Thunder throttle Pistons for 11th straight win

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder, which won its first two games during last week’s homestand with a 125-104 win over Memphis and a 132-111 victory over Indiana, won its 10th straight game on Monday with a 145-117 rout of the Bulls.

The Thunder then returned to Paycom Center for a 119-103 victory over Detroit on Wednesday night, OKC’s 11th consecutive win. The Thunder owns a 64-12 record on the season to lead the NBA. OKC finishes this season with a 29-1 record against the Eastern Conference. It’s the best record against the opposing conference by any team in NBA history.

In Thursday’s game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined NBA greats Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as only the third player in NBA history to score 30 points in 45 or more games.

If the Thunder wins out in its final six games of the regular season, it will become the third franchise in NBA history to record 70 wins. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors have the most regular-season wins at 73, nudging out the 72 victories by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. If the Thunder does win out, it would give OKC a franchise record 17 consecutive victories, topping the 15-game winning streak the Thunder amassed earlier this season from Dec. 3 to Jan. 8.

OKC travels to Houston for a 7 p.m. Friday tipoff against the Rockets, then returns home to host the Los Angeles Lakers at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, as well as a 7 p.m. Tuesday game with the Lakers.

After hosting the Lakers, the Thunder closes out the regular season on the road with games at the Phoenix Suns, the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans.