Oklahoma City Thunder: A capital drought against the Wizards

The shots kept clanging off. A Russell Westbrook jumper. A Serge Ibaka jumper. A Kevin Durant jumper. A Kevin Martin 3-pointer. Twelve in all, to finish the third quarter Monday night. The Thunder missed its final 12 shots of the third quarter against Washington, and a 68-63 lead, achieved on Ibaka’s baby hook with 6:13 left in the third, became a 76-73 deficit by quarter’s end.

And then the shots kept missing. A Circle K jumper. Then another. A Reggie Jackson 3-point attempt. A Durant jumper. A Durant drive. Five more missed shots to open the fourth quarter. Seventeen straight misses, and the Wizard lead had grown to 86-76 before Ibaka nailed a jumper to stop the bleeding.

But too late. The Thunder, with the NBA’s best record and a healthy roster, lost to Washington, with the NBA’s worst record and an injury-depleted roster. The Wizards won 101-99 on Bradley Beal’s last-second jumper.

After the drought, the Thunder played some decent basketball. They still attacked the basket and got some foul shots, plus made five of 10 shots from the field.

But that 0-of-17 spree was ugly. And all the proper people were shooting. Durant missed five, Martin five, Westbrook four. Ibaka, Jackson and DeAndre Liggins one each.

Thankfully, the Thunder took care of the ball to some extent during the drought, committing only two turnovers in the almost 11 minutes, one of them a shot clock violation.

And the Thunder got to the foul line, going 10 of 12 on foul shots during the drought.

But what a horrible display of basketball. I thought the Thunder’s loss in D.C. last year was its worst of the season. This certainly ranks as the worst loss of this season. An atrocious loss.