Stiles Points: Mission Accomplished For OKC Thunder In Final Week

The Oklahoma City Thunder have accomplished its goals during the final week of this regular season.

Apr 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) tries to past the ball against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

The final two games were just a formality for the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the Western Conference locked up and the best record in the NBA clinched.

Oklahoma City wraps up the regular season slate with a trip to Utah and New Orleans, two tanking squads with already one win in hand as the Thunder's reserves dismantled the lowly Jazz on Friday.

That outburst in Salt Lake City gave Oklahoma City an A+ on the week, one that should end with a 4-2 record dating back to last Saturday in Houston.

When the Thunder were still in a race for the top record in the league, Mark Daigneault dismissed the idea of the team would be gunning for Home Court Advantage throughout the Finals, owning different priorities.

"Not [Chasing the NBA No. 1 Seed] at the expense of wanting to go into the playoffs healthy, fresh, confident and as improved as we can be. Those are the priorities. We want to be healthy, as healthy as we can be going into the playoffs. We want to be fresh, we want the guys to have the juice for sure. Because those [playoff games] are taxing as we know," Daigneault said. "We want the guys confident, because those are high stakes games and you need confidence to perform in the playoffs and we want to use these games to make sure every guy is confident heading into those games. We want to improve through the games and wherever that lands us."

Oklahoma City, for the third straight season, have improved their win total by 10-plus games. The Thunder have the most double-digit wins in NBA History, the best point differential in NBA history and the most wins in franchise history. Safe to say, they have improved.

The Thunder have been far from healthy this season, and despite that adversity have still won at a jaw-dropping clip. But as the regular season is set to end on Sunday, they are more healthy than they were on opening night. Check that box as well.

Then, you get into the biggest accomplishment this week from Daigneault's priority list.

With Oklahoma City's stars on the sidelines, the Thunder saw playoff X Factors Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins have career-nights in a 145-111 beat down of the Jazz.

Joe tossed in a career-best 10 triples on 14 attempts, Wiggins posted 35 points on 58% shooting and Williams notched his third career triple-double with a 3-for-5 outing from beyond the arc.

Safe to say the Thunder's supporting cast should have its confidence riding sky-high entering next Sunday as OKC begins its NBA Playoff journey.

In the last game Jalen Williams played in, he turned in a jaw-dropping outing as the Thunder's scoring punch. Chet Holmgren got to the line at a career-high clip and superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned in 42 points against the Lakers.

Oklahoma City will be a popular pick to make the NBA Finals and win its first NBA Championship. The Thunder will enter the postseason on a high note.

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