Dominance on the Court: Can OKC Win 74+ Games This Season?

The 2025-26 NBA season has become a relentless march toward history, and at the center of the storm sits the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fresh off their 2025 NBA Championship, the Thunder haven’t shown a hint of a “title hangover.” Instead, they have spent the first half of the season systematically dismantling the league, sparking a conversation that was once thought settled: Can anyone ever break the 73-9 record set by the 2016 Golden State Warriors?

As of late January 2026, the Thunder sit at a staggering 37-8 record. While a mid-season “slump” (by their impossible standards) has made the path to 74 wins steeper, the statistical dominance of this roster suggests that history is still very much on the table. Even with the pressure mounting and every game counting, Oklahoma City continues to outscore and outlast opponents in nearly every matchup, reinforcing their status as one of the most formidable teams the league has ever seen.

The Historic Start and the 24-1 Peak

To understand how we got here, one must look at the first two months of the season. Oklahoma City tied the 2015-16 Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history, opening the year with a mind-boggling 24-1 record. During that stretch, OKC wasn’t just winning; they were embarrassing opponents with an average margin of victory exceeding 15 points. The engine of this dominance is the reigning league MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). Currently averaging 32.0 points per game on elite efficiency, SGA has mastered the art of the “short night,” often sitting out entire fourth quarters because the game is already decided.

The “Draymond Warning”: Mental vs. Physical Fatigue

The primary obstacle to 74 wins isn’t necessarily the opponent on the other side of the court; it’s the mental toll of the chase. Draymond Green, a key architect of the Warriors’ 73-win season, recently weighed in on OKC’s pursuit, noting that the grind “takes years off your life.” Sportsbooks currently list long odds on OKC winning 74+ games, reflecting just how challenging a perfect finish would be.

The Warriors’ 2016 campaign is often cited as a cautionary tale. By pushing for the record, they arrived at the NBA Finals physically drained and mentally frayed, ultimately losing a 3-1 lead to Cleveland. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault faces a difficult dilemma: push for the “greatest regular season of all time” or prioritize health for a back-to-back championship run?

Recent stumbles—including a three-game season series loss to the rising San Antonio Spurs and a surprising blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets—suggest the Thunder may already be shifting their focus. After their loss to Miami on January 17, even Steve Kerr remarked that the 73-win mark would likely remain untouched. He further cites the sheer difficulty of maintaining that level of focus for six months.

The Math of 74 Wins

To reach the magic number of 74 wins, a team can only afford eight losses across an 82-game season. With the Thunder currently sitting at eight losses as of January 23, 2026, the margin for error has officially vanished. NBA Updates and Insights on FanDuel highlight just how rare and difficult this feat would be, emphasizing that Oklahoma City must go undefeated for the remainder of the season to break the record. Every remaining game is effectively a must-win, turning the stretch run into one of the most pressure-filled in league history. The challenge isn’t just talent—it’s sustaining focus and performance through the final months of the campaign.

While a 37-game winning streak to end the year sounds like a tall order, the Thunder’s roster is uniquely built to handle the “dog days” of the NBA calendar. Unlike the top-heavy record-chasers of the past, OKC’s “superpower” is its depth. With Chet Holmgren anchoring a historic defense and Jalen Williams providing secondary playmaking, the Thunder have the luxury of resting stars without sacrificing their identity. The off-season addition of Isaiah Hartenstein has also stabilized their rebounding—previously their only weakness—allowing them to dominate the glass and the scoreboard simultaneously.

The Verdict: Legend vs. Legacy

If the Thunder finish with 70+ wins and a second consecutive trophy, they enter the conversation for the greatest team in basketball history. However, the “74-win” dream now requires a level of perfection that rarely exists in the modern NBA’s era of parity and player movement. Whether they break the record or “settle” for 68 or 70 wins, this Oklahoma City squad has already proven that their model of rebuilding through the draft and patient asset management is the gold standard of the league.

They are young, they are deep, and they are dominant. The question is no longer “Are they good enough?” but rather “How much does the record matter to them?” In Oklahoma City, where the focus has always been on the “process,” a second ring likely carries more weight than a 74th win. But as long as SGA is on the floor and the wins keep piling up, the ghost of 73-9 will continue to haunt every arena the Thunder visit.