The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Minnesota Timberwolves in a rematch of last season's Western Conference Finals on Friday, Dec. 19.

How Thunder forward Chet Holmgren discussed a silver lining for his team after losing the NBA Cup semifinals, and beating the Clippers.

The last time we saw the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was in a dramatic NBA Cup loss to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. That dropped the Thunder to 24-2 on the season, "only" a record 76-win pace.

At this point, the Oklahoma City Thunder have made actual game breakdowns a bit mundane. Either they blow out teams or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turns into a scoring machine in high-pressure moments. The reigning NBA champions are on track for one of the greatest seasons ever — once again.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (24-2, 1st in Western Conference) hosts the Los Angeles Clippers (6-20, 14th in West) Thursday at Paycom Center (8 ET, NBA TV).

The same conversation followed around Kevin Durant’s and Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors. In 2016, Durant joined a group that lost in the finals after a magical 73-9 regular season. The Warriors won the title in each of the next two years. Yet, some teams still chose to compete with them.

The San Antonio Spurs toppled the defending league champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup, and surge in the power rankings as a result.