OKC Thunder Blow Playoff Turnover Differential Record Out of Water

NBA teams win games by outscoring their opponents through 48 minutes, plus any added time if necessary. The most important, and most obvious, component to accomplishing this consistently is maintaining superior shooting efficiency — both inside and outside the 3-point line.

The 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder shot 55.9% on twos (No. 7 in NBA) and 37.4% on threes (No. 6 in NBA) while allowing 51.3% 2-point shooting (No. 1 in NBA) and 34.2% 3-point shooting (No. 1 in NBA) on defense. This uncommon two-way efficiency propelled the Thunder to the top of the league standings and ultimately helped lead to a championship.

Still, Oklahoma City's most special quality lies in a more subtle category. Gaining as many scoring opportunities as possible matters just slightly less than making the most of those chances.

During the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Thunder forced 415 turnovers and committed 284 across 23 games — good for a +131 turnover differential, or +5.7 per game. Only the 2018-19 Toronto Raptors (+3.3) also finished above +1 per game among the last 10 champions, with three teams even finishing in the negatives: 2022-23 Denver Nuggets (-0.7), 2021-22 Golden State Warriors (-0.7) and 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers (-0.9).

The reigning champion averaged 11.7 giveaways throughout the regular season and 12.1 across the playoffs (No. 4 of last 10 champions), with lead ball-handlers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combining for just 4.6 and 4.4, respectively.

Oklahoma City blew every other recent championship team's defensive playmaking out of the water. It forced 17.0 turnovers per game in the regular season and a staggering 18.0 per game during the playoffs, with the 2018-19 Raptors (15.4) being the only other squad in the last decade to average at least 15.

The playoff Thunder shot 153 more 2-pointers (6.7 per game) and 32 more free throws (1.4 per game) than opponents, underscoring its ability to limit scoring possessions over and over again. Oklahoma City committed fewer turnovers than opponents in 18 of 23 postseason games (two ties) and shot more field goals in 16 of 23 games (one tie) despite not being a dominant offensive rebounding team.

An Entire Team Effort