How the OKC Thunder can Bounce Back from Two Consecutive Losses
For just the third time this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of a losing streak.
After falling to the Atlanta Hawks on the road on the second night of a back-to-back and then losing to in Brooklyn two days later, the Thunder are just half of a game ahead of the Denver Nuggets for second place in the Western Conference.
Sitting at 23-11, OKC has not dropped consecutive contests since Nov. 28 when the team was defeated by the Minnesota Timberwolves after losing their previous matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Prior to that, the Thunder's only other two-game skid of the young season was on Nov. 3, when Oklahoma City dropped a game against the New Orleans Pelicans after losing to the Golden State Warriors two nights before.
OKC has not lost more than two games in a row yet this season, which is an impressive accomplishment for such a young team.
Still, the Thunder need to play much better in their next contest to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the year and maintain their spot as the second-place team in the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City's road trip continues on Monday, Jan. 8, at 6 p.m. CT when the team takes on the Wizards in Washington. Despite playing another game on the road, the Thunder should not have nearly as much trouble with Washington, as the Wizards sit at 6-29 and 14th place in the Eastern Conference.
Led by Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, the Washington Wizards are allowing a league-high 126.1 points per game. With OKC's potent offense and multi-faceted scoring attack, the Thunder should be able to score easily on what has been statistically the worst defense in the NBA this season.
With Josh Giddey progressively improving his play as the season goes on, Chet Holmgren learning how to win in the NBA, Jalen Williams continuing to grow his game and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still operating as one of the top scorers in the league, the Thunder's offense should be too much for the Wizards to handle.
If OKC plays their normal style of selfless offense that emphasizes finding the best shot and swinging the ball around the court, the Wizards likely won't have the defensive talent or offensive consistency to keep up with an Oklahoma City group that averages nearly 122 points per game.
Earning a win would be important not only for the team's Western Conference standings but also as a way to regain some of the confidence that may have been lost after getting beat twice in a row.
Following their matchup against the Wizards, the Thunder will meet the Miami Heat, who will be a much tougher contest.
Heading into their date with Jimmy Butler and company, Mark Daigneault's team will need to be playing with confidence, as the Heat still have plenty of veteran players who know how to win when the opposing team isn't playing their best.
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