After losing seven out of their last 12 games, the Thunder have hit a bit of a rough patch of the season and the recent stretch has been especially tough given the teams they have played.

Only two of those seven losses over that span have come against teams currently in the playoff picture, with losses against teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks.

Speaking after a 116-98 loss to the Wizards on Jan. 6, Paul George said the Thunder may have fallen into a trap in that game after previously winning three straight prior to that matchup.

After the Thunder lost to the Hawks Tuesday night, George and Dennis Schroder each surmised that the team didn’t play with enough energy as the team struggled the entire night in Atlanta.

George says he and Russell Westbrook have to change that.

“We are taking our opponents serious but at the same time, we know we are the team that should win and at times it just seems that we’ll just turn it on when we need to and sometimes that’s a little too late or sometimes that’s not what’s best for us. A lot of times that’s not what’s best for us. “We are a team that when we’re playing both ends at a high level, we can beat the best teams; we are one of the best teams. That energy gotta come from us and we gotta lead, myself and Russ, with that energy. I’ll for sure do a better job with that.”

Paul George on recent play against sub-.500 teams, says he and Russell Westbrook have to lead with energy. “I’ll for sure do a better job with that.” pic.twitter.com/Os80loyoFY — Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) January 17, 2019

The Thunder are allowing 6.7 more points per 100 possessions over their last 12 games than they were prior to that stretch and are yielding nearly 11 more points per game.

It certainly appears like the team is overlooking some opponents and playing down to its competition, something George acknowledged Thursday and has vowed to correct.