Five NBA Teams That Have Wildly Exceeded Expectations In 2025-26
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(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) Getty Images Before the NBA's 2025-26 regular season comes to a close, it's worth looking back on preseason expectations to see what we collectively got right and got wrong. Luckily, preseason win totals make it easy to capture the general sentiment around each team coming into the year. Basketball Reference has the full list of over/unders for each team.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had the highest by far at 62. 5—and are somehow still on pace to exceed that—while the Cleveland Cavaliers (56. 5), Denver Nuggets (53.
5), Houston Rockets (52. 5) and Orlando Magic (51. 5) are well on pace to fall short of theirs.
If that many teams aren't going to hit their lofty over/unders, those wins had to go somewhere. Many of them went to the following teams, all of whom are vastly exceeding their respective preseason expectations and are headed for at least an appearance in the play-in tournament, if not the outright playoffs. Charlotte Hornets Preseason O/U: 27.
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