OKC equal best 25-game start in NBA history with franchise-record 16th straight win

A 138-89 win over the Phoenix Suns means the Thunder have won 24 of their first 25 games this season

The Thunder are the defending NBA champions after winning their first championship last season (Getty Images)

The Oklahoma City Thunder have equalled the best 25-game start in the history of the NBA, as the 2025 champions began their championship defence with a near-perfect record.

A 138-89 win over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Cup quarter-finals means the Thunder have won 24 of their first 25 games this season, equalling the record set by the Golden State Warriors in 2015/16.

The defending champions sit top of the Western Conference with a 24-1 conference record, with the Denver Nuggets the closest competition at 17-6 for the season.

2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has continued his 2024/25 form this season, scoring at least 20 points in the last 96 straight games (Getty Images)

The victory is a franchise-record 16th straight win for the Thunder, with 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 28 points to mark 96 games in a row with 20 or more points. The Thunder have now won 92 of their 107 regular-season games since the start of last season, with 68 regular-season wins in 2024/25 and a total of 84 wins including the play-offs and Finals, which is the third-most in NBA history.

The record for the most wins in a regular season is 73, set by Golden State in 2015/16, and while the Thunder are currently 24-1, there is some way to go to yet, though they’re certainly on track to better their 68-14 record from last season.

The result means the Thunder will face the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup semi-finals in Las Vegas on Saturday, with the defending NBA champions looking to go one better in the NBA’s annual in-season tournament this year, having lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024/25. The other semi-final sees Orlando Magic take on the New York Knicks for a place in the final on Tuesday, 16 December.