The Thunder have limitations that need to be addressed in their path to repeating lwosports.com/flaws-okc-th...

One of SGA’s best blend of scoring/playmaking games ever — dissected the zone + all of Denver’s coverages with total anticipation & control Hyper-efficient as a scorer (34 points on 11/16 shooting & 78.3% TS) Responsible for 10 assists on spot-up 3s & (13 assists overall) MVP Statement

Thunder MVPS Tonight: SGA 34 points 13 assists 4 turnovers 5 rebounds 2 steals 1 block 11/16 shooting +22 Cason Wallace 27 points (career-high) 6 rebounds 2 steals 7/11 from 3 (career-high) +14 Aaron Wiggins 14 points (off the bench) 6 rebounds 2 steals 5/9 shooting 3/6 from 3 +6

Will look back as the “Cason Wallace” game Has 23 points & is *7-of-9* from 3. He's been UNREAL. Continues to make timely 3s, who's struggled with his three-ball this season

OKC has started the first & second quarters extremely hot 7-of-9 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 from 3 to start the first quarter 9-of-10 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 from 3 to start the second quarter

Thunder playing with more force, hustle & intensity early — with 8 offensive rebounds already in the first quarter

Best offensive start to the game from OKC in a while 19 points in the first six minutes on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor + 3-of-4 from 3 Nice manipulation early from Shai (3 assists on 3 three-pointers) Good pace & flow from OKC

Who are the biggest All-Star Snubs?

OKC has been depleted with injuries over the past few weeks But there are some very loud flaws + some obvious holes in the roster Look back at the film, & it's a common denominator + formula with the majority of these Ls It will be interesting to see if OKC addresses these flaws at the deadline

With the NBA Trade Deadline a week away I laid out some key components + potential names regarding the OKC Thunder ahead of the Trade Deadline lwosports.com/trades-okc-t...

Offense came at a premium, but their defense was once again their calling card Held New Orleans to 95 points + 34% shooting from the floor Pelicans FGA from their highest usage rate Zion ➡️ 8-11 Murphy ➡️ 3-20 Queen ➡️ 4-11 Bey ➡️ 4-16 Jones ➡️ 4-12 Fears ➡️ 3-9 OKC snaps its 2-game losing slid

Despite a rough week of hoops for OKC Been really encouraged with Ousmane Dieng’s minutes — quick 4 points in his first minute Not hesitating and being decisive with the ball

Lack of late-game execution once again causes an OKC loss as they lose back-to-back home games to fall to 37-10 After the Pelicans game on Tuesday, OKC enters a brutal stretch (with 5 of its top 8 players out) OKC plays 7 straight playoff teams, including every single top West playoff team

SGA tonight: 47 points on 17/28 shooting The rest of the team: 67 points on 23/54 shooting Half the roster is currently out as the Thunder are *13-8* since their historical (24-1) start

Big *12-2* Thunder run during the midway point of the second quarter as OKC finally established some traction to cut a 17-point deficit to 5 heading into halftime Shai (18 points), Chet (10 points), Cason (10 points — most in 2026), and Kenrich (6 points on 3/3 FG) leading the way for the Thunder

OKC was unable to establish any form of defensive resistance, as they allowed 39 points in the first quarter IND shot 53% from the floor (+8 in FGA & had 7 offensive rebounds), 6/11 from 3, and outscored OKC (20-8) in the paint OKC trails by 11 after the first quarter

Shai has 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting + 10 assists & 1 turnover in 27 minutes

Can't say enough about the ascension of Ajay Mitchell Looking back at Sam Presti’s track record of draft steals Ajay Mitchell may be Sam Presti’s CROWN JEWEL Used the 52nd pick & cash to move up to 40, then used 40 & cash to move up to 38 to draft him

