OKC Thunder's Road Trip Continues Dominance Over Eastern Conference

The Thunder improved to 24-1 against the East this season after sweeping the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks on its recent road trip.

Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks for a shot against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Games on the road? 27-7. Games against .500 or better teams? 26-8. Games that ended in double-digit margins? 43-3.

However you slice it, the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder has been extremely successful. It holds the NBA's highest net rating (+12.2) with the best defensive rating (106.2) and fourth-best offensive rating (118.5). The Thunder has 13 fewer losses than any other Western Conference squad and requires just two wins in 14 games to clinch the No. 1 seed.

Oklahoma City's most dominant statistic this season: A 24-1 record against the Eastern Conference. The team's lone loss was a back-and-forth affair against the similarly dominant Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 8 before getting its revenge with a 20-point blowout eight days later.

"It's not a goal going into the season," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "We just play the game in front of us, compete together, improve through the season and let the results be what they are. If the results are good, that's great. If they're not, we'll learn from them. This team's accomplished great things this season, but we've done it a day at a time — and we've gotta continue to have that mindset."

This week, the Thunder played the playoff-bound Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks on the road without All-Star Jalen Williams. It escaped despite experiencing late-game adversity in the first two matchups before blowing out the Bucks to secure an undefeated trip.

Each game featured different heroes. Chet Holmgren recorded 23 points including three triples, 15 rebounds (four offensive), two assists, a block and staunch perimeter defense against the Celtics. Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points.

In Detroit, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 48 points on 17-for-26 shooting, six assists, four rebounds and three steals, and Cason Wallace tallied a season-high 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting with five rebounds and three steals — as Holmgren rested and Luguentz Dort left with a third-quarter groin injury.

Isaiah Hartenstein registered a career-high 24 points on 15 shots, 12 rebounds (two offensive) and three assists against the Bucks while matching up against annual All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo on the other end. Isaiah Joe knocked down five 3-pointers on his way to 19 points, six rebounds and two assists Sunday night.

"Being down bodies, we had to be the team to punch first — and I think we did a pretty good job of that on this road trip," Joe said.

Oklahoma City has five more Eastern Conference matchups, all at home: The Philadelphia 76ers this Wednesday, March 19, the Charlotte Hornets on March 21, the Indiana Pacers on March 29, the Chicago Bulls on March 31 and the Pistons on April 2.

"I think we just do a good job of taking it one game at a time," Joe said. "We know the end goal that we're all trying to achieve, and we know that it all starts in the now. We can't get too complacent and look too far in the future. We do a really good job of having that 0-0 mindset, attacking each game as if they hold the same amount of weight, and continuing to grow as a team no matter who we're playing."

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