Thunder break NBA record for total points in a season, including playoffs
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A record for Oklahoma City: No team in NBA history has scored more points in a season than the Thunder.
It's a nuanced record, taking into account both regular season and playoff games. And technically, the Thunder would have broken the record on Wednesday if their appearance in the NBA Cup championship game — which is considered an exhibition — counted in any league totals.
But now, no matter how one counts, it belongs to the Thunder. They came into Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers needing 68 points for the record and got it on a free throw by NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 6:09 left in the third quarter on Friday night.
That gave the Thunder 12,162 for the season, breaking the mark of 12,161 scored by the Golden State Warriors in 104 games during the 2018-19 season. Friday's game was the 102nd official contest for the Thunder this season. (They scored 81 points in the NBA Cup championship game loss to Milwaukee in December, a point total and outcome that doesn't factor into any season stats.)
The total-points record is the latest entry on a history-making season for the Thunder, who set a franchise record with 68 regular-season wins and — if they win the NBA title — would become the fourth team in league history to post at least 84 victories in a full season. Only Golden State (88 wins in 2015-16), Chicago (87 in 1995-96) and the Bulls again (84 in 1996-97) have reached 84 wins in a season.
'I think there's just a lot of integrity to the team,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said when asked how the team doesn't seem fazed by its numbers. 'I think that starts with the makeup that these guys have. Great psychological makeup, competitive makeup, personal makeup. Then over time we've had to really kind of forge into this version of ourselves, in visible spaces.'
The total-points mark is obviously fueled by longevity of the season. The Thunder were only fourth in points per game during the regular season behind Cleveland, Memphis and Denver, and when adding in playoffs Oklahoma City's scoring average this season was only 27th in NBA history.
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That said, no matter how the finals end, it has been a season that will be in the Thunder record books for a long time. In addition to the scoring, the Thunder are currently second all-time in average point differential per game (12.2 entering Friday) behind only the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks.
It helps illustrate how big a turnaround the Thunder have enjoyed after going 22-50 in the 2020-21 season, then 24-58 a year later and 40-42 the year after that.
'We haven't relied on anything outside the outcomes,' Daigneault said. 'The noise, we haven't relied on that when we weren't winning. We haven't relied on that while we were building. We haven't relied on that while we were rising. We're not relying on that now that we're in a different position.'
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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Oklahoma City only hit three three-pointers, handed out just 11 assists — both season-lows — their bench got outscored and their decision to go back to the double-big man starting lineup failed early, plus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was again being hounded and hadn't dominated and the crowd in Indianapolis was going berserk. And yet, the Thunder, the NBA's best team this year proved it once again, rallying to regain control of what has been a damn good NBA Finals so far. We've seen the Pacers pull off one of the biggest late shockers ever in Game 1; The Thunder respond by looking like a well-oiled machine; Indiana showing they belonged here too with a tremendous Game 3 and then Friday OKC sent the message once again that while they might bend, it's hard to break them. DONE IT BEFORE This wasn't a new thing for the Thunder in these playoffs. Essential Oilers news, insight, opinion and analysis. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In the West semifinal against Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder lost the opener at home by two points. Instead of being shook, they won the next one by 43 points. They then fell behind again with an overtime loss, only to win two straight. And when the Nuggets rallied to force Game 7, with Gilgeous-Alexander looking out of gas, Oklahoma City cruised to a decisive victory. They don't seem to get rattled and always maintain belief in their capabilities, even if things aren't working. Clearly the Pacers have something special going on too, but it's not going to be easy for Indiana to re-take momentum in the series. JALEN'S WORLD Gilgeous-Alexander will get most of the attention for his late flourish, but Jalen Williams was just as good in this one. Williams and Alex Caruso consistently kept the Thunder within range of the Pacers when nothing else was working. He got into the paint at will and got to the line (11 attempts, a new high), while playing with an aggressiveness and purpose that few others on the court matched. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Williams made All-NBA for a reason, but he's still one of the more underrated second-level stars in the league. Without his 12 points in the first Game 4 might have been an early rout. And he just kept coming. Plus, with Andrew Nembhard and the Pacers swarming Gilgeous-Alexander as soon as he touched the ball, trying to exhaust him, which worked earlier in the series, Williams showed off his varied skillset. Not many people his size 6-foot-6, 220 pounds) can capably handle the ball and play guard, but sometimes that's what's asked of Williams. On Friday he brought the ball up a lot, allowing Gilgeous-Alexander to breathe. And while the OKC offence was stagnant, partly as a result, Williams was able to get his points pretty easily. FOUL MOOD Many Pacers fans are furious with the whistle they got in Game 4. While that's often the case for the losing fanbase after losses like this (the Thunder kept drawing fouls late and the officials appeared to miss a Gilgeous-Alexander travel and a Michael Jordan-esque push-off), we'll say again that Indiana should have finished off the Thunder long before the referees became part of the story. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Pundits definitely enjoyed playing up the angle: 'There were a number of missed travels in this game, no doubt about it,' ESPN's Tim Legler said after the game, per The Indianapolis Star. 'I'm glad to be here for the most Scott Foster game ever,' said The Ringer's Bill Simmons on X. Foster, of course, has a reputation as 'The Extender' for the odd calls that seem to follow him and sometimes end up prolonging a playoff series. Read More STATS PACK Some of our top stats picks from another great NBA Finals game: This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. SGA's 14th game of at least 30 points is the most in a single playoffs since Kawhi in 2019. His 15 points were the most in the final five minutes of a Finals game ever, per CBS Sports. Indiana missed 12-of-16 shots to finish the game. Oklahoma City's 11 assists were the fifth-fewest since 1999-2000 and the least by a winning Finals team since 1948. AROUND THE RIM The Thunder abandoned the Chet Holmgren/Isaiah Hartenstein giant lineup — which was barely used in the first three games — in just under four minutes. Overall, the game featured one of the worst defensive starts all season for the Thunder … SGA had zero free throw attempts through one half, which almost never happens, and only a pair through three. But in the fourth he took and made eight, helping turn the game … Pascal Siakam matched his playoff career high of four steals in the first quarter alone. He was tremendous and the key reason the Pacers started so well … The Pacers led after a quarter for the first time all series. @WolstatSun News Cult of Hockey Politics Cult of Hockey Sports
