Will OKC Thunder Have Luxury of Playing From Ahead in Standings Again?

The Thunder have been at the top of the West almost non-stop for the past two seasons.

Nov 26, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) high fives Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) after a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma City is looking to win another championship next season, and it could benefit from having the same luxury it’s had for the past couple of years.

Over the past two seasons, the Thunder have been a dominant force throughout the regular season. Winning 68 games in 2024-25 and 64 games in 2025-26, the Thunder have managed to finish each season with the best record in the league, securing home-court advantage for the entire postseason.

While it won’t be an easy feat, Oklahoma City will be looking to do the same again next season. With some offseason changes and some first- and second-year players looking to get into the rotation, there could be some early struggles in comparison to recent seasons.

That could threaten Oklahoma City in terms of having one of its most useful luxuries over the past couple of seasons. Of course, that luxury has been the ability to play from ahead in the standings.

For almost the entire 82-game slate of each of the past two seasons, the Thunder have held the No. 1 spot in the West. Much of that time has also been spent having the best record league-wide. 

While having the lead adds some pressure to hold onto the top spot, it is absolutely a luxury for Oklahoma City, as evidenced by its February last season. Despite missing some combination of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell throughout the month, the Thunder ground out some important wins and remained at No. 1 in the West as the San Antonio Spurs tried their best to make up ground.

Had the Thunder been trying to make up ground on San Antonio or even just been in a tie with the Spurs in the standings, it could’ve led to a small midseason collapse of sorts. Instead, Oklahoma City still had a bit of a mental edge, knowing it wasn’t trying to make up ground and pressing its way to poor performances.

Starting the season with a matchup in San Antonio, the Thunder’s hopes of playing from ahead will be put to the test early. The Spurs had the edge in the season series and ultimately took out the Thunder in the conference finals, so the Thunder shouldn’t treat this as simply one of 82, especially considering the result could determine if Oklahoma City will be able to hold the No. 1 spot for the majority of the season.