(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
After an 0-4 start, the Oklahoma City Thunder have reeled off five consecutive wins. Here’s a look a the biggest takeaways from their recent winning streak.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a rough start to the 2018-19 NBA season. First off, Russell Westbrook missed the team’s first two games following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, which played a role in OKC dropping its first two games.
But even upon his return, things didn’t improve immediately, and the Thunder found themselves in a 0-4 hole. To make matters worse, the Thunder were ranked last in overall shooting percentage, 3-point efficiency and free throw shooting as well.
Sure, four games don’t exactly define an entire season. On the other hand, it is not the kind of start one would expect from a team that finished with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference last season.
Following such a horrendous start to the season, the Thunder have managed to turn things around, and in a big way. In fact, they have posted victories in each of their last five games, moving back above .500.
Here’s a look at the most prevalent takeaways from the team’s recent success.
Oklahoma City Thunder</a> had a rough start to the 2018-19 NBA season. First off, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westbru01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Russell Westbrook</a> missed the team’s first two games following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, which played a role in OKC dropping its first two games.</p>
<p>But even upon his return, things didn’t improve immediately, and the Thunder found themselves in a 0-4 hole. To make matters worse, the Thunder <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://www.normantranscript.com/sports/national_sports/thunder-okc-has-found-winning-formula-and-it-begins-with/article_1032132b-0c9d-50f5-82f4-bc4b2d6eb7e0.html">were ranked last</a> in overall shooting percentage, 3-point efficiency and free throw shooting as well.</p>
<p>Sure, four games don’t exactly define an entire season. On the other hand, it is not the kind of start one would expect from a team that finished with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference last season.</p>
<p>Following such a horrendous start to the season, the Thunder have managed to turn things around, and in a big way. In fact, they have posted victories in each of their last five games, moving back above .500.</p>
<p>Here’s a look at the most prevalent takeaways from the team’s recent success.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">(Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>3. A somewhat favorable schedule</h3>
<p>On the heels of that brutal four-game skid, the schedule has been a bit kind to OKC, to say the least. Of the five teams they have defeated, only one of those ball clubs is two games above the .500 mark.</p>
<p>Here’s a look at the records of the five teams they beat over the past week:</p>
<ul>
<li>Phoenix Suns (2-8)</li>
<li>Los Angeles Clippers (6-4)</li>
<li>Charlotte Hornets (6-5)</li>
<li>Washington Wizards (2-8)</li>
<li>New Orleans Pelicans (4-6)</li>
</ul>
<p>To be objective, aside from the Suns and the Wizards — who are tied for the second-worst record in the association — the other three teams have decent records and it is worth noting that the Pelicans began the season winning their first four games before dropping their last six contests.</p>
<p>On top of that, in order to have sustained success, you must be able to beat both the good and the not-so-good teams, right?</p>
<p>With that being said, the Thunder have knocked off the teams they should beat, and it won’t be much of a surprise if they rack up a few more wins as their next six opponents have a combined record of 14-43.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">(Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>2. Thunder finding shooting touch, forcing turnovers</h3>
<p>During the course of their four-game losing streak to start the season, OKC was the worst shooting team in the league. Since that time, though, the team has been shooting the ball at a more respectable clip.</p>
<p>Overall, the Thunder have connected on 49.8 percent of their attempts. They are converting 35.8 of their looks from downtown and are shooting 72.5 percent from the charity stripe. Simply put, the chances of winning games increase when you’re able to put the ball in the basket at an efficient rate.</p>
<p>Another area where the Thunder have improved during their recent winning streak is forcing turnovers. During the first four games of the season, OKC’s opponents were averaging 14.5 turnovers per contest.</p>
<p>Conversely, over the last five outings, the Thunder have forced an average of 20.2 turnovers per contest. When you can create extra possessions for your team, the results are usually positive, as OKC has proven over the past five games.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">(Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>1. Multiple players stepping up at the right time</h3>
<p>While a somewhat favorable schedule and improved shooting have contributed to the Thunder’s recent success, another tidbit worth mentioning is the fact that multiple players have stepped up when their number has been called.</p>
<p>When <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/adamsst01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Steven Adams</a> was forced to miss a home game (due to calf tightness) against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 28, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/noelne01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Nerlens Noel</a> was inserted into the starting lineup, and the results were positive, to say the least. In his only start of the season, Noel had a monster game, chipping in with 20 points (9-of-14 shooting) and 15 rebounds in 26 minutes of action.</p>
<p>A few nights later against the Charlotte Hornets, another unsung hero emerged for the Thunder. That player in question is third-year shooting guard <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/abrinal01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Alex Abrines</a>.</p>
<p>In that contest, Abrines came off the bench to score 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5-for-10 from 3-point range. Also, Abrines finished with a plus/minus rating of +16, which was the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/id/401070792">highest rating of any player</a> from both teams. It is also worth noting that <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/schrode01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Dennis Schroder</a>, who the team acquired during the offseason, contributed off the bench with 21 points and five assists.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Alex Abrines & Dennis Schroder come off the bench to spark the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://twitter.com/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@okcthunder with a combined 46 PTS! <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThunderUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#ThunderUp</a> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://t.co/H2KqDCVwoJ">pic.twitter.com/H2KqDCVwoJ
<p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1058203880528453633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 2, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>In the team’s blowout win over the Wizards on Nov. 2, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/grantje01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Jerami Grant</a> went off for a career-high 22 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and three steals, in just the fifth start of his NBA career. Although the Thunder have managed to turn things around, there is a bit of bad news as well.</p>
<p>Russell Westbrook sprained his ankle in the team’s recent 122-116 victory over the Pelicans on Nov. 5. While <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25197408/russell-westbrook-wednesday-oklahoma-city-thunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">no timetable has been provided</a> for his return, thankfully, the injury doesn’t appear to be too serious.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Week 4 NBA Power Rankings" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/05/2018-19-nba-power-rankings-week-4/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/07/oklahoma-city-thunder-3-takeaways-from-5-game-win-streak/"https://hoopshabit.com/2018/11/05/2018-19-nba-power-rankings-week-4/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Week 4 NBA Power Rankings </a> </div>
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<p>If the Thunder can continue performing at the level they have been playing at over the past week, they have enough talent on the roster to pile up a few more wins over their six outings, even with their All-Star point guard on the shelf for a bit.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">