The Thunder's Trouble Shooting From Deep Helps Extend The Series To Game 7

OKC once again found itself struggling to connect from beyond the arc.

May 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball past San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) in the first half during game six of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City could not find its mark from beyond the arc. 

The Thunder are officially now in a do-or-die situation after falling to the Spurs 118-91 in Game 6 on Thursday night. The series is now all tied up 3-3, and both teams will meet for the last time this season on Saturday night in Oklahoma City. 

The Thunder had a chance to finish off the series on the road in Game 6, but were completely run out of the gym from the start of the game. OKC never led in this bout and ultimately looked outmatched as the contest continued to stretch on. 

There are a lot of things that the Thunder need to improve on from this loss, and one thing in particular is their shooting from beyond the arc. 

The Thunder couldn’t seem to find their stride from deep, as the team only shot 25% from three-point land. OKC’s three-point shooting has seemed to really affect the outcome of its games in the conference finals, and this time, it affected the defending champs for the worse. 

Cason Wallace tried to help out as much as he could, as the Thunder guard hit three shots from deep on 75% shooting. Jared McCain also hit a pair of triples on only three shot attempts from deep, but OKC’s ability to shoot the ball from long range would stop there. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t find his rhythm, not hitting a single shot from deep, as well as Lu Dort, who would go one for nine from deep. This lack of volume would hinder Oklahoma City’s ability to score overall and would leave them with a low total, just like in Game 4. 

This seemed to come from a combination of adjusted Spurs defense and missed open shots. San Antonio seemed to be flying around the perimeter in its zone defense, not allowing anyone to get an open look. Even when it might have seemed like they were out of place with Wembanyma in the middle, just like it had worked before, the Spurs seemed to recover rapidly in their positioning and were right there to defend. 

Still, even when the ball movement was so perfect that OKC would get an open look, they just couldn’t seem to connect. With Game 7 being the pathway to the finals or their ticket to the offseason, Oklahoma City will have to play its best game of basketball, which is when they are hitting from deep.