The Kendrick Perkins Conundrum

In a short period of time, Kendrick Perkins became a physical force and leader for the Oklahoma City Thunder. But, how does Perkins fit within the team moving forward?

VIDEO: Kevin Durant dunks over Jonas Valanciunas

The OKC star did, well, what he does best as the Thunder rolled over the Raptors.

Kevin Durant, Thunder ramp up intensity in win over Raptors

The Oklahoma City Thunder came out energized, especially on the defensive end, in a win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.

Raptors vs. Thunder final score: Oklahoma City bounces back with 108-88 victory

The Oklahoma City Thunder moved to 2-2 on the season with a 20-point win over Toronto on Tuesday.

NBA Standings: Thunder already facing uphill climb in Western Conference behind Spurs, Mavericks

The Oklahoma City Thunder are already facing an uphill climb in the Western Conference race. While there is more than enough time in the young NBA season to turn things around, the Spurs have started off strong as usual while the Thunder are currently struggling to find a rhythm and chemistry after the James Harden trade.

The Thunder are currently 1-2 and find themselves ranked No. 10 in the Western Conference standings. As for the Spurs, they are undefeated at 4-0 with the Mavs close behind at 3-1. You can check the complete standings below:

Raptors vs. Thunder: Toronto hopes to catch OKC at 'vulnerable' time

The Oklahoma City Thunder are getting off to a slow start in the 2012-13 NBA season, and the Toronto Raptors are the next team up hoping to catch them off guard. OKC is typically a difficult team to beat, but it's clear the team is adjusting to life without James Harden, which has Toronto hoping for a win while the Thunder figure things out.

Chris Walder from Raptors HQ has the rundown on tonight's game with his three keys for winning:

Usually considered to be one of the tougher matchups of the year (on any schedule for any team mind you), Toronto is catching the Thunder at the absolute perfect time.

Oklahoma City has dropped 2 of its first 3 games, including a 104-95 loss Sunday night to the Josh Smith-less Atlanta Hawks. Russell Westbrook is shooting just 38% from the field, Kevin Durant is turning the ball over 5.3 times a game and the starting unit is scoring just 90.4 points per 100 possessions.

Now is the time for Toronto to make a statement and prey on a Thunder squad which is at its most vulnerable.

Clearly the Thunder are not firing on all cylinders, but it's only a matter of time until they start to do so. The aforementioned players along with Kevin Martin and Serge Ibaka are simply too talented to remain in such a funk.

Perhaps it's a lack of rest from a summer at the Olympics. Perhaps it's adjusting to the Harden trade to the Rockets. Perhaps it's just a three game slump which happens to the best of teams. Either way, expect the Thunder to start to roll and the Raptors to find a challenge waiting for them on Tuesday night.

Raptors vs. Thunder: OKC work on fundamentals in practice

Thunder head coach Scott Brooks thinks there are very simple things that the team can fix in practice.