Despite Second Loss, OKC Thunder Holds Firm in ESPN Power Rankings

Oklahoma City lost its second game of the season last weekend, and once again, it came down to the wire. It took a perfect storm for this Thunder team to finally drop one — namely Victor Wembanyama’s nearly flawless return, and Oklahoma City going ice cold from long range.

After the dust had settled, it felt like social media was beginning to question the Thunder and their legitimacy. But it all sounds like comedy when you remember that Oklahoma City is 24-2 overall, and dominating nearly every single night. San Antonio didn’t even really put a recipe for victory against the Thunder out to other teams — unless other teams also have a do-it-all 7-foot-5 superstar.

The loss stings, but Oklahoma City will have a chance to avenge it soon enough. For now, the team’s second loss of the season shouldn’t damage its reputation any further. The Thunder are the standard in the NBA, the best team in the league, and nothing has changed.

On Wednesday, ESPN released a fresh set of Power Rankings, and Oklahoma City held strong at the No. 1 spot — and rightfully so. This is a spot they’ve held all season long, and a singular loss shouldn’t change that.

“In the midst of the Thunder's recent 16-game win streak, it suddenly felt reasonable to believe they had a chance to rip off an NBA trifecta — NBA Cup champs, regular-season wins record and NBA title,” Anthony Slater wrote. “The Spurs put an end to that in Las Vegas, reminding the league that, while still the prohibitive title favorites, the Thunder aren't invincible.

“Oklahoma City is a streaky 3-point shooting team and went 9-of-37 on 3s in the semifinal loss to San Antonio. But it's fortunate timing for the league. The Thunder will get the Spurs in a rematch twice next week, including a Christmas Day matchup in OKC.”

Oklahoma City has shown tendencies of being a streaky 3-point shooting team in the past, but that doesn’t really ring true whatsoever with this team. Currently, the Thunder ranks No. 6 in the NBA in 3-point percentage and ranks No. 9 in attempts made per game. There’s no other way around it — they’ve been a great outside shooting team this season. The truth of the matter is that they had a real off night against the Spurs, and it came back to bite them.

They’ve shown enough to remain atop the NBA standings, though, and will have a chance to continue to prove itself moving forward. As Oklahoma City takes on more of the NBA’s top teams, the more respect they’ll gain.

Over the next week, the Thunder will play Minnesota once before having a chance at revenge against the Spurs — squaring off against San Antonio twice. It’ll be the perfect chance for Oklahoma City to bounce back on the national stage.