Thunder blow out Suns, match 73-win Warriors with 24-1 start - ESPN

OKLAHOMA CITY — How will the Oklahoma City Thunder handle the distractions that come along with being historically dominant?

That's the kind of challenge the defending champions face after the Thunder have followed up last season's title run by matching the best 25-game start in NBA history.

Oklahoma City punched its ticket to Las Vegas with a 138-89 win over the Phoenix Suns in Wednesday's NBA Cup quarterfinals at the Paycom Center. It was the most lopsided loss in Phoenix history and the biggest blowout of this season, but the Thunder have made routs seem routine during a 24-1 start, which had only been done before by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.

Oklahoma City has outscored opponents by an average of 17.4 points this season, putting the Thunder on pace to obliterate the record they set last season of a plus-12.9 average point differential. Seventeen of the Thunder's wins have come by double-digit margins.

«Winning is never boring. There was a time where some players on our team were getting blown out,» Thunder forward Jalen Williams said, referencing a 73-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 2, 2021. «So I think a lot of guys have that in the back of their mind. Even me, my first year we weren't winning a ton — we were solid, but I think I have that in the back of my mind. And you can't get bored with the process.»

It's an accomplishment of sorts for an opponent to push the Thunder enough for reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to play in the fourth quarter.

That didn't happen Wednesday. After scoring 28 points in 27 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander checked out along with the rest of the Oklahoma City starters with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter. The Thunder were up by 41 at that point, a lead that