Dominant 1Q as OKC leads by 20 OKC shot 70% from the floor, 5/11 from 3P, and had a 9 assist to 1 turnover ratio OKC with a (16-6) advantage in the paint, (6-0) in fast break points, and an (11-0) advantage in points off of TOs Five Thunder players scored 5+ points — led by Ajay 12 pts (5/6 FG)

Thunder bounced back with a dominant display against the Cavs Led by dominant Shai & Chet performances OKC made 23 threes compared to 8 for Cleveland Despite getting outrebounded (54-38), OKC was able to control the possession battle by turning the Cavs over 21 times for 23 points off turnovers

*16-6* run fueled by a flurry of threes by Isaiah Joe (4/5 3P) & Lu Dort (3/3 3P) + increased in defensive activity & intensity to end the first half for the Thunder Thunder's defense forced 9 Cleveland turnovers & held to 35% shooting from the floor & 4/18 (22%) from 3

Momentum-changing offensive foul on Shai. That is a defensive foul 99 out of 100 times. Leading to a four-point swing in a crucial situation Snapping their 5-win streak. As the Thunder fall to 35-8 The primary focus will be on the update of J-Dub’s injury. As OKC continues to deal with injuries

Efficient offensive first-half for the Thunder OKC shot 57% from the floor, 47% from 3, had a 12-to-4 assist-to-turnover ratio +8 in the paint & +9 in fast break points SGA leading the way with 18 points on *6/7* shooting But the status of Jalen Williams is the primary concern for the Thunder

Offense is flowing early for the Thunder 37 first-quarter points on 68% FG + 4 3PM Controlling the pace (6-0) advantage in fast break points Shai — 10 points on 4/5 FG J-Dub — 8 points on 3/3 FG & 2/2 3P Cason — early points 7 points

Big time road win by the Thunder Houston laid out a super aggressive scheme on Shai — forcing the OTHERS to beat them, and the Thunder did The Thunder were +18 in the 4Q & held Houston to 91 points on 33% shooting from the floor Thunder moves to 35-7

Houston have been sending hard doubles at Shai at basically every spot on the floor Shai did a much better job at attacking these hard doubles — 10 pts in the 2Q + setting up open looks for teammates OKC held KD & Sengun to a combined 6/22 FG but has (13 off rebs for 16 2nd chance pts)

Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell have been the Thunder’s offense in the first half Have combined for 26 points of the Thunder’s 36 points — on 10/12 shooting

0 FGA for SGA in the first six minutes — Houston denying, blitzing, and packing the paint on him Leading to Chet being aggressive and taking full advantage — 10 points & 3 boards on 4/4 shooting OKC with 5 assists on 6 FGM so far

Here are my mid-season grades for each Thunder player lwosports.com/thunder-repo...

What a bounce back win — in all three PHRASES

The Thunder flipped the script — scored 70 points in the 2nd half (42% from 3) After shooting 1/7 in the 1Q, Shai shot 9/12 from the floor the rest of the way to lead all scorers with 29 pts + efficient nights for J-Dub, Chet, and Ajay OKC converted 39 pts off TO's — a season high allowed by MIA

The Thunder's dreadful 3-point shooting stretch continues — (2/15) in the first half, compared to the Heat, which shot (8/16)from 3 OKC’s opponents have shot 37.2% from 3-point range this season, tied for the *fourth-highest clip* in the NBA The perimeter shooting disparity is becoming a concern

Best stretch of the season (2nd half) for Jalen Williams as a primary engine Could be a defining moment & turnaround for J-Dub Big-time win for the depleted Thunder

Wanted to wait until afterwards to give my FULL THOUGHTS on this recent stretch Masterclass by SGA tonight 46 points 6 assists (0 turnovers) 54 FG% (72% from 2) +9 Game-Tying Buzzer Beater With that being said, SGA having to have a scoring output at this rate + to be efficient, is concerning

The Thunder lose shockingly, going down 124-97 to Charlotte, which snaps their 24-game winning streak against the East OKC needs to look in the mirror and rediscover its core offensive + defensive identity as a team This team has looked unrecognizable since Vegas, as they fall to 30-7

