The Thunder continued their incredible run on Saturday night, taking down the Suns (138-89) in the NBA Cup quarterfinal to improve to a staggering 24-1 on the season. With each win, Oklahoma City looks more polished, more confident, and more comfortable in the spotlight, and MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear afterward that their success is no accident.
“We hold ourselves to a high standard. Most importantly, it’s about us getting better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. “No matter where we’re at today, we want to be better tomorrow. And then there was a little bit of money on the line, so we woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.”
His comments reflected how locked in the Thunder are, even with all the outside noise surrounding their record and the expectations that come with it. The group continues to thrive by leaning into structure, accountability, and unselfishness, and Shai pointed directly to those habits when explaining their offensive rhythm.
“We just move the ball really well. We play together, we play with purpose, and we’re very decisive on offense. We try to play in our comfort zone and when we do that, we’re a pretty good offense.”
Winners of 16 straight, Oklahoma City is on a historic run right now, and they have no intention of slowing down. They have been dominant all season, and tonight was their latest masterpiece, beating Phoenix by 49 points in what has become a growing trend for this team. For his part, Shai dropped 28 points, two rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block on 73.3 percent shooting (3-4 from three).
The Thunder shot 59.1 percent for the game and totaled 32 assists on the night, highlighting the effectiveness of their elite offense. With scorers and playmakers at every position, they have very few weaknesses on the court, but Shai still isn’t satisfied.
Even after the best start in franchise history, and one of the greatest stretches in league history, Gilgeous-Alexander is always looking to improve, and that mentality has seeped into the identity of this Thunder team.
As for what’s next, the Thunder are set for a showdown against the Spurs on Saturday in Las Vegas. The winner of that game will move on to the NBA Cup Final for a matchup against either the Knicks or Magic. While those games will not count toward the season win total, there is money on the line that has successfully given them a little extra push.
At this point, the Thunder are favored to win every game and are on pace to shatter the NBA’s all-time win record (set by the 73-9 Warriors in 2015-16). Ultimately, however, those achievements come secondary to the championship, and they are committed to being the first repeat champs since the 2018 Warriors.
With their confidence rising and their identity sharper than ever, the Thunder now stand just two wins away from another trophy. The path only gets tougher from here, but this group has shown no signs of flinching. If they maintain this level of focus, their journey in Las Vegas may be just another step in what is shaping up to be a truly historic season.
