The Oklahoma City Thunder are putting the league on notice — they’re not just a young, exciting team anymore. They’re cold-blooded competitors. On Friday night, OKC completed a dramatic second-half comeback to stun their playoff opponents and take a commanding 3–0 series lead, moving one step closer to advancing in the postseason.
Down by 18 midway through the third quarter, it looked like the Thunder were finally showing some cracks. The opposing team came out swinging, knocking down threes, dominating the glass, and pushing the tempo. OKC looked rattled for the first time in the series. Their shots weren’t falling, turnovers piled up, and their defensive intensity wasn’t where it needed to be. The momentum had fully shifted. But then — just like they’ve done all season — the Thunder flipped the switch.
It started with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The All-NBA guard refused to let his team go quietly. He attacked the rim with purpose, got to the free-throw line, and calmly knocked down clutch mid-range jumpers to chip away at the lead. SGA’s poise and patience steadied the Thunder, and his energy began to rub off on the rest of the squad.
Chet Holmgren, who had been relatively quiet early on, came alive in the fourth. He was everywhere — altering shots at the rim, grabbing key rebounds, and knocking down a pair of crucial threes that electrified the bench. His length and timing changed the way the opponent was able to operate down the stretch. The paint, which had been open all game, suddenly became a no-fly zone.
Jalen Williams added 19 points and a couple of critical steals, and Lu Dort — the defensive anchor — made life miserable for the other team’s primary scorers. Every possession in the final five minutes was a war, and Dort was in the middle of it all, hounding ballhandlers, diving for loose balls, and even sinking a clutch corner three to give OKC its first lead since the opening quarter.
But it wasn’t just the stars. The Thunder’s bench came through in huge ways. Isaiah Joe hit a transition three that tied the game with under six minutes left, and Aaron Wiggins brought physicality on both ends, drawing offensive fouls and making hustle plays that don’t show up in the box score but swung the momentum.
Once OKC took the lead, they never looked back.
The final two minutes were a masterclass in composure. While their opponent scrambled for late-game offense, the Thunder calmly executed their sets, using clock, creating mismatches, and forcing tough defensive switches. Gilgeous-Alexander sealed the win at the line, finishing the night with 34 points, 7 assists, and a calm, collected demeanor that’s become his signature.
When the buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 112–106 — and the Thunder had pulled off one of the most impressive comebacks of the playoffs so far.
This win doesn’t just give them a 3–0 series lead. It sends a message to the rest of the league: these young guns are mature beyond their years. They don’t panic. They don’t fold. They believe in each other, and it shows in the way they move the ball, rotate defensively, and trust every man on the roster to make plays when it counts.
Head coach Mark Daigneault praised the team’s mentality postgame: “We didn’t flinch. That’s what I’m proud of. The playoffs are about responding, and we responded like a team that expects to be here.”
Now, with a chance to close the series in Game 4, OKC sits in the driver’s seat. What was once seen as a “feel-good” young team has now become a real contender, with the heart and hunger to go deep.
They were tested — and they passed with flying colors.
