Despite winning the NBA championship in 2024-25, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a glaring flaw that saw them put themselves in much more difficult series than they would have intended to. OKC won just one Game 3 in last season’s playoff run, a 29-point comeback win in the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The first game of a series in a hostile environment has not been kind to the Thunder, losing the last three by a combined 50 points to the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana Pacers. Breaking this streak will be crucial for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as a controlling 3-0 series advantage is on the brink.
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If the Thunder wants to pull through with that advantage, a strong start on offense will be needed. Both first-round games so far have contained slower starts, which would be harder to come back from in a hostile atmosphere.
In the first round Game 3 that OKC won last season, the team started slow, going down by 29 points before a fourth quarter surge powered the team past the Grizzlies, but slow starts followed the team in each of its first road games of a series. Against more difficult competition in the following rounds, slow starts handicapped the Thunder from snagging crucial wins to grab full control of the series.
Without 2024-25 All-NBA wing Jalen Williams, the breathing room just gets thinner. If the team can knock down shots and get defensive stops at a high level within the first six minutes of the game, the Thunder can generate the momentum needed to silence a likely rowdy Phoenix crowd.
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Despite losing one of their stars, the Thunder were able to control Game 2 in the second half behind a strong crowd and powerful execution. The team was able to maintain good form despite Williams playing just 33 games in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different beast; a strong second half showing proved that a strong start can happen without him.
“We did a really good job building the lead that we did in the 3rd heading into the 4th. Obviously, the 4th was a little wacky, head coach Mark Daigneault said. “But generally, it was a good one. We built a strong lead and were able to hold it.”
If OKC can start strong in its first away game in the 2025-26 NBA playoffs, it can surely pull away and grasp an insurmountable 3-0 cushion.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/thunder/onsi as A Strong Start Can Elevate OKC Thunder in Game 3.
