Thunder can't close again in Oakland, 121-106

BOX SCORE

The fun thing about all these Thunder losses is that they’re like a snowflake. They’re unique unto themselves, all different in terms of frustration, disappointment and heartache.

Thursday’s was maybe the most straightforward of the recent stretch, with the Warriors basically just turning it on over the final 16 minutes of the game to staunchly outplay the Thunder.

With 4:11 left in the third, the Thunder led 80-71. But with this team, apparently a nine-point lead isn’t safe with four minutes left in the game, so forget the third quarter. Because the Warriors closed on a 50-26 run from that point on to improve to just a stupid 55-5.

So… What. Is. Going. On. Here. That six losses in their last eight games. And with that has come a strange cloud of concern, one where it feels like suddenly the season is teetering.

One thing that needs to be pointed out first in the face of your frustration and disappointment: Ask yourself, did you really think the Thunder were going to win tonight? And if the answer is no, then what are you really mad about? The result was the expected one.

But the origin of the angst is easy to find when you watch how it happened. Because this team is so clearly scratching the surface of having it figured out. Then they just do dumb stuff.

One sequence with four minutes left in the fourth was a perfect summation to explain the current ills that are plaguing the Thunder presently. First, Serge Ibaka forced a silly pass for a completely avoidable turnover. Second, the Thunder didn’t get back in transition, allowing a wide open Klay Thompson 3. Third, Thompson missed it, but the Thunder stood and watched as Stephen Curry pulled down an offensive rebound in the paint. And finally fourth, with them scrambled and mismatched, Curry drove the lane for a dagger and-1 to make it 106-97. That’s the lack of attention to detail they’re trying to win in spite of. That’s what’s gotten them beat six of their last eight.

They just keep doing these things. Now, all teams have their moments, ones that make you want to run face first into a tree trunk, but the Thunder’s consistently cost them. It’s what sparks a 22-point comeback and then sustains it. It’s what leads them to give up 123 points to a below average opponent. And it’s what takes a game that they’re firmly in to being decidedly out of.

Following the game, Kevin Durant tried to spin to the positive, a night after he went the other way and said they were fooling themselves.

“This is an exciting time for me,” he said. “I’m happy that we’re going through this because like I said it’s easy to be… we don’t want to be frontrunners. That’s not who we are. That’s not who I am. And I’m not going to let the team be that way. When you’re losing that’s when you really got to show your character and show who you are. We’re going to keep our heads up, all our guys are going to stay positive and keep working and learn from it.”

Doubling down, he then went with this:

“A few games we just gave away. It’s not like we’ve been dominated at all,” he said. “But we’re excited, man. We like our team, we like what we’re doing going forward. We lost some games out of the All-Star break but we’re not trying to look at it as it’s the end of our season. We’re going to keep grinding it through. How many games we got left? Twenty? Twenty games to go before the playoffs. That’s when the real season starts so we want to play good basketball at the right time and keep grinding it out. That’s what it’s all about.”

Yep, 20. And it’s time to start winning some of them.

NOTES:

Russell Westbrook struggled big time. He shot just 8-24, and missed a number of rim attacks. He had his left thumb heavily taped and asked about it postgame, he said simply, “It’s alright.”

One thing about Westbrook’s night, though: He reverted to old Russ, taking wild shots, firing up 3s and creating less. He took on too much responsibility and tried to carry the team individually instead of making the whole group better as a whole.

Durant had 32-10-9, but he followed up Wednesday’s turnover fest with nine more tonight. And so many were just of the soft, unnecessary variety. He copped to his crimes postgame, saying, “It’s something I’ve got to correct.”

The big takeaway: Kyle Singler had his best game of the season. I know! He was truly impactful in the first half both in making some shots and doing some things on defense. That’s the Kyle Singler they thought they had. Now, turn around and do it again. And again.

Durant subbed out mid-fourth and clearly didn’t agree with the move. He talked to Donovan, before giving him a reluctant five. But it was a good move, honestly. Even with the game slipping, Durant had just committed his eighth turnover, a careless one just stepping out of bounds. It was wise for Donovan to sit him and try and let him clear his head. Didn’t exactly work as Durant came in and committed his ninth turnover, but still.

Why isn’t Durant shooting free throws anymore? He got to the line 11 times tonight, which has become an anomaly.
Just making an observation here: Kevin Durant talks to Steve Kerr maybe more than any opposing head coach.

Serge Ibaka showed up: 20 points on 8-12 shooting and a stunning block on Klay Thompson.

Durant on if this stretch is temporary: “I think it’s a temporary thing. We definitely want to get it under control. We’re not happy with the way we’re playing, obviously. We want to win. But this is when you see what you’re made of. It’s easy for you to come in here and smile and answer you guys’ questions with a positive attitude when you’re winning. When your back is against the wall, when you’ve been through a couple dark days, this is when you see who you are. So I’m excited and looking forward to the rest of the journey.”

Bad Dion Waiters.

Steven Adams made zero impact. Enes Kanter made a small one. The Thunder played small a lot of the game, and it went decently, but the size didn’t matter tonight.

The Thunder are now tied with the Clippers in the loss column.

Next up: At the Bucks on Sunday