Oklahoma City finished a 68-win regular season with the largest average scoring margin in NBA history after beating New Orleans 115-100.
The Thunder outscored opponents by 12.9 points per game, breaking the 12.3 mark set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
Thunder finish 68-14
Oklahoma City rested Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and several leading players in the finale, but Branden Carlson scored a career-high 26 points.
The Thunder ended the season 16 games clear of second-placed Houston in the Western Conference. Only five teams in league history had posted a better record.
Their total scoring advantage over 82 games was 1,055 points, reflecting the consistency of the league’s top-ranked defence and one of its strongest attacks.
A record built at both ends
The previous five teams with the widest regular-season margins all went on to win the championship.
Oklahoma City’s 12.9 topped the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks and 1972 Lakers at 12.3, the 1996 Chicago Bulls at 12.2 and the 2017 Golden State Warriors at 11.6.
Coach Mark Daigneault said his young team could appreciate the achievement without losing its hunger for the playoffs.
Top seed waits for its opponent
The Thunder secured home-court advantage throughout the Western playoffs and waited for the play-in tournament to determine their first-round opponent.
Carlson was ineligible for the postseason because of his two-way contract, while Jaylin Williams left the finale with ankle soreness.
The regular season established Oklahoma City as the clear favourite in the West. The playoffs would decide whether that historic dominance could carry through four rounds.
