OKC Thunder Remains at the Top After Rough Weekend

Oklahoma City suffered rare back-to-back losses this weekend, but is still the NBA’s top team.

Apr 6, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

At this point in the season, it’s hard to over analyze any of Oklahoma City’s losses down the stretch. With a 64-14 overall record and a 12.5 game lead on the entire Western Conference, it’s hard to find extra motivation for some of these games.

Despite the dominance all season long, the Thunder’s last two games raised some cause for concern. The Thunder didn’t just lose back-to-back games, they were handled throughout the entirety of the contest on both nights. The Rockets and the Lakers gave the Thunder a nice wake up call. Of course, the entire season’s body of work is much more important than April regular season matchups.

The latest — and last — version of NBA power rankings reflect that sentiment: Oklahoma City should be judged on its entire body of work. The Thunder held onto the top spot, closely followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“The Thunder have seemingly taken their foot off the gas, having suffered just their fourth and fifth double-digit losses of the season over the weekend,” John Schuhmann wrote. “They still have the best per-game point differential in NBA history and the best record (17-9) in games played between the top eight teams in the West, but they still need a few more wins to secure a better record than the Cavs and home-court advantage in a potential Finals matchup.

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Oklahoma City’s back-to-back losses should put things into perspective and give the players some serious motivation. It also highlighted where the Thunder needs to really lock in during the playoffs, and one of those areas is protecting the 3-point line.

“They have the league’s highest opponent 3-point rate and saw the Lakers make a season-high 22 3s on Sunday,” Schuhmann wrote. “They will menace opponents with their aggressiveness but can give up points on the weak side or on the glass if all five defenders aren’t at full tilt. And it’s going to be fascinating to see if teams can take advantage in the playoffs like Dallas did last year.”

Oklahoma City’s effort and intensity will rise naturally during playoff basketball. But running players off the 3-point line and keeping role players in check — unlike what transpired against Dallas — will be key to reaching lofty goals. Despite the rare slump, though, OKC still looks like the NBA’s best team.

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