NBA Power Rankings Week 24: The Thunder Are In An Untimely Rut


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On the morning of Feb. 23, the Oklahoma City Thunder were in a fantastic position. Billy Donovan’s team awakened with a 38-20 record and a comfortable spot at No. 3 in the Western Conference standings, with a three-game advantage over the No. 4 Portland Trail Blazers. Given that more than half of the 2018-19 campaign was in the books, reasonable minds assumed that the Thunder would simply coast to the finish line with home-court advantage in round one of the NBA Playoffs but, after a dismal stretch, Oklahoma City’s standing isn’t so favorable.

Beginning with a loss on Feb. 23, the Thunder are 6-13 in their last 19 games and only the New York Knicks (the league’s worst team) have an offensive rating worse than the 104.9 points per 100 possessions posted by Oklahoma City. Though there were some positive moments during the run, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and company arrive in April having lost seven of the past nine games and, during that downturn, OKC’s patented defense has also slipped, allowing 110.5 points per 100 possessions.

It would be wise (and necessary) to point out that OKC hasn’t enjoyed full health during this stretch, headlined by George’s participation in only 16 of the last 19 games. Beyond that, the All-NBA forward’s performance has slipped as George has attempted to play through discomfort, shooting only 38.3 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from three since Feb. 23, with much more encouraging marks (45.5 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from three) in the 57 games prior to the team-wide dip.

On the bright side for the Thunder, there is absolutely no danger of falling out of the playoffs, as the top eight Western Conference squads have clinched berths in the league’s “second season.” However, there is a massive difference between the team’s standing in late February and now, as they awaken on Apr. 2 in a tie with the San Antonio Spurs for No. 7 in the conference, putting the possibility of a first-round match-up with the Golden State Warriors on the table.

In fairness, any team trying to make the NBA Finals out of the West would have to blaze a path through Oakland along the way but, considering Oklahoma City’s sky-high payroll and lofty expectations, another first-round exit would be brutal. The Thunder have a gigantic payroll allotted to the 2019-20 season and, in short, there isn’t a ton of flexibility for the immediate future, indicating that this team’s core needs to perform on the biggest stage.

Almost everyone would agree that the Thunder are capable of (much) better performance than they’ve deployed in the recent past and, in an instant, Oklahoma City might be able to flip the switch to showcase their terrifying defensive profile. That, combined with the two-headed monster of George and Westbrook would be devastating but, at the moment, the Thunder are stuck in the mud at an inopportune time.

Where does Oklahoma City land in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s explore the space.

1. Milwaukee Bucks (58-20, Last week — 4th)

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On paper, a Sunday afternoon loss to the Hawks would be almost disqualifying with an eye toward the top spot. Milwaukee didn’t play anyone in that game, however, and the Bucks have won five of six games. The biggest check mark for Mike Budenholzer’s squad is still the presence of the best season-long profile in the league.

2. Golden State Warriors (52-24, Last week — 3rd)

When the Warriors dial it up, they’re terrifying. That was on full display in a 47-point (!) victory over the Hornets in Golden State’s last outing. Everyone’s ready for the playoffs to begin.

3. Toronto Raptors (55-23, Last week — 8th)

The Raptors have won four straight games. Those four victories came against the Bulls (twice), Knicks and Magic. There isn’t much to say other than Toronto took care of business and are now locked into a top two spot in the East.

4. Houston Rockets (49-28, Last week — 1st)

Houston couldn’t stay on top with a 14-point loss to Milwaukee but that doesn’t mean the Rockets should be viewed with less optimism. They’ve been fantastic for a long time and there is a consensus building that no one wants to see James Harden and his team in the playoffs.

5. Utah Jazz (47-30, Last week — 10th)

The NBA’s longest winning streak belongs to the Utah Jazz! Just don’t bother looking at the teams they’ve beaten because, um, it isn’t an impressive list. Don’t worry, they’re still good at basketball and their defense is coming alive at the right time (much like last year).
6. LA Clippers (47-31, Last week — 2nd)

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Much like the Rockets, the Clippers take a hit based on a performance against Milwaukee in the recent past. Otherwise, LA has been absolutely lights-out, winning 13 of the last 15 games. You can’t ask for more than that.

7. Portland Trail Blazers (49-28, Last week — 5th)

It is fair to question Portland’s playoff ceiling, particularly without Jusuf Nurkic and with C.J. McCollum battling injury. In the same breath, the Blazers are rolling right now and that needs to be mentioned prominently.

8. Denver Nuggets (51-25, Last week — 7th)

Weird things happen in March and April. I grant that. The Nuggets lost at home to the Wizards on Sunday, and that isn’t a good result.

9. Philadelphia 76ers (49-28, Last week — 9th)

Speaking of bad result, the Sixers went to Dallas and lost by twenty points on Monday. Philly didn’t have Jimmy Butler or Joel Embiid in that game but, um, have you seen the Mavs’ roster without Luka Doncic?

