OKC Thunder Can Cement Themselves as NBA’s No. 1 with Win Over Cavaliers

With a win over Cleveland on Wednesday night, Oklahoma City can cement itself as the league’s top team.

Jan 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) moves the ball around Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) during the fourth quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

With a superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the deepest roster in the league and a 15-game win-streak — the largest in franchise history — the Thunder look to be the NBA’s top team so far this season. In everything but record, of course.

Oklahoma City currently sits atop the West, boasting a 30-5 record. Its best player sits high on most MVP rankings to this point, and its defense has seen unprecedented levels of success in a variety of categories. Even more, its DNA-changing star in center Chet Holmgren has been injured for a number of weeks with a fractured hip, but the team has still seen success.

Despite all of that, as it stands now, the Cleveland Cavaliers own a one-game lead over OKC at 31-4 on the season. 

The Cavs are boasting a 10-game win-streak of their own, and began their season with the very same that OKC is on now. They’ve only lost to Boston, Atlanta twice in back-to-back games, and Miami in early December. 

Cleveland has a fearsome four made up of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland in the backcourt, and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the frontcourt, with great role players like Dean Wade, Caris LeVert, Ty Jerome and more.

Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT, the unstoppable force meets the immovable object at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. 

Suffice it to say, a win would do plenty for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It would give the teams equal footing in the standings, push the win-streak to 16 and help to bolster Gilgeous-Alexander’s case as the 2024-25 MVP.

The team has already bested New York and Boston in successive games, and a win in Cleveland would leave little doubt who the top team in the league is at this point in time.

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