For the second-straight week, the Oklahoma City Thunder are holding steady in the power rankings.
The Thunder went a perfect 4-0 last week, with road wins over Houston, Orlando, and Minnesota, with a home victory over the Hawks on Friday night.
In at No. 13 again this week in the latest ESPN rankings, Royce Young points out that OKC has consistently defied expectations, especially with a recent rash of injuries that have threatened to derail their success.
It seems each week raises the question, “Wait, are the Thunder actually this good?” And the answer has consistently been, “Yes, the Thunder are this good.” They are 22-8 in their past 30 games — that is a 60-win pace — and have won nine of their past 10 road games. And they’ve done it with plenty of adversity too, relying on their suddenly impressive depth. As long as Dennis Schroder, Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play — that trio has a net rating of plus-29.3 in 311 minutes — they’re good.
Also for the second-straight week, the Thunder will also face off against the team immediately above them in the rankings. The Dallas Mavericks dropped to No. 12 this week, sliding three spots down from No. 9.
As noted by Tim MacMahon, the Mavs’ fall is due largely to their struggles in the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks continue to search for solutions for their late-game offensive struggles, as the league’s most efficient offense ranks 28th in the clutch (93.6 points per 100 possessions). Luka Doncic is shooting only 34.6% when the score is within five points in the final five minutes.
Oklahoma City will put its five-game win streak on the line tonight against the Mavericks.
The Thunder beat Dallas, 106-101, inside Chesapeake Energy Arena on Dec. 31. Dennis Schroder and Danilo Gallinari scored 20 apiece to lead OKC with 20 in the win.