Story & Photos
By Michael Kinney
It will eventually end. One day, the Oklahoma City Thunder will lose a game again (maybe).
However, as of right now, the Thunder are playing like they believe they are unbeatable. The last time they felt the sting of defeat came Dec. 17 against Milwaukee in the NBA Cup Final, which for some reason doesn’t count against their losing streak. The last official defeat took place Dec. 1 in Houston.
Since then, OKC has been taking care of business at home and on the road.
Coming off a five game homestand, Oklahoma City is riding a franchise-best 15-game winning streak. That streak includes beating the defending NBA champion Bostin Celtics 105-92 Sunday at the Paycom Center.
But even that wasn’t enough to get the Thunder overly excited about its win streak.
“Amongst ourselves, not much honestly,” said Isaiah Joe. “We’re like a next-game mentality team. I think that’s what we have to rely on to keep it going. We can’t live in the past. We leave that for everybody else.”
And that is exactly what everyone else is doing. Despite not even reaching the all-star break yet, Oklahoma City has become the chic pick for most to end the season with the Larry O’Brien Trophy. A lot of that has to do with not just winning games, but also in the fashion in which those victories are coming and against the level of competition they are rolling through.
Like many of their wins in recent weeks, the Thunder fell behind early to Celtics. They trailed by 13 points at one point in the first half and it looked like Boston might have their number.
But once again, Oklahoma City had another couple of gears unleashed on the Celtics and raced past them.
“We’ve been getting to a lot of bad starts, but it’s a 48-minute game,” said Luguentz Dort. “Whenever we get back to the locker room at halftime, we regroup and go out there and compete more.”
In victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks, the Thunder trailed by 12, 16 and 14 points at home. Each time it appeared that was going to be the night they would slip up and just accept defeat.
But if Oklahoma City has proven one thing this season, it is that they don’t give in. The second would be no lead is too big.
“We have metrics that that we’re trying to hit in terms of the quality of the opponent’s shots, the quality of our shots, trying to get more shots than our opponent, win the turnover battle and the rebounding battle, trying to limit their possessions every way that we can,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We try to eat the elephant a bite at a time.”
That is especially true when the team they are facing is considered one of the best in the league.
Even though the Celtics do not own the best record in the East, the fact they have been to the top of the mountain makes them the envy of the Thunder. And someone worthy of sending a message to.
“I like to play against, go against the best and see where I stand, how good I really am. That’s all it comes down to,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “Like coach said, they have done things that we’ve dreamt about doing, and there’s no way to get there without playing against teams and competing against teams like that. That’s what I wake up for, what I play the game for.”
Oklahoma City (30-5) is taking its win streak and Western Conference-best record on the road for another prime-time match-up Jan. 8 when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers (31-4), who own the top record in the NBA and a 10-game win streak of its own. For both teams, it’s a chance to not only prove themselves but also send a not-so-subtle message in case they meet in the postseason with the NBA championship on the line.
The Cavaliers have gone 18-1 at home. Cleveland is second in the league averaging 122.5 points and is shooting 50.4 percent from the field. The Thunder are 13-3 in road games and leads the NBA in several defensive categories.
“We expect to win every game,” Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell said.
The contest, which will lead off the ESPN doubleheader at 6 p.m., is just the third game in NBA history when two teams on winning streaks of at least 10 games go head-to-head.
“It’s cool,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I try not to think about where we were or where we’re going and just stay in the moment.”
No matter who wins, they will not have to wait long to see each other again. The two squads are scheduled to play each other Jan. 16 back in Oklahoma City after their four-game East Coast road trip.
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