The Oklahoma City Thunder are the hottest team in the league, having won six straight and nine of their last 11 games. A big part of that streak can be attributed to OKC’s work to fix the second-half woes that plagued the team earlier this season.
While it’s not perfect by any stretch, the Thunder’s second-half offensive rating is improving and the numbers prove that point. Since Dec. 18 (when the win streak began), OKC boasts a 118.0 second-half offensive rating since Dec. 18 — the No. 2 mark in the NBA in that span. There are other signs that point to improvement for the Thunder, which Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman details as tonight’s showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks (8 ET, NBA League Pass):
“We know that early on in the season that was a point that we were struggling at, coming out of that third quarter,” Carmelo Anthony said. “We’ve turned that all the way around right now.”
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In its first 29 games, OKC averaged 97 points per 100 possessions third quarters, fourth-fewest in the NBA. Over the past six games, it’s scoring 119.2 points per 100 possessions in the third. That’s third-most in the league.
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Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Paul George are shooting a combined 12.7 times per third quarter in this current streak, slightly down from their combined 14.2 shots per third quarter in the first 29 games.
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Over the past six games, Anthony’s shooting 47.4 percent from the floor in third quarters, up from 37.7 percent in the first 29 games. Westbrook’s third-quarter shooting is up from 34.4 percent to a sizzling 66.7 percent.
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The Thunder’s big three is a combined 14 of 24 from 3-point range in third quarters in this six-game span.
