Inside The Thunder

What to Make of the OKC Thunder's Final Four Games After Consecutive Losses

Oklahoma City has struggled in its past two contests, losing by double-digits to the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.

Randall Sweet

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.
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. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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The Oklahoma City have looked like a juggernaut for almost the entire season, reeling off 64 wins with 50 coming by double digits.

Yet, over the past two games, the Thunder haven't looked like the dominant team that they have been all season as the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers dismantled the NBA's top team. OKC loss to the Lakers came by 27 points at home with almost all of the team's usual rotation active.

Of course, two blowout losses this close to the postseason has set off alarms around the league, as observers and national media members have started to question weather or not the No. 1 seed in the West will be able to make a deep postseason run.

Understandably, some Thunder fans have also started to worry, as the team's play over the past few games has dipped significantly from where it was the rest of the year. Losing in blowout fashion to the Lakers, a team who could stand in OKC's way of reaching the NBA Finals, is certainly concerning for Oklahoma City and has started to raise questions from some the team's fanbase.

Luka Doncic had a strong performance, and the Los Angeles showed what the team is capable of when firing on all cylinders. Thunder fans shouldn't fret, however, as the team has another opportunity against the Lakers on Tuesday night in the Modern Frontier.

Even if OKC falls to the Lakers again, it is important to remember that the Thunder have secured the top spot in the Western Conference, and are just a few wins away from clenching the league's top overall seed.

While Mark Daigneault and company are obviously still attempting to win games, the group may have taken its foot off the gas against potential playoff competitors for a few reasons.

The Thunder likely don't want to show Los Angeles and Houston at what Daigneault's gameplan will look like in the postseason. Additionally, after a long stretch of solid basketball, the team may just be tired heading into the playoffs.

Fortunately for OKC, the team will get a lengthy break to rest and recover after the end of the regular season. A 99-point outing against the Lakers is one of the team's worst all season, but with 64 wins and a strong season-long resume, the Thunder have proved that Sunday's performance is an outlier, not the norm.

The 2023-24 Boston Celtics, who would go on to win a title, lost consecutive games twice in their final stretch of the season, losing to the Hawks in back-to-back contests on March 25 and 28, then lost to the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks in consecutive games on April 9 and 11.

After taking on Los Angeles again on Tuesday night, the Thunder will face Phoenix, Utah and New Orleans to close the season. Even if the team does falter against the Lakers, Daigneault and company will have time to gain their swagger back with three games that should be winnable, even if OKC rests a few key players.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall Sweet is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.

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