The schedule Gods didn’t do the OKC Thunder any favors this week and not by purposeful intention. That’s because the Houston Rockets are the hottest team in the association. With the Jazz losing in Denver and the Grizzlies losing at Indianapolis the Rockets take over the longest active win streak with six wins in a row.
The players in Houston were clearly affected by all the drama of James Harden and they were one of the clubs hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Several players had to miss multiple games as they quarantined and others dealt with injury.
The Rockets 4-9 start to the season was tough but shortly after the Harden trade, the team began to click posting a 7-3 record.
One of those seven wins came at Chesapeake Energy Arena as Houston pummeled the Thunder 136-106. It represented the first time this season the Thunder hasn’t bounced back after one of those 20-point plus routs. Again, the schedule and timing of the Rockets being in town couldn’t have come at a worse time for OKC.
For those seeking greater insight on the loss check out Matthew Hallet’s player grades and Ryan Lewis’ three takeaways.
As the team prepares to play the Rockets for the second time in three days there are three keys to pull from the previous loss as OKC looks to return to the win column.
With that let’s dive into the three keys…
Three keys to OKC Thunder match versus the Rockets
Following back-to-back blow-out losses that were each by a margin of 30 points Mark Daigneault will be keen for the Thunder to do the simple things.
No doubt the team has viewed the film from Monday and taken notes they can apply immediately. One positive from the pandemic scheduling is these consecutive games versus the same teams end up providing a similar situation to what teams deal with during playoff series. For a young developing squad like the Thunder, the dividends the youngsters gain from these situations is immeasurable.
OKC Thunder key no. 1 – Get off to a good start
This has been an ongoing problem dating back to last season when the Thunder struggle to bring the proper energy to the court to start games.
On Monday, the Rockets put up 48 points on the Thunder in the opening frame. Against the Nets they were outscored 36-27 in the opening frame.
Since OKC has shown they can win other quarters this all comes down to a mind set and being dialed in from the tip.
The Thunder rank 29th for points scored in the first quarter. Only the Cavaliers rank under them.