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The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a perfect 3-0 record in the opening week of the 2024-25 NBA season. One of only two 3-0 teams in the Western Conference, one ESPN analyst believes the Thunder and champion Celtics are in a league of their own one week into the regular season. In light of ClutchPoints' first NBA power rankings, listing the Thunder as No. 2 in the young campaign, he might not be the only one.
While labeling Oklahoma City as the NBA's best defensive team, Brett Siegel breaks down how devastating life has been for their first-week opponents.
“Defensively, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been locked in and very impressive. This young team held the Denver Nuggets to 87 points in their first game of the season, and they held the Atlanta Hawks' fast-paced offense to only 104 points on Sunday,” Siegal wrote. “Mark Daigneault has the best defensive team in the league right now, and the scary thing is that the Thunder haven't played with Isaiah Hartenstein yet.”
Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a hand injury in the preseason. He will only elevate the Thunder's defense while making life easier for OKC's big man, Chet Holmgren, who's playing at an All-Star level.
“Although their three-point shot has been abysmal, as OKC is only shooting 27.6 percent from deep as a team, this group has been scoring at a high rate in the paint,” Siegal added. “The Thunder rank only behind the Lakers right now in paint scoring. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren playing like All-Stars, plus the depth they have at every position, the Thunder are clearly the best team in the West.”
After trailing the Hawks 92-91 in the fourth quarter, the Thunder went on a 13-0 run and finished the game 28-for-49 inside the 3-point arc.
Are the Thunder are keeping up with the 2024 champion Celtics?
The Oklahoma City Thunder ranked No. 2 on NBA.com's first Power Rankings of the regular season. They are trailing only the champion Boston Celtics, per John Schuhmann.
“The Thunder have kept pace with the champs, becoming just the 11th team in NBA history to win each of its first three games by at least 15 points,” Schuhmann wrote.
The Thunder have a chance at making history in their next game.
“Only one team in NBA history — the 1971-72, 69-13 Lakers — has won its first four games by at least 15 points,” Schuhmann added. “The Thunder can be the second on Wednesday when we get our first Holmgren-Wembanyama matchup of the season.”
The Thunder are hosting the Spurs on Wednesday.
