Thunder in Review: OKC Earns Postseason Berth Despite End of Year Struggles

Over the last nine games of Oklahoma City's season, the team appeared tired, limping to the finish line with help from other teams around the league.

Heading into the final stretch of the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder were in a tight race for the final NBA Play-In spot. Up next on the schedule, OKC had three consecutive games against teams with sub-.500 records, which seemed to bode well for the Thunder's postseason chances. 

Oklahoma City went 1-2 over this three-game span, with the team's only win coming on a buzzer beater against the Detroit Pistons at the Paycom Center. Following this rough stretch, many wondered if the team's front office even had a desire to be in the Play-In. 

The same can be said about the Mavericks, however, who rested their starters with multiple contests remaining in the regular season. With Dallas' losses, which the NBA has launched an investigation into, OKC was able to stay afloat in the 2022-23 Play-In race. 

The Thunder's postseason fate then hinged on an important game with the Utah Jazz, who were without Collin Sexton and All-Star big man Lauri Markkanen, among others. Oklahoma City took down the Jazz 114-98 in its penultimate regular season game, securing the 10th seed and a postseason berth for OKC. 

This was also the start of a three-game win streak for the Thunder, who topped the Memphis Grizzlies 115-100 in the regular season finale. 

Oklahoma City then took on the No. 9-seed New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the Play-In tournament. Behind marvelous performances from All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, defensive standout Lu Dort and second-year playmaker Josh Giddey, OKC knocked off the Pelicans 123-118.

With just under 30 seconds left in the contest, Gilgeous-Alexander connected on a remarkable shot to put the Thunder up by one, a lead which they would not relinquish. 

Making plays down the stretch pic.twitter.com/xYCHmiJQcp

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 13, 2023

With the victory, Oklahoma City became only the second No. 10-seed to win a Play-In game, doing so as the youngest team in the NBA.

At this point, the national media had begun to take notice, praising the Thunder's youthful core and head coach Mark Daigneault for shattering expectations in 2022-23 and developing its young talent so quickly. 

The performance that followed, however, quickly exposed some of OKC's major weaknesses. In the final game of the Play-In tournament, Oklahoma City was trounced 120-95 by the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending the Thunder's season. 

Over the last nine games of the year, OKC went 4-5, bringing the team's record to 40-42 at the end of the regular season. This serves as a solid reminder that while the team proved it is on a great trajectory for future success, Oklahoma City is still inconsistent and needs to add a few more pieces to truly compete in the postseason.

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