The OKC Thunder Win So Often That its Losses Become Amplified

Out of 57 games played this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder has only been on the wrong side of the outcome on 11 occasions.

Such a rapid pace of winning has put the Thunder far above the rest in the Western Conference, currently holding a 8.5-game lead over the No. 2-seeded Denver Nuggets. That's been with only 15 appearances from Chet Holmgren — making the feat all the more impressive.

It looked like the Thunder was prepared to come away with its 47th win of the season in a duel with the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night, holding a convincing 102-80 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, things would quickly change as the Timberwolves tied up the game and sent it to overtime, where it won in a 131-128 affair.

After the game, Oklahoma City could be found everywhere on NBA social media. Given the manner and rarity of it losing, it was no surprise that slander and discussion was all over the place. It was inexecusable, even if Holmgren was out and Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a facial contusion.

That being said, the loss isn't as drastic as some might've claimed it to be. It was the second-straight game against the Timberwolves — on back-to-back nights, no less — and could've been prevented if the Thunder just hadn't completely lost steam in the fourth quarter.

Minnesota has given Oklahoma City problems in the past, but this sole loss doesn't need to ensue any panic directed towards it. The Thunder is still a favorite to make it out of the West, if not the absolute clear favorite.

Maybe the misconstrued complaints on Oklahoma City's free-throw output — exemplified by Timberwolves coach Chris Finch's comment after the game — have played a part in some of the new rhetoric surrounding it, but the Thunder's brand of basketball has still been effective in beating a wide range of opponents.

Fare more than the teams at the bottom, the teams at the top are typically the ones that get the most attention and disapproval. It's natural for Oklahoma City to be experiencing this with all the buzz surrounding it, it'll just have to but blinders on all the noise.

The loss to Minnesota might sting for a little bit longer, but it's going to be forgotten by the time the playoffs roll around.

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