Last week, the Oklahoma City Thunder were in the middle of a rough stretch. They had lost three games in a row, all to teams with a losing record. They managed to turn it around this week going 2-1 in their three games.
The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their slide from last week as they opened up the week with a home loss to Portland on Tuesday. There was a bright spot as Victor Oladipo returned from his six game absence caused by back spasms. Oladipo played well and looked fresh, as he had been resting since the start of the All Star break.
The Thunder were able to turn things around later in the week with two good wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. Oladipo played well in both of these games and we started to see some progress from the Thunder as they try to sort their rotations out.
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Taj Gibson entered the starting lineup and Domantas Sabonis looked comfortable in his minutes off the bench. Now that the roster is set, lineup changes have been made and everyone is healthy, the Thunder can show some consistency.
Let’s see if the national writers share my optimism.
NBA.com – John Schuhmann
For the third week in a row, Schuhmann has the Oklahoma City Thunder in eighth in his rankings.
"Billy Donovan finally put Taj Gibson in the starting lineup on Thursday and the move helped the Thunder end a four-game losing streak with wins over the (shorthanded) Spurs and Jazz. Russell Westbrook apparently realized that triple-doubles (he registered Nos. 31 and 32 in the wins) are better for his team than him taking 30-plus shots (like he did three times in the losing streak). Having Victor Oladipo shooting 10-for-15 from 3-point range in his three games back certainly helps in regard to Westbrook’s willingness to pass. He has assisted on seven of the 10 threes."
ESPN – Marc Stein
It seems Marc Stein felt good about the Thunder’s wins over the Spurs and Jazz. He moved them up two spots to number 11.
"With 32 triple-doubles in 66 games, Russell Westbrook is on pace for 40 for the season, which would fall just one shy of Oscar Robertson’s all-time record. Westbrook also has a 70 percent chance of averaging a triple-double for the entire season, according to the latest projections from ESPN Insider’s tireless Kevin Pelton, with the Thunder up to 26-6 (.813) when Westbrook triple-doubles and 11-23 (.324) when he doesn’t. After last week’s triple-double against the Spurs, Chicago and Charlotte stand as the last two teams left on the league map that have prevented Westbrook from reaching triple-double territory. Best of all, though, Oklahoma City has moved past slumping Memphis for the West’s No. 6 and would presumably prefer facing Houston and James Harden in Round 1 than San Antonio or Golden State, no matter how vulnerable the West’s top two teams look as we speak."
Sports Illustrated – Jeremy Woo
Jeremy Woo was swayed by the performance of the Oklahoma City Thunder over the last two games. He moved them up three spots to number eight.
"Victor Oladipo is back and looking healthy, which gives the Thunder ample time to get him in the mix before the playoffs. They’re 11–3 in games where he scores more than 20 points this season. Pass the ball, Russ!"
CBS Sports – Matt Moore
Matt Moore gives the Thunder their biggest jump in the rankings, moving them up four spots to number eight in his rankings.
"Can’t quit on the Thunder, man. No one pulls up out of tailspin faster than OKC, who knocked off San Antonio and Utah after losing four straight. The assumption is that they don’t have the firepower to hang in a playoff series … but a tough defense, experienced guys, a chip on their shoulder… and Westbrook? Yeah, you can have that if you want it."
The Thunder have three games this week. They fly to the north-east for a Brooklyn and Toronto road trip and finish up the week at home against the Kings Saturday.
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This is another good chance for them to string together a winning streak and move up in the standings. Check back here next week to see how the National Scribes think they did!