Undrafted heroes, epic comebacks, and stunning upsets define OKC's path. Discover the five most thrilling victories shaping their 2025-2026 season.
The odds were stacked heavily against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a nationally televised home game on Sunday afternoon.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had won 7 straight games. They were undefeated since trading for former MVP James Harden. And Kenny Atkinson's squad was fully healthy. Meanwhile, OKC was missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. For the first time all season, the Vegas oddsmakers pegged Oklahoma City as an underdog in the friendly confines of The Paycom Center.
Yet the Thunder bucked the bettors and rolled to a wholly impressive win in front of an ABC exclusive audience.
The unlikely victory inspired this RoundTable writer to wonder: was this the best OKC win of the season?
So I decided to answer my own question with some research and a ranking.
Top 5 Thunder Wins of 2025-2026 (So Far)
5. Thunder 117 Grizzlies 116. 1/9/26. No Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace or Jaylin Williams. Down 21 points at one point. Down 11 points with 3:32 to go in the game. And Jalen Williams, in his best performance since coming back from his wrist recovery, led a furious OKC comeback in the final minutes on the road.
4. Thunder 125 Rockets 124. 10/21/25. This one makes the list because it was as close to a must-win as possible for an Opening Night game. The team received their championship rings. The championship banner was raised. Kevin Durant was in the house. A magical, memorable evening in OKC would have had a bittersweet sting had they lost, which almost happened. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren led OKC from a 12 point deficit to a double overtime win.
3. Thunder 121 Nuggets 111. 2/1/26. The two best teams in the NBA. The two best players in the NBA. The matchup everyone had to wait nearly four months to finally see. OKC had just lost 3 of their last 4 games, arguably their worst stretch of the season. A loss to their biggest rival would've destroyed the Thunder fan vibes. Instead, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rolled into Denver, outplayed Nikola Jokic and spearheaded a double digit win. And just like that, the good vibes were back.
2. Thunder 119 Spurs 98. 1/13/26. San Antonio had beaten Oklahoma City not once, not twice, but three times before the calendar flipped to 2026. Every basketball fan and talking head wondered if the Spurs were the champs' kryptonite. OKC responded with an emphatic, confidence inducing 20 point blow out win.
1. Thunder 121 Cavaliers 113. 2/22/26. Call it recency bias if you wish, but OKC beating the hottest team in the league without their top three shot creators and ball handlers is a remarkable feat. Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Isaiah Hartenstein were the standouts, but what made this one even more impressive is that it was a total team win on a night where they needed all hands on deck.