The Oklahoma City Thunder were the best team in basketball last year. They won 68 games and had the best record in the league practically from the start. They capped it off with an NBA title. 

But what they did not win last year was the in-season NBA Cup. That one eluded them in a 98-81 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the tournament final in Las Vegas.

They didn't have many bad days last year, but that was one of them. Those 81 points were their lowest total of the season — by far. They scored at least 98 points in every other game all year.

So now they're back in Las Vegas, with another shot at the NBA Cup title. They want to win it. Want to win it bad. They take on the San Antonio Spurs at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday night. (Full schedule below.)

"Whenever you get a chance to play for something and win, it's always the goal to win," Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Friday during NBA Cup media availability. "It's always the same feeling. So it would be phenomenal to win, that's for sure."

The Thunder are 24-1 this season, and that tied for the greatest mark in NBA history along with the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors. They are the envy of the league right now. 

Here's the story from Thunder Roundtable writer Daniel Bell on how the Thunder have become the league's model franchise.

The Thunder have won 16 straight games. The NBA Cup games count in the regular season, except for the championship game, which is an extra game off the schedule. They are on pace to win 78 games this season, which is five better than Golden State's 73-9 record in that 2016-17 season.

There's plenty of talk about chasing it already, and the Thunder are all in.

"Absolutely. Winning matters,'' Gilgeous-Alexander said. "And no matter what form it looks like to me. So absolutely. We are trying to be a better version of ourselves every night we go out there, and we like to hunt in that form 

"If we didn't get better tonight, then we wasted an opportunity. That's kind of how we see it."

Semifinals

New York Knicks (17-7) vs. Orlando Magic (15-10), 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. TV/Streaming: Amazon Prime Video

San Antonio Spurs (17-7) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (24-1), 9 p.m. ET Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. TV/Streaming: Amazon Prime Video

Finals

Knicks-Magic winner vs. Spurs-Thunder winner, Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. TV/Streaming: Amazon Prime Video

Quarterfinal results
New York Knicks 117, Toronto Raptors 101
Orlando Magic 117, Miami Heat 108
San Antonio Spurs 132, Los Angeles Lakers 119
Oklahoma City Thunder 138, Phoenix Suns 89

Quarterfinals
Milwaukee Bucks 146, New York Knicks 122
Indiana Pacers 122, Boston Celtics 112
Los Angeles Lakers 106, Phoenix Suns 103
New Orleans Pelicans 127, Sacramento Kings 117

Semifinals in Las Vegas
Indiana Pacers 128, Milwaukee Bucks 119
Los Angeles Lakers 133, New Orleans Pelicans 89

Final in Las Vegas
Los Angeles Lakers 123, Indiana Pacers 109

Quarterfinals
Milwaukee Bucks 114, Orlando Magic 109
Atlanta Hawks 108, New York Knicks 100
Oklahoma City Thunder 118, Dallas Mavericks 104
Houston Rockets 91, Golden State Warriors 90 

Semifinals in Las Vegas
Milwaukee Bucks 110, Atlanta Hawks 102
Oklahoma City Thunder 111, Houston Rockets 96

Final in Las Vegas
Milwaukee Bucks 98, Oklahoma City Thunder 81