Inside The Thunder

OKC Thunder Holds Top Three Spot in NBA Power Rankings

Oklahoma City is holding steady in the latest edition of NBA power rankings.

Ross Lovelace

Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after score in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after score in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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Oklahoma City is having another fine stretch in what has been a tremendous season. The Thunder pulled off a three-game win streak against the Eastern Conference — including victories over Boston and Milwaukee — to improve to 24-1 against the East.

It was another 30-point outing for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been unconscious during the Thunder’s road trip. The Thunder’s superstar dropped 48 points in Detroit and led this team without two starters. Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort have both missed time, but this team just continues to win.

In the NBA’s latest power rankings, Oklahoma City held steady in the top three. Cleveland isn’t giving any ground on the top spot, but the Thunder and Cavs might as well be 1A and 1B at this point. The Thunder might’ve notched the one spot and could’ve tied Cleveland’s overall record had they taken care of business against Denver. OKC fell short, though. 

“The Thunder’s loss to the Nuggets last Monday was their worst defensive game of the season (140 points allowed on 99 possessions) by a huge margin and, at that point, they ranked 17th defensively since the All-Star break,” John Schuhmann wrote. “But they then held the Celtics, Pistons and Bucks to just 109.1 per 100 over a 3-0 trip, even though they lost Lu Dort to a hip injury in Detroit on Friday.”

Oklahoma City and Cleveland are interchangeable at this point. Oklahoma City owns a 56-12 record, and Cleveland 56-11. The two teams have had battles against eachother over the course of the season suggesting these are two of the best teams in basketball.

The Thunder's defense has taken a hit, but the offense is finally soaring. Oklahoma City got back on track defensively Sunday night in Milwaukee, too, holding the Bucks to just 105 points. Part of the reason the Thunder's offense has been so good has obviously been due to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been powering the offense, averaging an amazing 35.1 points (no other player has averaged 30) since the break,” Schuhmann wrote. “But, even though Jalen Williams has missed the last 3 1/2 games, the Thunder have also been surviving when the Kia MVP candidate gets to rest. They’ve outscored their opponents by 11.0 points per 100 possessions in his 213 post-break minutes off the floor, from plus-0.4 per 100 with him on the floor before the break.

SGA and the Thunder have a spot in the top three no matter what down the stretch. Standing alone at the top in June is all that matters, though.

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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Ross is a 2023 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the OU Daily and Prep Hoops. He now works for the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee and covers OU sports for AllSooners.com. He has been covering the Thunder since the 2019-20 season.

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