During pregame, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault highlighted the Nuggets’ usage of three different zones against them — along with other “different looks and schemes” — to illustrate why portions of their offense have been stalled. According to Synergy tracking data, Oklahoma City is scoring just .859 points per possession against zone defenses in the playoffs.
As cliche as it sounds, however, the Thunder simply making more of their 3s, even if they can’t replicate their regular-season form, will help tremendously. Their conversion rate has dropped from 37.6 (6th) prior to the postseason to 31.8 (3rd-worst) to date. Reserves Cason Wallace (23 minutes) and Aaron Wiggins (16 minutes) combined for 6 3s in Game 4. Their Game 5 playing time might come down to how well Lu Dort, who has struggled shooting recently, is faring offensively, but Oklahoma City desperately needs some favorable bounces tonight.
