OKC Thunder player grades from loss to understaffed Pacers

The OKC Thunder had an opportunity to right the ship on Wednesday, but much like the 11 previous games, that opportunity slipped through their hands.

Now, the Thunder find themselves on the wrong end of a 12-game losing streak.

The Thunder have been competitive for much of the season, never needing to worry about whether or not they’re doing enough as a team to win games against top NBA talent. But over the 12-game skid, the Thunder have mostly been blown out.

In the last 12 games, the OKC Thunder have averaged 102.5 points per game while opponents have averaged 123.3 points per game.

It’s clear they’re committed to the tank.

The Indiana Pacers defended their home court easily enough.

OKC Thunder player grades from loss to Pacers

After outscoring the Thunder 34-28 in the first quarter and 33-29 in the second quarter, the Pacers went into the break up by 10 (67-57).

However, the Thunder started the third quarter on fire, erasing the 10-point deficit and pulling within one point, 73-72, with just under seven minutes remaining in the quarter.

The Pacers worked to extend their lead and closed the quarter out up seven.

The Thunder, again, came back, fighting to take the lead and pulling within two after a 26-foot 3-pointer from Bazley with 8:25 remaining in the quarter. As the Pacers started to push the game in their favor once more, the Thunder slowed Indiana down and pulled within one, 105-104, on a dunk from Moses Brown with 5:08 remaining in the game.

Ultimately, that was as close as the Thunder would come to a tie in the fourth quarter. Malcolm Brogdon hit four straight free throws inside the final two seconds to seal the Pacers’ victory.

That the OKC Thunder even managed to keep the game as close in the final minutes is a major positive for a team putting a roster full of unknowns up against established players like Justin Holiday, Caris LeVert, and Brogdon.

Bazley was both good and bad in the game. He saw the most minutes of any player with just over 37, but his shooting wasn’t great. Bazley finished the night with nine makes in 25 attempts. He finished 1-for-8 from deep, scoring a team-high 26 points.

Although Bazley can take some of the blame for the loss, he also deserves some of the credit for keeping the game within reach.

With that being said, let’s dive into the player grades for the starters.