Durant excited to see team's response to recent struggles

The Oklahoma City Thunder are just 2-6 over their last eight games, and the way they've lost some of those recent contests constitutes a disturbing trend for a team which had been tabbed as a legitimate threat to dethrone the Golden State Warriors for Western Conference supremacy.

Following Thursday's loss to the Warriors - the second crushing defeat at the hands of the reigning champs the Thunder experienced in less than a week - Kevin Durant sounded far more optimistic than one would expect after a 121-106 loss.

"This is an exciting time for me," he told reporters postgame.

"I'm happy that we're going through this, because like I said, it's easy to be ... we don't want to be front-runners. That's not who we are. That's not who I am. And I'm not going to let the team be that way. When you're losing, that's when you really got to show your character and show who you are. We're going to keep our heads up; all our guys are going to stay positive and keep working and learn from it."

Durant's squad is currently at risk of relinquishing its playoff spot to the surging Los Angeles Clippers. While his teammates may need a boost, "Durantula" may need to go back to the drawing board himself after failing to take care of the ball in games that offer a small margin for error.

Despite nearly logging a triple-double against the Dubs on Thursday night - 32 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists - Durant came frighteningly close to a quadruple-double with nine turnovers. He had six turnovers in the previous game - a loss to the Clippers - as well.

Through the past eight games, Durant has averaged nearly five turnovers. Meanwhile, his superstar running mate, Russell Westbrook, has tallied seven turnovers in a game twice during this span.

Related: Westbrook's disastrous 4th-quarter play dooms Thunder, again

No. 35 doesn't believe the Thunder's woes represent a chronic issue.

"I think it's a temporary thing," he added.

"We definitely want to get it under control. We're not happy with the way we're playing, obviously. We want to win. But this is when you see what you're made of. It's easy for you to come in here and smile and answer you guys' questions with a positive attitude when you're winning. When your back is against the wall, when you've been through a couple dark days, this is when you see who you are. So I'm excited and looking forward to the rest of the journey."

While some teams might see their locker rooms splinter under the pressure stemming from losing the way the Thunder have been lately, Durant remains hopeful about the remainder of the season.

"Twenty games to go before the playoffs," he said. "That's when the real season starts, so we want to play good basketball at the right time and keep grinding it out. That's what it's all about."