The Pacific Northwest wasn’t kind to the Oklahoma City Thunder this week, and their latest matchups may simply be part of their new reality. 

On Wednesday night, the Thunder looked to avenge their loss to Portland a night earlier on the second night of a back-to-back. Despite being in a tight game throughout, the Thunder were unable to come through in clutch time. 

Missing Ajay Mitchell, along with the rest of those who missed Tuesday’s contest, the Thunder were at a disadvantage from tipoff. While that can help explain why the Thunder lost, it can’t be used as much of an excuse, considering that reality won’t be changing anytime soon. 

Sitting at 8-4, the Thunder have slid down the Western Conference standings in the early portion of the season. Considering how tough the West is this season, the Thunder’s placement around the middle of the playoff picture may stick throughout the year, or at least until Chet Holmgren gets back on the floor. 

Until that point, the Thunder need to stay afloat and get all the wins they can. Sure, the team expected to be a contender coming into the season, but those circumstances have changed drastically. 

It’s not impossible for Oklahoma City to get healthier and make another deep playoff run this season, but it does seem unlikely that the Thunder will be sitting as the No. 1 seed in the West this time around. Over the next several weeks, the Thunder need to focus on racking up all the wins they can against teams in the bottom half of the league, and they need to put an emphasis on protecting their home floor. 

Obviously, it would be ideal for the Thunder to win games like the ones they just played in Portland, but the team is at a point where losing those matchups can’t be viewed as a concern. With the LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings coming up to cap off this road trip, the Thunder should be able to return home 10-4. 

It’s far from the 24-1 mark they started last season with, but managing to stay a few games above .500 between now and the turn of the calendar should be the top priority. Luckily for the Thunder, their schedule will remain somewhat favorable for the next few weeks. 

Between now and the end of December, only seven of the Thunder’s 20 matchups will come against playoff teams from last season, and only three of those will be on the road. As much as it seems like things are heading the wrong direction for the Thunder, there won’t be many upcoming matchups like the ones they just lost in Portland, and that lighter schedule could be enough to keep Oklahoma City where it wants to be.