As of November 6, every single team in the NBA has now lost a game. The Oklahoma City Thunder were the last bastion. This is not an uncommon thing, as there are 82 games, and the most anyone has ever won to start the season is 18. However, when a team outlasts others to start the year, the question then begins to arise of when they’ll lose their first game. For the Thunder, the loss came not long after those questions started circling.
Oklahoma City Thunder come up short in first loss
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the makings of a dynasty. They have young stars locked down for years, a Western Conference Finals run, a title, and what seems like a million draft picks to continue stocking up their roster year in and year out. The defending champions being 8-0 to start the year was not all that surprising, but it did reinforce this idea that they’re the cream of the crop by a wide margin right now.
However, the Portland Trail Blazers brought them back down to earth with a clutch, two-point win. They trailed heading into the fourth quarter, but they used a 40-point period to come back and snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. The win moves the Blazers to a very solid 5-3 record, which is shocking considering where they were last year and what’s happened in 2025.
The Blazers won just 36 games last year, so this start is a huge step in the right direction. However, it comes without their head coach. Chauncey Billups is no longer with the team as part of a massive gambling scandal. The former NBA superstar was arrested and charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for his alleged role in a scheme to rig illegal, high-stakes poker games that were backed by Mafia families. It was a shocking turn of events, but somehow, the Blazers have weathered that storm.
The Thunder, who have one of the better defenses in the entire NBA, could do very little with Deni Avdija, who had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in the win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, scored a layup with about 30 seconds to go, but the final minutes were otherwise a free-throw shooting contest that the Thunder couldn’t win. With less than a second left, Isaiah Joe hit one free throw before missing the second on purpose. This was done so that his teammates could attempt to put it back and tie the contest, but alas, Robert Williams III rebounded the ball, and the game came to an end. Oklahoma City’s dream start was over, although they still sit atop the Western Conference and have the best record in the entire NBA. They are still title favorites, and Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 35 points and nine rebounds, is still a true MVP candidate. He’s second in the NBA in scoring with 33.3 points per game, and he’s averaging 5.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists. He’s also shooting an otherworldly 51.5% from the floor, which is astonishing for a guard.
The Thunder led by as many as 14, which makes this one a tough loss to swallow. However, in the NBA, 20-point leads evaporate, so it’s hard to say this was a game the Thunder had in hand, especially as that lead occurred in the third quarter with plenty of basketball left to be played. The Philadelphia 76ers just blew a 24-point lead to the Chicago Bulls, so no lead is safe in the NBA. The players are too good, and even though there’s a major talent gap between the Blazers and the Thunder, any team can win any game.
