NBA Power Rankings Week 4: Race to the top is heating up

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Luguentz Dort #5, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Kenrich Williams #34 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate a score and the lead after a timeout during a 107-104 Oklahoma City Thunder win over the Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Week 4 NBA Power Rankings: 22. Oklahoma City Thunder (5-6)

. 5-6. Previous: 26th. Oklahoma City Thunder. 22. team. 149

Last week: (3-0) – vs. SAS (W), @ NOP (W), vs. SAC (W)

Offensive rating: 99.7 (29th in NBA)

Defensive rating: 106.2 (13th in NBA)

Counting their win over the Lakers a week ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won four straight games. Last week, they went a clean 3-0.

All of the teams they faced were sub-500 teams, but it’s still impressive considering how poor the Thunder were projected to be. Now, they’re rolling and sitting in a position to compete for a play-in spot.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort have led the way as of late. Both are putting up around 20 points per game on this recent winning streak.

In addition, the Thunder have had players such as Darius Bazley, Mike Muscala, Tre Mann, and Josh Giddey all chipping in solid contributions. They’ve been flying under the radar as a team, but their defense has been great.

Season outlook: Most people pegged the Thunder as the worst team in the NBA going into this season. While their success could cost them a top-three pick, it should be a welcomed sight. To see such a young team playing so well early on in their rebuild is a great thing. They’ll likely still end up in the lottery, regardless.