Oklahoma City Thunder failing to finish games against contenders

The Oklahoma City Thunder could make the playoffs this year, but they have to prove they can beat contenders.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a scrappy team with talent and they can make the playoffs this year based on how the standings look right now. Although that is true, the Thunder have let games against tough opponents slip away.

In games against the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers they are a combined 0-5, losing by an average of just 3.6 points. They have to finish against those teams.

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Four out of the five teams are Western Conference opponents and that is more of a cause for concern because these early losses could come back and bite them later in the season when they are fighting for the playoffs.

The Western Conference is the better conference out of the two and the Thunder, with their lack of talent, need as many wins as they can get. Right now they are in a four-team tie for 10th place in the conference, 2½ games out of the eighth spot. It is early, but if they keep giving away tough games late, that deficit can become insurmountable.

One of the reasons Oklahoma City has lost those tough games is those opponents have star players. Yes, the Thunder have Chris Paul and he is one of the best competitors in the league, but he is not one of the best go-to players in the league like those teams have.

The Jazz have Donovan Mitchell, who dropped 32 points against the Thunder. James Harden dropped 40 for the Rockets. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 against the Thunder. Paul George played in his first game against his former team and dropped 18 points and the game-winner. Finally, against the Lakers Tuesday night, LeBron James had a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while Anthony Davis had 34 points.

There is a lack of star power with the Thunder. In its 14 games thus far, Oklahoma City has had only one player score 30 points or more and that was off their bench (Dennis Schroder scored 31 against the Lakers).

When you have a star player to play through, that helps many things on your team . In particular it is useful in those half-court offense, late-game situations (an area where the Thunder struggle) and putting points on the board in general during stretches when you need it.

Due in large part to the lack of a star player, this team is 24th in offensive rating.

This team will depend on the development of young players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Darius Bazley. The Thunder’s depth will get a boost if Bazley can progress. Depth can be hard to come by in the NBA.

Oklahoma City has depth. They have four players in the starting lineup that can go for 20 or more, a sixth man in Dennis Schroder and filler players like Hamidou Diallo and Abdel Nader that can provide added offense.

This is a good defensive team, currently 12th in defensive rating. They might not be able to score but they can stop you, which should help them win games. In late-game situations, they will have to rely on their defense to stop opposing teams from scoring.

The game against the Philadelphia 76ers proved that they can win those games against contenders. The game was not won in regulation, but they were able to win in overtime. It’s good for fans to have that game to look at as hope things will change.

The Oklahoma City Thunder can win close games, but will need to rely on defense, the development of young players during the season and just have faith that things can change. As the Philadelphia game showed, the Thunder can do it.