OKC Thunder Could be Breaking Out of Shooting Slump at Perfect Time

Oklahoma City’s outside shooting has been a detriment in the postseason, but it might be turning a corner.

The Thunder enter Denver with a 3-2 lead in their second-round series against the Nuggets and are looking to advance to the Western Conference Finals with a win on Thursday night. The Thunder will be playing in Oklahoma City on Sunday afternoon, regardless of Game 6’s result, with their opponent the only variable.

For the Thunder to arrive back home with a Game 1 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the docket, they will need to have perhaps the most impressive performance of this era of Thunder basketball. After securing a critical Game 5 win, the Thunder should have plenty of confidence going into their closeout opportunity, and their ability to knock down shots is a key reason.

Through the first eight games of the playoffs, the Thunder had shot only 31.8% from deep, a steep decrease from their 37.4% mark in the regular season. In Game 5 against the Nuggets, the Thunder shot 7-of-20 from beyond the arc through three quarters.

Although that mark was somewhat better than its playoff performance, Oklahoma City still wasn’t showing its outside shooting ability. Then, Lu Dort got back on track, and the Thunder might have a wave to ride.

Dort nailed three 3-pointers in a crucial spot in the fourth quarter to help the Thunder cut a nine-point deficit to two. To seal the game, Jalen Williams nailed a go-ahead corner three, followed by a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pull-up three on the next possession to go up six.

After struggling to shoot all series, the Thunder showed up with a 5-of-9 performance in the fourth, making almost all of the big shots down the stretch. After nailing the shot to seal the game, Gilgeous-Alexander said he felt like it was about time for one of those to drop.

With the weight of those shots going down off their shoulders, the Thunder could have a massive confidence boost for Game 6. With the Thunder again pulling out a tight game and nailing some massive outside shots to get it done, everything could be coming together for the team that won 68 games in the regular season.