Two recent losses highlighted the one positional disadvantage the OKC Thunder struggle with — defending scoring wings and talented forwards.
For those concerned by the ease with which the Bucks and Clippers dispatched of the OKC Thunder, it’s important to note the various factors involved. Most notably, these two clubs are among the very best and both are among the favorites to play in the NBA Finals at season end.
The Bucks have lost all of nine games this season and when the Clippers have their core all healthy they boast dominance on both sides of the court.
Yet, the Thunder loss to the Bucks was more of an outlier. The Thunder needed to use extra energy to close out the speedy Sacramento Kings. Likewise, the Bucks play with the fastest pace in the NBA and had two full days of rest. On top of this, Danilo Gallinari and Darius Bazley weren’t in the lineup and they offer length versus Milwaukee’s tall roster. Add it all up and there were numerous disadvantages facing the Thunder.
Recalling the first match against the Bucks (November 10th), the Thunder lost by two points and it occurred early in the season when OKC was still developing chemistry. The reality of how the teams match up is far closer to the first game than the second.
As for the Clippers’ loss, it’s more a matter of matchups and to be frank, the Thunder simply doesn’t match up well to them. Granted, Kawhi Leonard is a superstar and with Paul George, they serve up two of the better two-way players in the association. Cross your fingers this isn’t the first-round series pairing since the Thunder are far better suited to upset the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets or even the Denver Nuggets than they are the Clippers.
What these two losses do point to is a decided weakness on this current iteration of the OKC Thunder.