It's getting difficult to wave away these losses. The Oklahoma City Thunder, coming off a dominant, feisty win over the New Orleans Pelicans, were blown out of the water by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.
They trailed by double digits virtually from tip-off, losing the game by a final score of 111-123. Minnesota came out ready to play, attacking on both ends of the court with playoff-level intensity, and the Thunder did not.
In some ways, this is a good thing for a championship-caliber team. The regular season will hold its ups and downs, but Oklahoma City must maintain its poise and level-headedness throughout the course of the schedule.
At the same time, the Timberwolves were playing their fourth game in five days. What happened?
The Thunder have a serious possession problem
The answer, in many ways, is familiar. The Thunder were outshot from the perimeter, with Minnesota knocking down 46.8% of their attempts from that range. From another perspective, Oklahoma City might have an emerging crisis on their hands.
Their pace of play and rebounding may not be fast enough to account for their shooting slumps, and they may not have an answer for it at the trade deadline.
In NBA.com's recent power rankings, Oklahoma City was shockingly bumped down to second in the league, with the Detroit Pistons surpassing them for the top spot. Here's one of the reasons writer John Schuhmann gave for the shift:
"The possession game continues to be an issue for the Thunder. They’ve had fewer shot opportunities than their opponent in six of their last seven games, averaging 9.6 fewer over that stretch."John Schuhmann
On paper, things don't quite seem disastrous. The Thunder are 13th in the league in Pace (a statistic that measures possessions per 48 minutes of play) this season. Since Jalen Williams went out on Jan. 17, they are 14th in the league in that category.
But last season they were fifth, capitalizing on the athleticism and speed they carry across their roster to put opponents on their heels.
Against Minnesota, the Thunder shot nearly 50% from the field. They won the turnover battle. Why were they down by such a large margin from the onset of the game?
The Timberwolves earned extra possessions on the defensive boards, and when they did so, they pushed the pace down the court. Oklahoma City simply did not.
In many ways, this is a natural result of the way the Thunder's offense is run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has such poise and calm to his game that there is no reason to hurry the offense. Yet when games reach playoff intensity, Oklahoma City doesn't necessarily have a ball-handler who can push the pace in the way Anthony Edwards can.
Given the fact they are unlikely to make a move at the deadline, it's hard to imagine them acquiring one. They will need to find internal solutions, and they must hope the returns of Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams are enough to get their offense right again.