OKLAHOMA CITY –

The Oklahoma City Thunder return home Wednesday night to face the Utah Jazz as they look to steady their play following a difficult stretch.

Oklahoma City enters the matchup at 30-7 and first in the Western Conference, while Utah sits 13th at 12-23. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Paycom Center.

The Thunder have dropped back-to-back games and are 6-6 since Dec. 13 after one of the strongest starts in NBA history.

Thunder searching for consistency after recent slide

Oklahoma City is coming off its most lopsided loss of the season, a 124-97 defeat at Charlotte on Monday. While the Thunder remain atop the standings, recent results have highlighted areas still in progress.

“There’s a lot of games left in the season,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Some nights are going to be bad, some nights are going to be great, but regardless, you have to try to get better the next day.”

Coach Mark Daigneault has described the challenge of facing opponents’ best efforts as part of the territory for the defending NBA champions.

“It gives you a unique opportunity to really improve through that,” Daigneault said. “We’ve got to learn the lesson with these ones.”

Offensively, Oklahoma City has posted a 113.7 offensive rating over the last 12 games after averaging 120.5 points per 100 possessions through the first 25. Defensively, the Thunder remain elite but have slipped from a league-best 103.3 rating early in the season to 108.5 over the same span.

“Everything’s a work in progress,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We are far from what we want to be.”

Utah looking to stop skid and rebuild habits

Utah enters Wednesday having lost eight of its last 10 games and four straight overall. The Jazz rank last in the NBA in defensive efficiency at 122.0 points allowed per 100 possessions.

Coach Will Hardy said defensive focus remains a priority despite the struggles.

“Defense is tiring. Defense is not fun,” Hardy said. “But defense is what gives you the opportunity to win.”

The Jazz are led offensively by Keyonte George, who is averaging 24.3 points and 6.8 assists, and Lauri Markkanen, who has averaged 3.0 made three-pointers over his last 10 games.

Utah is 7-17 against Western Conference opponents and is aiming to snap a three-game road slide.

Injuries and what to watch

Oklahoma City continues to deal with multiple absences. Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, Alex Caruso and Ousmane Dieng are all out, while Gilgeous-Alexander is listed as day to day with right knee bursitis.

Utah will be without Ace Bailey and Georges Niang.

Despite recent struggles, Oklahoma City has controlled the season series, winning both previous meetings by an average of 31 points, including a 131-101 victory on Dec. 8.

The Thunder are 6-2 against division opponents and lead the NBA by allowing just 107.6 points per game while holding opponents to 43.4 percent shooting.