a losing record.

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