The Thunder have truly hit their first LOW point of the season 6-5 in their last 11 games and is currently down 23 points to Charlotte Raising concerns: with their half court offense, defensive drop-off, inconsistent 3PT shooting, and lack of diversity + over reliance on SGA = predictable offense

Full imprints of energy + offense from Ajay Mitchell Immediately provided some juice — scoring a quick 10 points on 4/4 shooting from Mitchell The Thunder erased a 21-9 deficit to end the first quarter thanks to the boost from their bench

Credit to PHX for upping the physicality + mugging up the game The Thunder were out rebounded (60-37) + allowed 12 offensive rebounds. We’re a -21 from the three-point line {shot 10/32 (31%)} & a -10 FT differential Not a good SGA good on either end — shot 8/22 & 3 turnovers OKC falls to 30-6

Best offensive game from Jalen Williams so far this season Playing with great pace & rhythm — 21 points on 8/11 shooting + 7 assists

SGA established some rhythm — scoring 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter PHX shot 33% from the floor in the first half Different case in the third: 53% from the floor & +12 FT differential in the third quarter Free Throws Taken: Devin Booker: 13 Thunder: 11 OKC down 1, going into the 4Q

Low scoring first half as the Thunder just held the Suns to a season-low (42) first half points OKC shooting 47% FG, 26% 3P, 5/6 FT PHX shooting 33% FG, 27% 3P, 10/16 FT & have a *9 to 8* — assist to turnover ratio 2 Thunder players are in double figures, & 5 Thunder players have scored 7+ points

A pair of early threes from Lu Dort — as he’s made 9 of his last 18 threes over the past couple of gams Igniting a *20-4* run by the Thunder midway through the first quarter OKC is shooting 10/16 from the floor + holding Phoenix 3/14 shooting from the floor & 0/8 from three

The Oklahoma City Thunder becomes the 3rd team in history to start two consecutive seasons with a 30-5 or better record: OKC Thunder (2024-25 & 2025-26) Golden State Warriors (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17) Chicago Bulls (1995-96 & 1996-97)

Continue to be impressed with Branden Carlson Records a double-double off the bench. Becomes the first Thunder player with a double-double off the bench this season

OKC in a complete defense to offense flow — allowing only 66 points on 31% FG thru three quarters The level of detail on defense on every possession — with their rotations, switches, backline — has been incredible tonight OKC getting back to their IDENTITY after a subpar few weeks on that end

After a *9-0* Warriors run to cut OKC’s lead to two, the Thunder goes on a *19-0* run — led by Chet Holmgren’s dominant TWO-WAY play during this stretch Thunder stretch their lead to 21 late in the second quarter

The Warriors are already feeling the affects of: *Curry, Jimmy , and Draymond* being OUT — with Golden State having ISSUES manufacturing offense As the Thunder held the Warriors to 35% FG in the first quarter OKC have an (18-10) advantage in the paint + (12-2) advantage on 2nd chance points

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Performance vs Portland: • 30 Points (83% TS) • 6 Assists (0 TOs) • Generated 45 Points (3 quarters) • 4 Steals OKC’s Offensive Production w/Shai • 29 Minutes • 132.5 Points per 100 Possessions • +22 Has made significant growth in balancing his scoring + playmaking!

Chet Holmgren’s Defense Performance vs Portland: • 3 Points Allowed • Held Opponents to 1/11 FG • 8 STOCKS (6 blocks + 2 steals) OKC’s On/Off Def Rating w/Chet • 25 Minutes • On Court Def Rating: 69.6 • Off Court Def Rating: 114.3 Was this his best defensive performance of the season last night?

Dominant performance to end 2025 as the Thunder held Portland to 95 points on 39% shooting + forced 24 turnovers OKC were also a +18 in the paint, +13 in fast break points, and +11 in points off turnovers Thunder had 7 players in double figures + 52 points off the bench OKC improves to 29-5