The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first regular season loss at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers with a score of 121-119 on Wednesday night, snapping their winning streak to eight games.
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Oklahoma City Thunder squandered a 22-point lead and were down by eight points with less than three minutes left in the game. They tried to make a comeback of their own but fell short in the end. Veteran center Isaiah Hartenstein discussed their shortcomings during the postgame presser.
“They’ve been playing great all year. I think, especially young teams, at the beginning of the year, always kind of come out with that kind of energy,” Hartenstein stated. “I think they’ve done a good job getting the right people in. Jrue has been really big for them. Guys have been developing a lot. It was a good win for them. Those are the kinds of games that help you build confidence, even though we have like eight, seven guys out, and coming off a back-to-back. But I think just for them, it’s a good learning block.”
“I think most of it was we didn’t execute as well as we should,” he added. “I think there were some plays that we could have controlled. Some missed layups here and there, but I don’t think it was that crazy of a game, to be honest.”
Oklahoma City Thunder News: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander speaks on the pressure of pursuing a repeat
Despite yesterday’s loss, the Oklahoma City Thunder remain the prohibitive favorites to win the Larry O’Brien trophy this season. While there’s pressure on repeating as champions, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said he plans to take it one day at a time.
“I don’t really care about pressure. I have expectations for myself, and I have goals I want to accomplish. I’m going to go out there and give this game everything I have. That’s all I can control. Whatever happens from there, happens from there,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Clemente Almanza of the Thunder Wire.
“What people want from me or expect me from me or what I should or shouldn’t get, I don’t pay attention to at all. I can’t control any of that. I just focus on what I can control. Which is giving this game, teammates, organization, and fans my all,” he concluded.
