After a rough patch in the middle of the season where they went 6-6 over a 12-game stretch, it appears the OKC Thunder have finally gotten back on track, winning their last five matchups.
A winning streak is always exciting, but this stretch in particular is arguably the most impressive of their season thus far.
Before the month of December, questions about OKC's true nature shrouded this team. Having played one of the league's easiest schedules, it was difficult for fans to determine their true colors.
After losing three straight to San Antonio and another to the Timberwolves, critics began to wonder if the Thunder could simply hang with some of the Western Conference's toughest threats.
This past Sunday marked the beginning of the Thunder's toughest part of their season schedule, as they set off to face five straight teams with a winning record, one of which was the dreaded Spurs.
Three games into the stretch, and they've put together some of the most dominant performances of the season to date.
Thunder have turned the gauntlet of playoff teams into a cake walk
With a current combined winning percentage of .667, many thought consecutive dates with the Heat, Spurs, and Rockets would be a tough task for OKC.
Mark Daigneault and his squad scoffed at the idea.
They walked away from all three outings with relative ease, winning by a combined 53 points and holding two of the three to less than 100 points, something they hadn't done since January 2.
OKC was also able to exact its revenge on San Antonio, trouncing them in a 119-98 victory, which featured a 34-point masterclass by superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and double-digit-point performances by four other members of the squad.
Surprisingly, Gilgeous-Alexander scored under his season average in two of the three wins against winning teams, including a 20-point effort in Houston that barely kept his streak of 20-plus-point games alive.
Throughout the games, role players like Ajay Mitchell, Aaron Wiggins, and Alex Caruso stepped up to fill the scoring void.
Thunder used these games to prove critics wrong in a major way
Throughout their rough patch, their three-point shooting was abysmal, bordering on historically bad.
In their six losses during December and January, they shot under 30.0 percent four times, and, in their five wins since January 7, they've found themselves shooting under 30.0 percent thrice, including a 7-for-38 team performance in an overtime win against Utah.
Still, OKC has found a way to right the ship and overcome top opponents in an emphatic way as they now head into the last two legs of this five-game gauntlet.