According to Michael Stamps of Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder have set the NBA record for most double digit wins in a season with 51. They accomplished the feat in a 136-120 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder broke the record previously set by the 1971-72 Lakers, which won 50 games by double digits.
In Oklahoma City’s record breaking game, five Thunder players reached double digits in points. Canadian Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario led Oklahoma City in scoring with 42 points. Shooting guard Jalen Williams of Denver, Colorado had 26 points, Canadian small forward Luguentz Dort of Montreal. Quebec had 17 points, center Chet Holmgren of Minneapolis, Minnesota had 14 points, and shooting guard Cason Wallace of Dallas, Texas had 11 points off the bench. Meanwhile, center Isaiah Hartenstein of Eugene, Oregon had a team high 15 rebounds.
Then on Wednesday, the Thunder extended the streak to 52 games with a 125-112 win over the Phoenix Suns. Williams led the way with 33 points. The Oklahoma City win over Phoenix was noteworthy. That is because it eliminated the Suns from the NBA playoffs. The fact the Suns are not making the playoffs is significant because they have the highest pay roll in the entire league at $220.7 million.
Oklahoma City has the best record in the NBA at 66 wins and 14 losses for a winning percentage of .825. They have also clinched home court advantage for the entire NBA playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers can tie the Thunder for the best record in the NBA. However, the Thunder have the tiebreaker because they have a better record against the Eastern Conference (29-1) than the Cavaliers have done against the Western Conference (23-7).
For FREE!
