Why OKC Thunder is Looking Forward to Game 6 After Home Letdown

Oklahoma City had the perfect chance to build on momentum and take a commanding series lead. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way, though, and that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday night. A huge opportunity turned into a deflating loss, and the recent inconsistencies continued to show up.

Once again, Oklahoma City went ice cold from 3-point range, and the offense looked unrecognizable from the team’s season-long performance. The Thunder shot an abysmal 10-of-40 from distance and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the only player in double digits for a majority of the game. The Mavericks role players outplayed the Thunder’s supporting cast, and now it’s win or go home for the youngest team left in the playoffs.

On Wednesday, Oklahoma City didn’t change up on the team’s game plan. They got wide open looks and just couldn’t convert. It has been an unfortunate shooting slump that has stretched three games.

In the heat of a playoff series, there’s no real time to change an entire game plan. It’s up to the players to step up and extend the series. One hot shooting night from 3-point range could change the trajectory of the series. For Oklahoma City, it’s business as usual on Saturday night.

“It’ll be fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in regards to Game 6. “Our mood won’t change. Our mentality won’t change. It’s one game at a time. We wanted to win this game as bad as we want to win the next game and the next game. I don’t think it’ll change too much.”

This will be Oklahoma City’s first look at an elimination game, and the most pressure that the entire roster has ever faced. We’ll find out a lot about the grit and fight of this team on Saturday night.

Trying to keep a confident mindset and play free on the floor is easier said than done, but it’s crucial to the Thunder’s chances to extend this series to Game 7. Players like Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins will have to offer significant role player contributions, and Jalen Williams must rise to the second-star level he was playing at all season long. Everyone on the roster is capable of playing better, it’s just a matter of doing it.

Mark Daigneault preached all season long about monitoring the highs and the lows of the postseason, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s quote matches that. The Thunder will try to have fun in competition and get back to their brand of basketball.

It’ll be hard in a hostile environment, but this Thunder team has been proving people wrong and exceeding expectations all season long. Saturday could be the next chapter in the underdog story.

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