OKC Thunder Claim Top Spot in NBA Power Rankings

Oklahoma City’s recent stretch was good enough to take over the top spot in the latest power rankings.

Jan 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrate after Cason scores against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s win streak extended to 15 games on Sunday night, and the victory might have been its most impressive of the season. The Thunder took down the reigning champion Boston Celtics behind a near-perfect second half and stifling defense down the stretch. 

With a 30-5 overall record, there’s hardly any holes to poke in Oklahoma City across the board. This is not only one of the NBA’s best teams this season, but one of the best teams we’ve seen in recent memory. The Thunder look like a certified juggernaut and there’s no slowing this team down. Even when the shots aren’t falling, they seem virtually impossible to score on for a full four quarters.

Because of the recent success and the body of work this season, Oklahoma City has taken over the top spot in the latest edition of NBA power rankings.

“Because the Emirates NBA Cup Championship doesn’t count as a regular-season game, the Thunder’s winning streak is now at 15 games, tying the Cavs’ 15-0 start for the longest streak in the league in the last two seasons,” John Schuhmann wrote. “More than half of those wins (eight) have come against teams that currently have winning records.”

“With the weekend wins over the Knicks and Celtics, the Thunder are 11-0 against the Eastern Conference. The Cavs (winners of 10 straight overall) are 10-0 against the West. So something has got to give when the two best teams in the league meet in Cleveland on Wednesday.”

Oklahoma City took over Cleveland’s No. 1 spot — and honestly, there’s nothing that the Cavaliers could’ve done to prevent this. Cleveland is riding its own 10-game winning streak, and they’re the only team in the NBA with a better record than OKC at 31-4. The Thunder’s win over Boston, however, proved how real this team is and showed that they’re a serious threat to win the NBA Finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been putting up video game like numbers during the team’s win streak, and more importantly, since Chet Holmgren went down. Even without Holmgren, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell, this team is still straight up dominating.

Cleveland will have a chance to steal back the top spot on Wednesday night as the two best teams in the NBA meet up for a primetime matchup on ESPN. The Thunder and Cavaliers will meet twice over the next two weeks, and it should be a great measuring stick for both teams.

For now, though, it’s Oklahoma City alone at the top. The Thunder’s 7.0 game lead on first place in the Western Conference and victory over Boston speaks for itself.

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