For just the second time this season, the OKC Thunder find themselves amid a losing-streak.
Following their blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers during their Sunday matinee this past weekend, Oklahoma City has dropped two straight games and, in turn, has found themselves receiving criticisms from fans and pundits alike.
Some have even gone as far as to predict that an early exit from this year's postseason is guaranteed to be on the horizon.
Considering just how dominant they've been throughout this year's campaign and the top-billed star talent that headlines their roster, even amid this lackluster stretch, making such assertions is quite premature and, frankly, deeply rooted in recency bias.
Nevertheless, even though they've proven to be the best team in the association for the vast majority of the season and, in turn, have the backing from odds-makers to win it all, heading into the playoffs on a positive upswing is obviously strongly desired, and there are a few ways the Thunder can position themselves to accomplish such a goal during their final four games.
Exact revenge against the Lakers
First things first, the Thunder need to find a way to snap their current losing streak at just two games.
Fortunately for them, they'll have an opportunity to do so in redemption-seeking fashion during their Tuesday night rematch against the Lakers.
OKC and Los Angeles have split their season series at one game apiece in 2024-25, though the only matchup that has seen the superstar tandem of LeBron James and Luka Doncic leading the charge led to the 27-point, blowout fans bared witness to this past weekend.
Just as they did following their downfall against the Cavaliers back on January 8, the objective should be to pay attention to what, exactly, aided in Sunday's loss and learn from it.
With Cleveland, it was navigating through their strong zone defense, while, with Los Angeles, it was largely the second-chance opportunities that did them in (outscored 21-11 and out-rebounded 43-34).
With this approach, the Thunder managed to pull a 180 and absolutely obliterated the Cavs to the tune of a 134-114 win just a few nights later. Hopefully, the same can be done against the Lakers, as it will go a long way toward silencing the outspoken naysayers such as ESPN's Shannon Sharpe.
Get Chet Holmgren into a sustained groove
Oklahoma City may be spearheaded by their two All-Stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, but there's a strong case to be made that Chet Holmgren is the X-factor when it comes to how far they can go come playoff time.
Like Kristaps Porzingis was for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with the Celtics last season, a fully locked-in Holmgren could be a real difference-maker in the Thunder's title pursuit, as he's a 7-foot-1 unicorn who can space the floor, pull down boards, and defend the rim at elite levels.
Unfortunately, as of late, the big man has struggled to put forth high-end performances on a consistent basis. For every 23-point, 15-rebound effort he has, there seems to be a 5-point, 6-rebound showing to counter.
Most recently, Holmgren found himself dropping 20 points on 60.0 percent shooting from the floor and 75.0 percent shooting from distance only to then follow this up with a mere 10 points in their loss against the Lakers.
Getting him into a rhythm is crucial for Oklahoma City to achieve their playoff goals, and these upcoming four games present them with their final opportunity to do so before the regular season's end.
Ajay Mitchell makes his way back to the hardwood
The Thunder have endured a bevy of health-related ailments throughout the 2024-25 season, though, as of this writing, they're nearly back to full strength.
The last player that remains sidelined due to injury (excluding the red-shirted Nikola Topic) is Ajay Mitchell, who has been rehabbing from turf toe surgery since early January.
Initial reports projected him to have a 10-to-12-week re-evaluation period, but now 13 weeks later, we have yet to get any definitive news regarding his potential return.
Recently, the standout rookie was seen participating in a team shootaround without any visible protections, while coach Mark Daigneault revealed that he is "on track with his progression."
Hopefully, this is alluding to the possibility of getting his two-way services back onto the floor before the start of the playoffs.
Having him get reps under his belt during these last few games of the year, even if for just one, would be a major plus for this Thunder rotation, while his return would give them an A-grade in the health department just in the nick of time.
Win at least three of these last four games
Ultimately, the ideal way to make up for a losing streak is by embarking on a winning streak.
Throughout this electric campaign, the Thunder have seen eight different stretches of three or more wins in a row, one of which came directly after their last string of consecutive losses.
Wiping away the sour taste of their ongoing rough patch with a counter run would be one of the best high-note finishes to the regular season as they make their way toward the playoffs.
With their status in the standings already locked in, there's a realistic possibility that coach Mark Daigneault will look to get some of his younger, lesser-utilized players more minutes down the stretch, meaning wins may be more challenging to come by than usual.
However, even going 3-1 over these last four games would be a great momentum swing. With the Jazz and Pelicans waiting on the horizon to close things out, such a feat is quite possible.
Regardless of the on-court personnel, this team needs to end out the year with a winning record!