If you’ve been scrolling through NBA Twitter or checking the standings lately, you’ve probably seen the mixed signals. The Oklahoma City Thunder are winning, but man, it’s been a weird stretch. One night they’re blowing the doors off a contender, and the next they’re barely scraping by a shorthanded lottery team. Honestly, if you're an OKC fan, your blood pressure has probably been all over the place since Christmas.
But here is the thing. Context is everything.
People see a close score and think the "defending champion" armor is cracking. It’s not. What we’re seeing in the OKC Thunder last games isn’t a decline; it’s a masterclass in survival and depth management. Mark Daigneault is basically playing chess while half his pieces are in the training room getting iced down.
The San Antonio Statement
Let’s talk about Tuesday night. The Thunder finally beat the San Antonio Spurs 119-98.
Why does that matter? Because prior to this, the Spurs had actually beaten OKC three times in a two-week span. It was becoming a "thing." People were starting to wonder if Victor Wembanyama had some sort of psychological hex on this roster.
✨ Don't miss: Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Score: What Really Happened at Arrowhead
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) decided to end that conversation personally. He dropped 34 points and looked like he was playing at 75% speed while everyone else was sprinting. He also tied a career-high with four blocks. A guard getting four blocks while dropping 30+ is just absurd.
"He controlled the pace... star basketball without theatrics," as one analyst put it.
The most impressive part of that win? They did it without Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein. When you lose your best perimeter defender and your best rebounder against a team with Wemby, you’re supposed to lose. Instead, OKC held the Spurs to 40% shooting. That’s just culture.
Survival Mode in Memphis and Miami
If you want to see what this team is actually made of, look back at the Memphis game on January 9th. That was a fever dream.
OKC was down 19 points. No Shai. No Chet Holmgren. No Hartenstein. No Cason Wallace. Basically, it was Jalen Williams and the "Blue" squad. And they won. 117-116.
Kenrich Williams turned into Prime Larry Bird for a night, scoring 21 points. Jalen "J-Dub" Williams had 26 points and 10 assists. It was the kind of game that makes you realize why Sam Presti hoards talent. Most teams lose that game by 30. This group flipped a switch in the second half and outscored Memphis 71-51.
Then came the Miami Heat on Sunday. SGA was back, Chet was back, and they took care of business 124-112. It wasn't "pretty" in the traditional sense, but Ajay Mitchell coming off the bench for 16 points was a reminder that this roster is ten feet deep.
Reading Between the Lines of the Stats
The OKC Thunder last games show a team that is currently 34-7.
That is the best record in the league. They are on pace to match last year’s 68-14 finish. Think about how hard it is to maintain that level of consistency when your injury report looks like a CVS receipt.
- Offensive Rating: 5th in the NBA (119.7)
- Defensive Rating: 1st in the NBA (106.8)
- Net Rating: +12.9 (1st in the NBA)
The defense is what stays. Even when Chet Holmgren has an "off" night scoring—like his 8-point outing against the Spurs—he still grabs 10 boards and blocks 3 shots. He changes the geometry of the court. Players literally turn around and pass the ball back out of the paint when they see him waiting there.
The Reality of the "Slump"
Earlier in the month, people were calling it a "slump" because they lost a few games.
They lost to the Spurs on Christmas. They got blown out by Charlotte. It felt like the wheels were wobbling. But looking back at the OKC Thunder last games, that was clearly just a byproduct of a grueling schedule and a sudden wave of injuries.
Isaiah Hartenstein has been dealing with a calf strain. Lu Dort has had adductor issues. Even SGA had a minor ankle tweak that cost him some time. In the NBA, you can't play at a 68-win pace forever without hitting a wall. The fact that they survived that wall and came out with a four-game winning streak is the real story.
What to Watch Moving Forward
If you're betting on this team or just following the race for the #1 seed, keep an eye on the health of the frontcourt.
The Thunder are small without Hartenstein. Jaylin Williams has been stepped up, but they need that "Big-I" presence for the playoffs. The good news is that Shai's 20-point streak is now at 111 consecutive games. That’s the second-longest in NBA history. He is the most consistent force in professional basketball right now.
The West is getting crowded. Denver is right there. The Timberwolves are lurking. But the OKC Thunder last games have proven that this team doesn't need to be 100% healthy to be the best in the world. They just need Shai to be Shai and the "Next Man Up" philosophy to hold firm.
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Monitor the Injury Report: Specifically look for Isaiah Hartenstein's return date. His rim protection is the difference between a "good" defense and a "historic" one.
- Watch the Minutes: Mark Daigneault is leaning on Jalen Williams to facilitate more when Shai sits. This is a deliberate development tactic for the postseason.
- Don't Overreact to 3P%: The Thunder shoot a lot of threes, which leads to variance. Their wins are coming from paint dominance and forcing turnovers, not just hot shooting.
Keep an eye on the February rematch with San Antonio. That will be the final test of whether the Spurs have actually figured them out or if Tuesday's blowout was the new reality. For now, the Thunder are exactly where they want to be: at the top.