Coming out of the All Star break, the OKC Thunder made a trade and won their first two games. The Thunder have a busy week with four games where they could make a move in the standings.
We are in the home stretch of the season and the Oklahoma City Thunder are starting to hit their stride. Returning fresh with a new look after the All Star break has helped the Thunder win two games that were both closer than they should have been.
Enes Kanter made his return to the lineup after breaking his arm on a chair. Victor Oladipo has been sidelined with back spasms for two games, but could return this week.
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How has a couple wins and a trade affected the Oklahoma City Thunder in the power rankings? Let’s find out.
NBA.com – John Schuhmann
John Schuhmann has the Oklahoma City Thunder moving up two spots in his rankings to number eight. They move past the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies.
"Upgrades were abound in Oklahoma City last week. They added Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott via trade, got Enes Kanter back from injury, and got career highs from both Alex Abrines (19 points) and Andre Roberson (19 points, too) in Friday’s win over the Lakers. Russell Westbrook went for 41, 11 and 11 in Sunday’s win over New Orleans, but the key to climbing the West standings could be those minutes he’s off the floor. The added depth should help in that regard, though Victor Oladipo’s health (he missed the two games with back spasms) is kind of a big deal too."
Sports illustrated – Jeremy Woo
Jeremy Woo has the Thunder moving up one spot to number 10 in his rankings and suggests every Thunder fans nightmare of a potential playoff match-up with Golden State.
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"Since “Can the Thunder tank a little bit, get the No. 8 seed and play the Warriors in the first round?” is off the table, the new question is probably “Can Russell Westbrook win a playoff series this season?” The Spurs and Rockets would be remarkably tough draws, but if OKC gets hot enough to land a four-five matchup, a second-round pairing with Golden State could be on the table. Just saying…"
CBS Sports – Matt Moore
Matt Moore inches the Thunder up one spot to number nine in his rankings after the trade and a couple wins.
"On the one hand, OKC’s great defensively and closes games hard. On the other, their offense is still pedestrian. But if Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott give them a boost in any capacity, they might have some pyro to bring to the show come April."
ESPN – Marc Stein
After a few weeks of being the lowest on the Thunder, Marc Stein moves them up 2 spots to tenth in his rankings.
"Make that 29 triple-doubles this season for Russell Westbrook, who just triple-doubled in three consecutive games for the fourth time in this 2016-17 campaign. Yet we’d argue here that Thunder GM Sam Presti actually upstaged his superstar point guard last week (for once) by completing the sort of underrated deadline-day upgrade he’s known for. Presti acquired two players in Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott who would appear to have the legit capacity to help the thin post-Durant Thunder. Back to Angry Russ: He can’t possibly manufacture 12 more triple-doubles in OKC’s remaining 23 games to break Oscar Robertson’s single-season record of 41. Could he? (According to Micah Adams’ math, Westbrook very well can, since he’s on pace for 40 for the season as it is.)"
The Oklahoma City Thunder have four games this week. They start off Tuesday at home against Utah, then have a three game road trip. The road trip includes a back to back against Portland and Phoenix Thursday and Friday. The road trip will conclude in Dallas on Sunday evening.
Next Story: Five free agents the Thunder should consider for the 15th roster spot
Check back next week to see if the Thunder were able to move up the rankings.