Shai Gilgeous-Alexander terrorizes Warriors as Thunder become only fourth team to reach historic start

The Oklahoma City Thunder are showing no signs of slowing down as they recorded their 21st victory in 22 games, beating the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Tuesday.

Shai takes over again

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once again the star of the show for OKC, scoring 38 points, 16 more than anyone else on either side, along with four assists and three rebounds.

The 27-year-old won the MVP award as the Thunder were crowned NBA champions in 2024-25 and many believe there could be repeat winners in both categories this year.

A historic start to the season

With their win over the Warriors, Oklahoma became only the fourth team in NBA history to start a season 21-1 or better. They had already posted the second-best start ever, trailing only the 2015-16 Golden State team that opened with 24 straight victories.

Ironically, the Warriors didn’t win the championship that season, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The Californians had been champions the previous year and reclaimed the title in each of the following two seasons.

Good omens from the past

The two other teams to begin 21-1 or better were the New York Knicks in 1969-70 and the Houston Rockets in 1991-92. On both occasions, those franchises went on to win the NBA championship, which the Thunder will hope is a good omen.

Thunder keep widening the gap

The victory against the Warriors pushed Oklahoma City’s winning streak to 13 games and strengthened their huge lead at the top of the Western Conference. OKC are five games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (15-5) and six clear of the Houston Rockets (13-5), San Antonio Spurs (14-6), and Denver Nuggets (14-6).

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