The Thunder rolled into the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA and a nice cushion of a lead in the Western Conference.
They have rolled out of the break straight into a ditch or maybe even off a cliff.
Read MoreAs bad as the Thunder defense seems to be lately, the Lakers defense has been even worse over the last few games.
No team has had more trouble stopping opponents from scoring than the Lakers. They've allowed a league-worst 112.5 points per game since New Year's Day.
Read MoreThe Thunder led the Phoenix Suns 96-80 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were having monster games and everything seemed to be under control
So, as we've seen happen a few other times this season, the defense decided to make an early exit
Read MoreFor a while this season the Phoenix Suns were among the hottest teams in the NBA, right now not so much.
Your Oklahoma City Thunder flew out of winter straight into summertime yesterday, it was 82 degrees when their charter flight landed in Phoenix and they may be catching the Suns at just the right time.
Read MoreNothing like flying out of winter straight into summer and that's just what the Oklahoma City Thunder are doing today.
It will be 40 to 45 degrees warmer in Phoenix when the team lands than in Oklahoma City when their charter flight takes off.
Read MoreThunder 3-time All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook only played a few seconds more than 20 minutes Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers but he certainly made the most of his time on the court.
Westbrook recorded the fastest triple-double in the NBA in almost 60 years with 13 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
Read MoreMoments ago Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said he will again go with 6-10 forward Perry Jones III in place of the injured Thabo Sefolosha tonight.
Read MoreThe Philadelphia 76ers may have lost 14 straight and 24 of their last 27 but Thunder superstar Kevin Durant and his teammates aren't taking tonight's opponent for granted.
"We know they've got a bunch of guys looking to make a name for themselves in this league and they're gonna play extremely hard," Durant told reporters after shootaround.
Read MoreVeteran NBA swingman Caron Butler went through his first Thunder practice today and declared himself ready to play Tuesday night against Philadelphia if his number (2 by the way) is called.
"I'll be happy to go in and do whatever I can," Butler said
In the first half Sunday night it looked like the same old Thunder defensive struggles were back. The Charlotte Bobcats, having ripped the nets in their three previous games to the tune of 37.3 percent, shot 54.1 percent and scored 55 points in the first 24 minutes at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
That all changed in the second half.
Read MoreThunder shooting guard and defensive whiz Thabo Sefolosha is officially being listed as day-to-day with a strained left calf muscle but in reality it will likely be several days before he's back on the floor.
Read MoreThunder officials aren't commenting on reports the team has reached a tentative deal to bring in forward Caron Butler.
Butler reached an agreement on a contract buyout with Milwaukee yesterday and won't clear waivers until 4 p.m. Saturday. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported the deal with the Thunder earlier today.
Read MoreThe raw numbers were bad enough, Cleveland 114, Oklahoma City 104.
But here's the rest of the story...the Thunder have now lost as many games at Chesapeake Energy Arena during this homestand as they had the first three-and-half months of the season.
Read MoreAfter having gotten through their first few seasons in Oklahoma City generally escaping any injuries, the Thunder have been more hurt than healthy since losing Russell Westbrook in last season's playoffs.
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