Short-handed yet dominant, OKC defies injuries with star power and defense. But a brutal schedule looms, testing their league-best record.
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered Wednesday night's contest against the Milwaukee Bucks with only eight healthy players from their 15 man roster. They ended the night with only seven.
Coming into the game, OKC was without Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Aaron Wiggins, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber. Breakout combo guard Ajay Mitchell exited in the second half with a right hip contusion.
Like most nights, the Thunder overcame injuries and walked out with a win due to the brilliance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, bench players excelling in their roles and a healthy dose of suffocating defense. Oklahoma City famously has the greatest depth in the NBA but even the champions and their abundance of talent can get stretched to the limit on the injury front. Missing half of their regular rotation versus an also shorthanded 18-24 Milwaukee squad is one thing, but OKC's schedule is going to get a lot tougher very soon.
The Thunder's next three games are all very winnable regardless of the injury report. Oklahoma City goes back to the friendly confines of The Paycom Center to host the last place Indiana Pacers, the surprisingly strong Toronto Raptors and the last place New Orleans Pelicans. But after that trifecta of doable home games, the schedule transforms into a who's who of NBA contenders.
Over a two week span from January 29 to February 11, OKC hits the road to play the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, swing back for one home game against the Orlando Magic, travel for Round 5 against the San Antonio Spurs, drive back up I-35 to host the Houston Rockets and then head out West to face the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. The Thunder get a brief break by hosting the Bucks right before the All-Star Break and hosting the Nets right after the All-Star Break. Then it's right back to the grind. Oklahoma City closes out the month with a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a two game road trip versus the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons and then the February finale against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in OKC.
The Thunder currently have the best record in the NBA despite being the second most injured team in the league. But with the schedule beefing up soon, OKC's 6.5 game lead over the Spurs for top record in the West will be put to the test. Here's hoping the champs' injury report starts getting lighter just as the schedule starts getting tougher.