Thunder’s Shuffling Rotation vs Blazers Dents Historic Start

It’s an Overdue Loss for OKC

No team has ever managed to go 82-0. The closest we’ve seen is the 73-9 Warriors, and the 72-10 Bulls, then somewhere along that list is the same OKC team last season with 68-14. Sure, winning a lot of games isn’t for everyone. And then there are the expectations that come after winning a championship. However, this is quite unavoidable at this point. The Thunder are playing without their best players, and they are coming off the second night of a back-to-back.

To be fair, they did start the game well, and even managed to build a 22-point lead. But when you’re missing your best players, and rest isn’t a luxury that you can’t afford. Chances are, you’d lose. So for the Thunder to even build a colossal lead and nearly steal the game in the final seconds is outstanding. Some will discount this saying that a “loss is a loss,” but so are the eight wins to start off the season.

Fatigue Was a Huge Enemy for the Thunder

The Thunder came off a promising win against the Los Angeles Clippers before this game against the Blazers. They won by 19 points in that game and still came up with a significant lead against a well-rested Blazers squad. For instance, Isaiah Joe torched the Clippers for 22 points with six threes on Tuesday. He would go on to shoot just three from deep in the loss. OKC only had Aaron Wiggins as the one to get double-digits in +/- for the game, but that didn’t matter much in the end.

On top of that, the shuffling rotation really hampered everything. Remember that Camara did a good job locking up SGA? Well, that forced a lot of changes in rotation. It led to more minutes for Joe, Brooks Barnhizer, and even Ousmane Dieng playing a whole lot more guard roles instead.

And get this, Cason Wallace just dropped five points on 2-4 shooting. That’s not really much, until you check his previous games. The second half of the Cookies and Cream Duo scored more than 10 points in the last three games. Sure, he still maintained his defensive impact and was all over the place with his energy. However, not having many touches or plays set for him is a direct effect of the shuffling rotation that also hampered their offensive book.

The fact that Isaiah Hartenstein is the only remaining big for OKC to man the middle is a tough break. You could not ask for a better man to provide the strength he can in the game. He finished with 10 points and 11 boards, which is his usual stat line. He did what he does best, and yet the Thunder fell short. Branden Carlson earned minutes once more, and he showed potential in playing at clutch time as well.

How Should Oklahoma City Respond?

Overall, OKC really was fatigued entering this game. They had enough momentum to come up with a huge lead in the first quarter, hoping to put this game to bed early. However, not every game works that way, and now it is definitely a lesson learned for the Thunder moving forward.

At this point, Portland can hang the banner for all they want to troll that they’re the streak-busters. The Thunder-Blazers clash proved to be a tough heartbreaker for the defending champs. While it is a loss — a two-point loss, at that — it’s something that OKC can learn from, which they can adopt new schemes in the rotation. After all, it’s still just nine games into the 2025-26 season.

Championships aren’t won in November. That’s what the Thunder have embraced so far in the previous season, and it has led them to wonders with a league title in June. Now that there’s a new season brewing, OKC can definitely focus on building better habits. They have 73 games to make adjustments. Who knows? They may even go for an 81-1 record now that they have one loss in the column.