NBA: Lull has Thunder embracing 'challenge' with Jazz up next

The Oklahoma City Thunder made the early part of the season look effortless, not just with their 24-1 start, but also with their dominant margins of victory.

Heading into Wednesday’s home matchup against the Utah Jazz, the Thunder are aiming to shake off a recent slump.

After one of the best starts in NBA history, Oklahoma City has dropped back-to-back games and sits just 6-6 since December 13. Their latest setback was a 124-97 blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

“There’s a lot of games left in the season,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We’ve won big, we’ve lost big. Some nights are going to be bad, some nights are going to be great, but regardless, you have to try to get better the next day. … It’s hard, obviously, but the best teams do it.”

Coach Mark Daigneault echoed that sentiment, calling it a “privilege” to face other teams’ best efforts as the defending NBA champions. He believes the current inconsistency can be an opportunity if the team responds the right way.

“It comes with the territory,” Daigneault said. “I think it gives you a unique opportunity to really improve through that. But there’s also a challenge that comes with that. … We’ve got to learn the lesson with these ones.”

Oklahoma City’s struggles have been most evident on offense, posting a 113.7 offensive rating — points per 100 possessions — over the last 12 games, down from 120.5 over the first 25 games.

Gilgeous-Alexander, however, is more focused on returning to the team’s defensive standard.

The Thunder led the league with a 103.3 defensive efficiency over the first 25 games but have slipped to 108.5 since. That still ranks second in the NBA over this stretch but falls short of the team’s lofty early-season benchmarks.

“Everything’s a work in progress,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We are not what we want to be at the end of the season. We’re far from that.”

While Oklahoma City remains among the league leaders with a 105.0 defensive rating, Utah ranks last in the NBA at 122.0 — a problem Jazz coach Will Hardy says needs urgent attention.

“Defense is tiring. Defense is not fun,” Hardy said. “But defense is what gives you the opportunity to win. We can’t show up to games thinking that we’re just going to outscore everybody. That’s an unsustainable approach. And right now, where we are as a team and as a program, we’re trying to build sustainable habits, a sustainable approach for long-term success. Our focus on the defensive side of the ball, individually, has to go up.”

Utah enters Wednesday’s game on a four-game losing streak and has dropped eight of its last 10. Jazz rookie Ace Bailey has missed the last five games with a left hip strain, while Oklahoma City will be without Isaiah Hartenstein (calf) and Jaylin Williams (heel).

The Thunder won both previous meetings between the teams this season by an average of 31 points, giving them confidence as they aim to get back on track.

--Field Level Media/Reuters