The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off its best two-game stretch from beyond the arc of the season and will look to keep their rhythm to close out the regular season.
Oklahoma City is down to its last four games of the regular season, and they have gotten hot shooting at the perfect time, as the Thunder is in the midst of a strong finish (has won 18 of its last 19 games, including 12 consecutive at home) in its final stretch.
In the final week, the Thunder will look to cap off another historic franchise regular season on a high note. With the San Antonio Spurs still in Oklahoma City’s tracks for the top seed in the West, the Thunder will need to win two of their final four games to secure a third straight No. 1 seed.
Thunder’s Shooting Is the Key to End the Season
Thanks to the Denver Nuggets, the Spurs are now three games behind, helping the Thunder immensely and giving them more space to secure the top seed in the West and the best record in the league. After dominant wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz on Thursday night and Sunday night, it’s looking like Oklahoma City has found a rhythm from beyond the arc.
In the win over the Lakers, the Thunder shot 19-of-42 (45.2%) from beyond the arc as the offense was humming from the start.
The Thunder would follow up that strong performance with a more dominant performance in a win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday. Shooting and making a season-high 24-of-45 (53.3%) from beyond the arc as the offensive synergy was on full display from the jump.
While shooting 45% and 53% from deep won’t be sustainable nor expected from the Thunder in this final stretch, hovering around 40% over the final week would be a huge step in the right direction for a Thunder team that’s been streaky from outside all season.
The Thunder are shooting 36.3% from deep this season, ranking 11th in three-point percentage and 15th in three-point volume at 37.8 attempts per game. For the Thunder to repeat, they will need to find some consistency from the perimeter and gain some rhythm to close out the regular season, which could be the key to replicating last postseason success.
The Thunder have successfully checked those boxes against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz to wrap up their final homestand. The Thunder face a difficult final three-game road trip against the Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Nuggets, which should put their recent shooting variances to the test.
The Thunder are shooting 35.3% at home and 37.8% on the road this season but considering their shooting struggles in the 2025 playoffs, where they shot 33.8% ranking 13th out of 16 postseason teams, these matchups to close the season could not only give Oklahoma City another confidence boost but also more momentum if they can carry over any resemblance of their shooting success they recently had against the Lakers and Jazz.
While it’s unpredictable to project how the shooting in the final week of the regular season will translate in the postseason, continuing its recent hot streak from deep would only be a good sign for the Thunder moving forward.
All in all, this stretch has the Thunder’s magic number for clinching their third straight No. 1 seed in the Western Conference — and second consecutive year of having the best record in the NBA — to two games.
Main Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
