At 20-1, the Oklahoma City Thunder are off to the second-best start in NBA history.
On Tuesday, the reigning NBA champions will take on the only franchise that has started better, the Golden State Warriors, when the teams square off in San Francisco.
The Warriors opened the 2015-16 season with 24 consecutive wins, then finished the season losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
The only other teams in league history to start 20-1 or better were the 1969-70 Knicks and 1993-94 Rockets, both of which were 20-1 and went on to win the NBA title.
The Thunder are riding a 12-game winning streak. With its dominant start — beating teams by an average of 15.5 points per game — Oklahoma City has had to work against complacency.
“We don’t have the mentality of the … hunted,” Thunder star Jalen Williams said. “We are the hunters at all times. … That’s not even trying to be arrogant, that’s not how we see it or feel it. We’re trying to be on the offensive every night and that’s the challenge. Every night when we’re going into the challenge, it’s like how do we take teams’ best punch but also throw ours.”
That mentality has fueled the Thunder to compete internally, including a competition between Williams and Cason Wallace over who can finish the season with more steals.
“This is a pretty autonomous locker room,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “I think that’s a good example of it. I think it’s also a team that enjoys playing the game and enjoys competing. … It can become mundane.
“You have to have a team that can generate its own energy, and that’s what great about these guys.”
The winning streak is tied for the second longest for the franchise since it moved to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season.
The Thunder also won 12 consecutive games in 2012-13 and had a 15-game winning streak last season.
The current streak includes a 126-102 home win over Golden State on Nov. 11. Both teams will look a little different this time.
Golden State star Stephen Curry is out with a right quadriceps contusion and muscle strain. He suffered the injury during the Nov. 26 loss to Houston and missed Saturday’s win over New Orleans. Though he’s not expected to miss significant time, Curry will be out for Tuesday’s matchup.
The Warriors’ Al Horford is doubtful. Horford, who missed the Nov. 11 game against the Thunder, has missed the last three games due to sciatica. Trayce Jackson-Davis has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
Golden State is expected to have one Curry in the lineup, though, as veteran guard Seth Curry is expected to make his Warriors’ debut after officially signing Monday.
“He gives us another great shooter, a guy who’s really solid with the ball, a total pro, ready on a moment’s notice,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s exciting. Obviously we’ve been anticipating this and he’s been staying as ready as possible.”
While the Thunder recently got Williams back after he missed the first 19 games recovering from wrist surgery, they’ve yet to be fully healthy. Isaiah Hartenstein has missed the last two games with a right calf strain while Alex Caruso sat out Sunday’s win in Portland with right quadriceps soreness.
