The OKC Thunder’s roll came to a screeching halt last night losing at home to the unimpressive Washington Wizards 116-98 .
Well… That was disappointing. The OKC Thunder were coming off a great road trip, and maybe their best win of the season. It seemed like the perfect time to step on the gas and take sole possession of the 2-seed, but the NBA just doesn’t work like that sometimes.
As Russell Westbrook said postgame:
"82 games, you thing you’re gonna play good every night, you got another thing coming."
The Thunder should have won this game. It’s hard not to place this result at the feet of effort, though. The Thunder had just beaten the Blazers in Portland for the first time in years. They had beaten the Lakers in LA in a game where Paul George was booed rabidly.
They came home, with one game against a bad team before they could relax for a couple days, and they relaxed. Here’s how you can tell.
They forced a season-low in turnovers. They got killed on the boards. The Wizards scored at least 26 points in each quarter. Nobody played terribly (except maybe Dennis Schröder, which has been a common occurrence lately).
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Basically, they didn’t try hard. Even so, Topic: Thunder will keep our effort level high, as Matty Mulls hits you with the recap of this loss. Try to enjoy!
Hook up the TiVo: 03:03
Player of the Game: 22:21
Closing Comments: 23:45
Outro: 25:30
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Stay tuned for our next recap, and check out our recent interview with the Athletic’s Fred Katz. As always, Thunder Up!