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Tim MacMahon
LAS VEGAS — If a record or a trophy is within the Oklahoma City Thunder’s reach, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants it.
That includes a potential pursuit of the NBA’s record of 73 wins set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
“Absolutely,” Gilgeous-Alexander said at Friday’s NBA Cup media availability when asked if that record meant anything to him and his teammates. “Winning matters. And no matter what form it looks like to me. So absolutely.”
The Warriors’ record has become a topic of discussion around the Thunder recently because the defending champions are off to such a historic start. Oklahoma City is 24-1 entering Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, matching that 2015-16 Golden State team for the best record ever through 25 games.
Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, a starter on the record-setting Warriors, said the Thunder are “probably on track” to break that record. He noted, however, that the pursuit of the previous record set of 72 wins set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls took a toll on those Warriors, who lost in the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“It’s tiring. It’s tiring,” Barnes told ESPN. “Obviously, you deal with all types of narratives going into the season and things like that. But everything’s different. It was a lot.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has been clear that championships will always be his priority over chasing records. Several members of the Thunder, including Gilgeous-Alexander, have emphasized the importance of blocking out potential distractions such as focusing too much on future possibilities.
“We are trying to be a better version of ourselves every night we go out there, and we like to hunt in that form,” Gilgeous-Alexander. “If we didn’t get better tonight, then we wasted an opportunity. That’s kind of how we see it.”
The Thunder have won 16 consecutive games, putting Oklahoma City almost to the halfway point of the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers’ 33-game winning streak.
Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t aware that was the record for an NBA winning streak until he was informed during his Friday media session.
“Wow, that’s a lot more games to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Yeah, we are so far from that. I didn’t even know, so that hasn’t even come close to creeping in my mind. But hopefully we get there. That’s the goal.”
The NBA Cup semifinals count in the regular-season standings — and winning streaks — but the championship game does not.
The Thunder lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in last year’s Cup final, the only trophy that eluded Oklahoma City last season. But the Thunder say last year’s experience in Las Vegas doesn’t add any extra incentive now.
“Whenever you get a chance to play for something and win, it’s always the goal to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s always the same feeling. So it would be phenomenal to win, that’s for sure.”
Added forward Jalen Williams: “If we are going to apply ourselves to anything, let’s do it to the best of your ability and try to win. That’s just our nature. That’s just how we play basketball.”
The Thunder will have their preferred starting lineup for the first time all season in the Cup semifinal. Center Isaiah Hartenstein has been cleared to play after missing the last six games due to a calf strain.