The Oklahoma City earned another massive win on Sunday night over the New York Knicks, coming away from the bout with a 111-100 victory.
The Knicks kept the pressure on the whole time. But it was a wire-to-wire win for the Thunder. With just seven games remaining on their schedule, they currently have a 2.5 game lead on the San Antonio Spurs for the first seed in the West.
A dominant victory over another contender is always a good thing, especially when it has implications for playoff seeding.
But their matchup against New York was intriguing for reasons even beyond that. The Thunder took just 28 3-point attempts over the course of the game— their lowest number this season. While it wasn't the most inspiring offensive performance, Oklahoma City has clearly found a way to win without relying on their perimeter shooting.
It's reflective of a season-long trend, and it's a development that could make all the difference when they enter the playoffs.
The Thunder have continued to lean into what they do best with their two stars back in action
For much of the season, the Thunder have been without one or both of their stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. It goes almost without saying that their offensive structure is dependent upon the presence of those two players.
With those pieces back in action, they've been able to return to a downhill, mid-range-dominant game. Against New York, they took 47 of their 75 field-goal attempts from the interior, shooting 46.7% from the field on the night.
On the season, the Thunder aren't ridiculously low in 3-point volume. They're averaging 37.7 attempts per game: good for 15th-most in the NBA. But when teams force them into defensive dogfights, they're capable of overcoming them through their dominance inside the arc.
By all measures, the Thunder lost the battle of numbers on Sunday night. The Knicks took 35 3-point attempts, knocking down 42.9% of them. A normal team, facing the pressure Oklahoma City did defensively, would have folded.
But the Thunder have a formula that allows them to forego 3-point volume if necessary.
Even in last season's playoffs, they averaged 35 attempts from beyond the arc, putting them firmly in the middle of all playoff teams. If they're able to continue to lean into their interior game over the next few weeks, bucking the numbers game that the entire NBA has learned to play, the league as a whole should yet again be frightened of what they can do in a playoff setting.