The Oklahoma City Thunder look like clear-cut candidates to win back-to-back NBA championships in the 2025-26 season. After a magical campaign that ended in a 4-3 win over the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals, the Thunder returned even better this season, looking stronger and more experienced.

Sitting at 26-4, the Thunder hold the league-best record, with several teams trying to assemble a squad that can knock them out of the top of the league. The San Antonio Spurs (22-7) beat the Thunder for the second time this season on Tuesday.

Such performance earned them a lot of praise. Former center Kendrick Perkins lauded the Spurs for their strong performances. They initially beat the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals before taking a 130-110 win at Frost Bank Center on Tuesday. As strong as they are, Perkins thinks the Spurs are contenders, but not the biggest threat to the Thunder in the West.

“I think the Spurs are legit contenders,” Perkins said during Wednesday’s edition of ESPN’s “Get Up.”

“The biggest threat is still the Denver Nuggets,” Perkins added. “When you look at Denver, Nikola Jokic is playing at an MVP level right now, as expected. Jamal Murray is averaging a career high right now. These guys are just clicking on all cylinders.”

The Nuggets (21-8) rank third in the Western Conference standings, right behind the Thunder and Spurs, respectively. The two younger teams have stolen the spotlight in the first two months of the season, but the Nuggets are as dangerous as ever.

Nikola Jokic averages 28.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game, leading the league in the last two categories. Jamal Murray is playing at a high level again, posting 25.1 points and 6.9 assists per game. Denver still needs to beat the Thunder this season (0-2), but they have the players, the experience and the coaching staff to match up with the defending NBA champions.

The Spurs have a solid team to make noise, too, but Perkins thinks the Nuggets have the biggest chance to dethrone the Thunder.

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