It’s becoming common for the OKC Thunder to strike early and continue gaining momentum through the first half only to collapse in the second. It’s a reversal of what we’re used to — slow starts, quick rebounds — but it’s where we’re at during this unusual season.
On Friday, the Thunder dropped their third consecutive game when the Denver Nuggets reeled off a 16-4 run in the fourth quarter in a come-from-behind win that dropped OKC to 10-15 on the season.
OKC Thunder falter down the stretch but battle until the end
The loss stings. During a season in which a loss comes with the prize of a better draft pick, it stings just a little bit less than expected. For the players, they compete to win every game.
But as disappointing as a loss might be, this season allows head coach Mark Daigneault to see the talent currently on the roster. It’s produced some gems such as Kenrich Williams and Justin Jackson and given valuable playing time to younger players still very much in the development phase of their careers.
Oklahoma City’s players can be proud of the amount of fight they bring to each game.
Against a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s easy to throw in the towel and ride it out, but this Thunder team took the Lakers to overtime in back-to-back games. They then followed up by pushing the Nuggets around.
Except for the first Lakers game, the Thunder did all this without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon, and George Hill.
From Jackson’s season-high 20 points to Al Horford‘s domination early in the game, there’s a lot to dive into.
So let’s get into the OKC Thunder player grades.