Fresh off winning the first NBA championship in the Oklahoma City era of the franchise and coming off a team record 68-win campaign, bigger things are expected from the OKC Thunder this season, at least as far as ESPN’s Bobby Marksis concerned.
During the recent edition of ESPN’s “NBA Today” show, the former Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager stated that not only are the Thunder exceeding their predicted win total for the 2025-26 season, but they are also potentially making history.
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“They’re not gonna hit 60, they’re gonna hit 70,” declared Marks. “I’m gonna put them on the spot right now. Even if there are games where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren take the night off, this team has enough depth to get to 70 wins in the Western Conference.”
Oddsmakers say OKC’s number is 62.5, Pelton says 59.5
Before the start of every season, betting sites put a projected win total for every team, so that bettors can wager on whether the team goes over or under the number. This season, the magic number for the Thunder is 62.5 wins at most Las Vegas sites. That’s not just the highest over/under total in the league for the 2025-26 season, but OKC is the only team projected to win at least 60 games this season, with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 56.5 the following best number.
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Meanwhile, ESPN NBA expert Kevin Pelton also released his own win totals, which were the basis for the discussion on NBA Today. Pelton also gave the Thunder the highest win total among all teams, but at 59.5 wins, noting that 62.5 is the highest win total since the Golden State Warriors were pegged at 67.5 wins in the 2017-18 season, only to win 58.
However, given that the Thunder are bringing back everybody from their 68-win championship team, with one year of added experience under their belts and no notable injuries, Marks may have an argument that OKC can add two more wins to their franchise-best campaign in 2024-25.
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Only two teams have won 70 games in a single season
Last year’s 68-win season tied the 1972-73 Boston Celtics and the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers for the 5th-highest win total posted by an NBA team in a single season. If Marks is prophetic and Thunder do win at least 70 games this season, they will only be the third team in league history to achieve this feat, after the Chicago Bulls, who won 72 games in 1995-96, and the Golden State Warriors, who hold the record with 73 wins in 2015-16. However, reaching 70 wins isn’t a guarantee of championship success, as the Dubs lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.
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Meanwhile, a total of nine NBA teams won 64 or more regular-season games but did not win the Larry O’Brien trophy during the year they accomplished their feats. And nine more squads that won 62 or more games also were unable to win the title. So, whether it’s 59.5 per Pelton, 62.5 per Las Vegas gods, or 70 per Marks, there is no guarantee that the Thunder will repeat as champions. However, there’s a reason why they are picked to have the highest win total and are favored to win it all next season.
2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is only 27 years old and will only continue to get better. So will fellow All-Star Jalen Williams, and potential All-Star Chet Holmgren. While other rivals have reloaded with new faces or are facing injuries to star players, the Thunder are intact and healthy. And as Marks said, their depth is ridiculous, allowing them to win games, maybe not all, without SGA or Chet. So yes, while 70 is a very high total, the Thunder set the bar so high last year.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.