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The Oklahoma City Thunder are possibly composing the greatest campaign in franchise history, going from a 40-win team to a certified monster in just two year's time. They improved to 65-14 after Tuesday's 136-120 home victory versus the Los Angeles Lakers (48-31), etching their name in the NBA history books as a result.
OKC earns its 51st double-digit win of the season, coincidentally jumping ahead of the 1971-72 Lakers for most all-time. That LA squad, led by Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich, defeated the New York Knicks in the Finals. The Thunder are hoping their regular season dominance similarly leads to a celebratory conclusion in June.
Their latest triumph is a little misleading, however. Oklahoma City trailed Los Angeles 108-107 with 7:40 remaining in the game, before Luka Doncic was assessed his second technical foul and subsequently ejected. Official J.T. Orr drew the ire of many after tossing the superstar guard for what he deemed to be vulgar language, which was possibly directed at a fan. No matter the case, the complexion of the game drastically changed after Doncic left the floor.
The Thunder outscored the Lakers 29-12 to end the contest, denying their opponent the opportunity to beat them twice at home in the span of three days. People can speculate about what would have happened if the referee refrained from taking action in the fourth quarter, but OKC still blew past a team that features the legendary LeBron James and rising guard Austin Reaves.
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The Thunder are eying immortality
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried himself like the presumptive MVP he is, scoring 42 points on 14-of-26 shooting while also posting six rebounds, six assists and one block. Jalen Williams added an efficient 26 points and Isaiah Hartenstein anchored the low post area, collecting 15 boards and two blocks.
Gilgeous-Alexander can take over games in every aspect on offense, but a complete team effort will be needed in the latter stages of the playoffs. OKC and LA could meet in the Western Conference Finals, or potentially earlier, so head coach Mark Daigneault and company must be prepared to enter another gear like they did on Tuesday in the Paycom Center.
Blowout victories send a strong message, but ugly wins count the same on the scoreboard. There might come a time during the upcoming postseason when the Thunder have to simply survive.
