ROLLING THUNDER: The Oklahoma City Thunder (15-1) are off to the best start by a defending NBA champion since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. Powered by a dominant, league-leading defense and the NBA’s second-leading scorer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are outscoring opponents by 15.4 points per game – the highest mark through 16 games since… the 2015-16 Warriors. That Golden State team finished an NBA-record 73-9, winning its first 24 games and 29 of its first 30.