Thunder in Review: Oklahoma City Freeze Up in December, Hit Wrong Side of History
Every season comes with highs and lows. For Oklahoma City, the infancy stages of Winter were not so kind.
Throughout the week on SI Thunder, we’ll be breaking down the twists and turns, wins and losses, and emerging storylines throughout the Oklahoma City Thunder 2021-22 campaign.
Today, Oklahoma City’s shaky closure to the calendar year come to the table.
Approaching the final month of the calendar, the Oklahoma City Thunder entered a road excursion – heading out to face the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks. After falling behind as large as 20 points in the game, Oklahoma City drew the game inside two, but the Greek Freak’s 21 points proved to be too much. That game set the precedent for the end portion of November.
Oklahoma City couldn’t stifle the stars following Antetokounmpo’s output. The Thunder went on to close the month 0-6 allowing colossal performances including a 62-point combination between Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder, a 30-point effort from Trae Young, and a 24-point, 21-rebound game from Christian Wood.
Despite lurking at the bottom of the standings, the Houston Rockets bit the Thunder again to open December, swinging the franchises’ losing streak to seven while starting the head-to-head series 0-of-3.
The tale stayed similar throughout this stretch. The opposing team would pile a double-digit lead before halftime, and Oklahoma City clawed their way back. However, their valiant efforts had been stomped out by the two-minute horn.
December 2, 2022, changed the story in its entirety.
At the surface level, this game looked like a game depleted of stars. Oklahoma City entered the FedEx Forum starting Ty Jerome and Tre Mann in absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, while Memphis played down Ja Morant. The Grizzlies were unfazed.
In what could only be deemed an obliteration, Memphis rolled over the Thunder, leading by 36 by halftime and 78 points at its peak. They settled with a 152-79 victory, good for the largest victory in NBA history (73.)
While the national tank talk rained down unfavorably on Oklahoma City – the locker room demeanor was clear – it was on to the next one.
After falling eight-straight games, the skid looked to move to nine against the Detroit Pistons, trailing by nine leading into the fourth. Then, Mark Daigneault’s crew took over. In what could only be compared to Pop-A-Shot numbers, the Thunder capped the final period 17-of-19 from the floor, fusing a 44-point frame to flip back into the win column. In the next game, the group surfaced their first win streak of the month, defeating the Raptors.
The Thunder went on to drop their next two games by an average margin of 20 points, setting the stage for a date with the New Orleans Pelicans.
In one of the most infamous games of the season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander notched the game at 110 all after canning a sidestep 30-foot triple with 2.3 seconds to go. Off the inbound, Devonte’ Graham sent out a 61-foot prayer – he called bank and the game.
Oklahoma City left the Paycom with an 8-19 record and some motivation to close out December.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remained the top in command during their winter drought pouring out 21.8 points and 5.6 assists in today’s listed stint. SGA’s dribble-drive play remained at a constant level in December. However, a three-ball in the 20s created some room for improvement.
Lu Dort emerged into Gilgeous-Alexander’s offensive sidekick as, despite team-wide shooting woes, Dort averaged 18.1 points while shooting 36.7% during the 3-11 drought.
Following a stint with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s lapses created an opportunity for No. 18 Pick Tre Mann. As part of an ongoing point guard battle involving himself, Ty Jerome, and Theo Maledon, the 21-year-old stood his ground. In his potential-pulsing performances, he added four double-digit games, including a 19-point rally against the Lakers.
In closing out the calendar year, the Thunder rotation looked as injury-free as it had in years. But, with Health-and-Safety Protocols on the rise – Bricktown was about to face a new ripple in the rebuild.
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