Branden Carlson Shines In His Last Showing Of The Year

The Thunder big man left it all out on the hardwood Sunday night.

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Branden Carlson (15) goes up for a basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The final regular-season game meant the final moment for some Thunder players to shine. 

Sunday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns officially wrapped up the 82-game season, along with Oklahoma City’s two-way players' season. Players on a two-way contract aren’t eligible to play in the postseason, so Sunday was the last chance to show off improvements made throughout the season. 

Although these young Thunder pieces, along with role players, couldn’t get the job done on the scoreboard, one young buck made sure to make the most of his last performance of the year. 

Branden Carlson had himself a night on Sunday, to truly end the year with a bang. The big man played 42 minutes for OKC and led the team as best as he could against the Suns. Carlson led the Thunder in scoring with 26 points, shooting 50% from the floor. The big man was also busy from downtown, as he hit five threes. 

Carlson recorded a double-double during the regular season finale as well, grabbing 10 rebounds. The Thunder big man’s night still wasn’t over, as Carlson did everything he could on the defensive side, grabbing two steals and sending shots back with five blocks. 

Carlson had a successful time with OKC last season, which of course ended in a championship, and was brought back this season, signing a one-year two-way deal in July. This turned out to be the right move for Oklahoma City, as Carlson played in over half of the team’s games this season as the Thunder were dealing with frontcourt health issues all season. 

He didn’t play much in the games, only averaging about 11 minutes a night before Sunday, but he was productive when he did. Carlson averaged 5.3 points this season on an effective 53% shooting, along with 2.8 rebounds per game. 

Carlson was never a flashy star, but that was never his role to begin with. He was brought back for another season to do a job that he did quite well, helping OKC to the top spot in the West once again. 

His large volume of minutes was a thank you to Carlson for the work he put in this season, and it seems to be a new tradition, as the center had 26 points on the last night of the season last year as well. 

Carlson’s future with the Thunder isn’t guaranteed, but the OKC big man truly put it all out on the court Sunday on why he deserves another shot at a two-way next year.