Inside The Thunder

OKC Thunder Break Team Record for Steals in a Season

The Thunder have been turning opponents over like no other team Oklahoma City has seen.

Ivan White

Mar 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reach for a loose ball during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reach for a loose ball during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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Oklahoma City’s defensive philosophy has been simple and effective, and the numbers prove it.

The Thunder entered their game against the Indiana Pacers holding the top overall seed and coming off of a win against the Memphis Grizzlies that set a new team record for wins in a season at 61. In win 62 against the Pacers, the Thunder were able to break another team record.

With nine steals against the Pacers, the Thunder hit 768 steals for the season, the most they’ve had in their 17 seasons in Oklahoma City. With eight games to spare, the Thunder broke the record of 766, which was held by the 2018-19 Thunder.

While steals only account for the live-ball turnovers the Thunder force, that also makes them the most valuable turnovers as they often lead to easy buckets in transition. For a team that focuses heavily on forcing turnovers, getting as many steals as possible is a key part of the Thunder’s success.

As the league’s top defensive team, the Thunder have clearly taken advantage of its ability to force turnovers and get steals. This season, the Thunder boast three of the top eight steals leaders in the league in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams, all of whom have the potential to make an All-Defensive team.

One of the most staggering parts of the Thunder setting the steal record is how far ahead it is of last season’s 57-win team. Despite the 2023-24 Thunder being the best in the league in forcing turnovers and being tied for the most steals, this season’s team already has 74 more steals with another eight games remaining.

Assuming Oklahoma City can maintain its average of 10.4 steals per game, it would finish with around 851 steals, which is 157 more than the 694 last season’s team came up with. That would also mean Oklahoma City finishes with nearly 100 more steals than its previous best season.

The Thunder have proven to be a dominant defensive team all season, and as the playoffs near, they simply continue to showcase their talent on that end of the floor. While the Thunder’s defense is about much more than steals, that stat tends to tell a story of dominance for the Oklahoma City defense.

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Ivan White
IVAN WHITE

Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered the OKC Thunder since 2022 and covers OSU athletics for The O’Colly.

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