OKC Thunder: 3 takeaways in 30-point beatdown by the Nuggets

OKC Thunder takeaway No. 2) Is fatigue a factor in blowout?

There will be good and bad nights during every NBA season, especially for teams like the OKC Thunder, who are currently rebuilding for a brighter future.

Given their current situation and intentions, the Thunder have been a pleasant surprise this season. The expectation when the season began was for losses like these to be fairly common. Instead, the Thunder have been competitive through many of their 34 games.

There can be many excuses made for why the Thunder executed so poorly in Saturday night’s game, but fatigue might have been a big factor.

The Thunder have played nine games over the last 14 days. Many of those games took a toll on the young roster, forcing them to compete with some of the league’s best athletes. OKC played hard; that’s how this team is built. Some of those games ended in wins for Oklahoma City while others were losses.

But in this accelerated season, most teams don’t have an opportunity to slow down and recuperate before it’s time for another tip-off.

Considering that most of the players on the team aren’t seasoned veterans familiar with the grind of the NBA, that kind of schedule can wear down a player.

Fortunately for the Thunder, they don’t play again until Wednesday, which should allow the team an opportunity to get rested up for two final games before the All-Star break hits.