10. San Antonio Spurs (44-33, Last week — 6th)

The Spurs have dropped four of six at a less than spectacular time. Things crested when Gregg Popovich was tossed from Sunday’s home loss to Sacramento and a lot of the positive mojo generated earlier in March is all but gone.
11. Boston Celtics (46-32, Last week — 14th)

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The Celtics haven’t lived up to anyone’s expectations, both from a season-long and recent standpoint. Boston did just win three of four games, however, and maybe they’re turning the corner again. Maybe.

12. Indiana Pacers (46-32, Last week — 12th)

If you’re searching for optimism, Indiana’s schedule has been very difficult recently, If you’re simply looking at the results without context, the Pacers have lost seven of nine games and seem to be less of a threat now than they’ve been at any point this season.

13. Detroit Pistons (39-38, Last week — 17th)

Detroit has a very small lead over Orlando and Miami with about one week to play. The Pistons can take solace in that, but nothing is fully assured.

14. Orlando Magic (38-40, Last week — 11th)

After a scalding-hot stretch, the Magic have cooled in losing two of three games. Both losses came on the road to playoff-caliber opponents but the bottom of the East is a jumbled mess and everyone knows it.

15. Miami Heat (38-39, Last week — 15th)

The Heat probably needed to generate a split with the Celtics over a back-to-back this week and Miami lost the first game. The second comes (at home) on Wednesday and, with the standings sitting the way they are, Miami is in must-win mode.
16. Sacramento Kings (38-39, Last week — 19th)

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Sacramento snapped a long streak of losses in San Antonio this week and that was a fun result for the young Kings. Regardless of whether they dig back to the .500 mark, let us not forget that the 2018-19 season was a smashing success for this franchise.

17. Brooklyn Nets (39-39, Last week — 18th)

Everyone saw this coming. Brooklyn’s schedule is absolutely brutal down the stretch and they’ve lost six of nine games as a result. The Nets are still a playoff-level team in the East, but that doesn’t mean they’re “supposed” to beat the Bucks, Sixers, Blazers, Clippers, Jazz and Thunder.

18. Oklahoma City Thunder (44-33, Last week — 13th)

There was plenty of Thunder talk earlier in this space but, to put it plainly, they need to beat the Lakers on Tuesday night.

19. Atlanta Hawks (28-49, Last week — 20th)

Shoutout to the Hawks. Atlanta has every reason to shut it down with an eye toward the draft but, instead, Lloyd Pierce’s team has won four of five games. That run includes three victories over playoff-bound teams (if you count Milwaukee’s third-unit on that list, anyway) and the Trae Young experience rolls along.

20. Charlotte Hornets (35-42, Last week — 16th)

The Hornets haven’t been eliminated from the playoff chase just yet, but they probably need to win out to have a realistic chance. That downturn comes after three straight losses and it is looking bleak.
21. Memphis Grizzlies (31-46, Last week — 22nd)

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Credit to the Grizzlies for being quite competitive during the stretch run. Granted, Memphis does have some interesting draft-based incentives (especially if the party line is to be believed) but they’ve been sneakily solid in the recent past. We’ll see if that continues without Jonas Valanciunas, who has been ruled out for the season as of Monday night.

22. Los Angeles Lakers (35-42, Last week — 25th)

In hysterical fashion, the Lakers just reeled off four wins in five games. It, of course, means nothing but Los Angeles did set some of their ping-pong balls on fire in the process.

23. Washington Wizards (32-46, Last week — 27th)

I don’t think anyone projected the Wizards to beat the Nuggets in Denver but that happened in the team’s last game. Combine that with another win (albeit over the Suns) and you have the formula for Washington to escape the bottom five this week.

24. Dallas Mavericks (31-46, Last week — 26th)

Dallas just won two in a row at a bad time for their lottery hopes and they did it without Luka Doncic. In fact, the Mavs have a better net rating with Doncic off the floor this season than they do when he plays. It’s bizarre.

25. Minnesota Timberwolves (34-43, Last week — 21st)

A brutal schedule is partially responsible but the Wolves have lost 8 of 10 games. Karl-Anthony Towns is fantastic but, beyond that, there isn’t much to get excited about with an eye toward the future in the Twin Cities.
26. New Orleans Pelicans (32-46, Last week — 29th)

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Honestly, we’re being kind to the Pelicans here. New Orleans has been dreadful for some time and things crested with a 28-point home loss to the Lakers on Sunday. Only a win over the Kings this week keeps the Pelicans from a return to the bottom three.

27. Phoenix Suns (18-60, Last week — 28th)

After losing six in a row, the Suns bounced back with a home win on Monday. Yes, it came against the Kevin Love-less Cavs but the victory happened all the same.

28. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-59, Last week — 23rd)

The longest losing streak in the NBA exists in Cleveland. The Cavs were (vastly) improved prior to this, though, and the schedule has been rather brutal. They did lose to Phoenix on Monday, though, which has to be noted.

29. New York Knicks (15-62, Last week — 30th)

New York has two victories in the last month and the victories came at home against the Lakers and Bulls. That kind of paints the entire picture but, hey, the Knicks won their last contest!

30. Chicago Bulls (21-57, Last week — 24th)

The Bulls don’t really deserve the basement slot based on their season-long performance. I’ll acknowledge that. Chicago did lose to New York on Monday, though, and the Bulls are currently fielding a lineup (as a result of various maladies) that is brutal to watch.

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