The OKC Thunder suffered a surprising loss to the Boston Celtics after the game seemed well in hand.
The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a loss to the Boston Celtics Tuesday night after free throw miscues allowed Marcus Morris the chance to make a game-clinching 3-pointer. Coming off a big win against the Toronto Raptors, the OKC Thunder were in prime position to win their seventh game in a row. Things didn’t go the way they wanted.
The Celtics did not have their best player in Kyrie Irving, but they didn’t need him as they were able to sneak an improbable win.
The Thunder have not beaten Boston this year after losing earlier in the season. In that November game, the Celtics were able to come from behind in the second half after only scoring 37 points in the first half.
This has become a theme for the Thunder as they have not been able to close out games this year.
On Nov. 24, the Thunder played the Detroit Pistons and lost 99-98 after leading by 15 points in the first half. On Jan. 30, the OKC Thunder lost a game down the stretch against the Washington Wizards where they were unable to make shots and couldn’t stop turning over the ball.
These couple of games are just a sample size of the amount of games the Thunder have lost down the stretch. The problem is they are not able to provide consistent made baskets down the stretch.
To fix this problem, the Thunder will have to focus on ball movement and passing the ball to keep putting pressure on the defense.
If they have a big lead and they are comfortable, they tend to play one-on-one ball, which only helps the defense crash down on the one player and force turnovers.
With a Big 3 moving the ball around and getting in the extra pass to create a great shot instead of a good shot, it will help take the team to the next level.
A Western Conference executive told Bleacher Report about why the Thunder sometimes struggle.
"“It’s a three-man circus,” a Western Conference executive told Bleacher Report. “They don’t play well together. There’s no ball movement, no chemistry. You can tell by watching them play, it’s out of sync. There’s no rhyme or rhythm to how they play.”"
The Thunder’s offense had been great during the six-game winning streak. They had games where they scored 132 points against the Toronto Raptors, 121 points against the Los Angeles Clippers, 119 against the Atlanta Hawks and 115 against the Phoenix Suns.
In the big win against the Eastern Conference’s first overall seed, all five Thunder starters were able to score in double figures. It was the first time that happened since Jan. 24, when Terrance Ferguson dropped 24 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now they are two games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the 3-seed, who just went on a 13-game winning streak.
In the next five games, they will face teams like the Blazers, the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans — all teams who are behind the Thunder in the standings. After that, they will have to face the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets back-to-back.
The Thunder’s total record against those five teams is 5-8. They haven’t beaten the Blazers or the Pelicans this year.
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The schedule is looking tough to close out the season, and the Thunder’s proven inability to finish games will not help the mental aspect of winning these tough matchups.