The Thunder have been among the hottest teams in the NBA lately.
They have won nine out of their last 10 games to improve to 9-5 this season and they are currently fifth in the Western Conference entering play on Friday.
As a result of their recent surge, the team is beginning to rise up the ranks in the league and at least one national publication has taken notice as the Thunder are fifth in the latest power rankings by Bleacher Report.
An excerpt from B/R:
Behind a defense that looks more elite by the day, the Oklahoma City Thunder won two of their three games this past week—albeit against one of the softest schedules imaginable: at Dallas and then home for Phoenix and New York.
Still, for a club that’s operating without Russell Westbrook, who’s sidelined with a sprained ankle, any win is a good one.
Steven Adams has been terrific, hitting the Mavs for 20 points and 13 boards, then following that with 18 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks against the Suns. On Wednesday, he put up 19 points, six rebounds and five assists on 9-of-13 shooting. It just doesn’t stop with this guy.
The Thunder are getting it done with an impressive defense that ranks second in the NBA by allowing just 103.3 points per 100 possessions and they have mostly done so without Russell Westbrook.
While the team obviously wants Westbrook back as soon as possible, it has been encouraging to see the team handle business without him and it only begs the question of how good the Thunder can be once he returns.
We may have only seen a preview of what is to come this season.