Thunder on brink of history with enticing NBA Cup matchup against Timberwolves originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There have only been four teams in NBA history to start a season with a record of 18-1 or better.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDuring the 1969-70 season, the New York Knicks became the first team to accomplish the feat, winning 18 of their first 19 games. Twenty years later, the Portland Trailblazers joined the club, and the 1993-94 NBA champions, the Houston Rockets, became the third team to do so.
Fast forward to the 2015-16 season, when the Golden State Warriors did not lose one game in their first 19 contests.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder have an opportunity to join that short list of teams tonight, as they host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Western Conference Finals rematch
Wednesday night's NBA Cup game between the Thunder and Timberwolves is a rematch of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, a series that Oklahoma City won in five games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTo this point in the season, the Thunder are clear favorites to repeat as champions of the NBA. They've defeated their opponents by 13 points or more in every contest of their current nine-game win streak.
The Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards and company would love to spoil Oklahoma City's fun, but Minnesota is just 1-5 against opponents with a .500 or better record.
Gilgeous-Alexander eclipsed the 37-point mark in four of his last five games against the Timberwolves, but that seems to be a regular occurrence for the reigning MVP against any opposing team.
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