Reviewing the Thunder’s Stellar 4-0 Week

What a difference a week makes.

Last Saturday, the Oklahoma City Thunder got blown out by the Houston Rockets. That game was preceded by a blow out at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. OKC was still reeling from finding out that Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace had suffered long term injuries. Alex Caruso had missed both lopsided losses due to an ankle sprain and his return date was unknown. The sky is falling type vibes amongst many in the Thunder fanbase.

This Saturday, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Washington Wizards by 39 points. That game was preceded by a 31 point blow out over the Memphis Grizzlies the night before. OKC has now reeled off four straight wins. Alex Caruso has returned and, unlike last season, was playing both nights of a back to back set. The sky is the limit type vibes amongst many in the Thunder fanbase.

Let's recap OKC's bounce back week that incredibly feels like a season-saving turning point even if it was just a couple weeks into the season.

Thunder 117, Cavaliers 112. Monday, November 2. After the back to back blowouts south of the Red River, OKC fans were dreading the thought of going into Cleveland to face a team with four All-Stars that won 52 games and clinched the #4 seed last year. But a clip-emptying 43 point performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, including the game-winning 3 pointer in the waning moments, gave the Thunder a much needed win.

Thunder 124, Cavaliers 116. Surely a talented Cavs team would seek some vengeance on a depleted Thunder team just two nights later in OKC, right? Wrong. Don't let the final score fool you. A wave of ridiculous Donovan Mitchell 3 point shot making in garbage time is the only reason this one was remotely close. The back to back MVP had back to back 40 point games.

Thunder 128, Grizzlies 97. Both teams were 6-2 coming into this one. This was the first NBA Cup contest for both squads. The game was in Memphis. So the expectation was that this would be a close, competitive affair. Wrong. The momentum from the Cavs home and away set carried over and the Thunder rolled over the Grizzlies. Ajay Mitchell led the way with a career high 35 points and Jared McCain shook off a shooting slump to score 21 points.

Thunder 114, Wizards 75. Washington has shown more life this season than they have since Russell Westbrook was a Wizard, but Oklahoma City punctuated their dominant week with a nearly 40 point victory. Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and 9 assists and McCain stayed hot with 19 points on 8-10 shooting. But rookie Aday Mara stole the show by scoring a career high 18 points, blocking 3 shots and draining his first career 3 pointer.