Oklahoma City doesn’t have to worry about the teams out East for a while now.
The Thunder ended their 30 regular-season games against East opponents on Monday night with a 114-110 win against the Detroit Pistons. This was a big win for OKC, as Detroit had won the last bout in February and is currently sitting at the top spot in the East.
Now, with all their bouts against East teams done, the Thunder can officially say they thrived against Eastern Conference teams. OKC went 23-7 against teams from the East and never lost to any of them twice.
This is a slight fall off from last season, as Oklahoma City only lost two games to Eastern Conference teams in the 2024-25 season, but it is nothing for the Thunder to be concerned about.
A couple of this year’s losses seemed to fall under the fluke category, as OKC played a bad game or was extremely undermanned. However, while the Thunder dominated the East as a whole, there are a couple of teams that OKC will need to keep on its radar in case they appear once again this summer.
The two teams that seemed to give the Thunder their most trouble are the Pistons and the Celtics. As mentioned, OKC lost its first bout against the Pistons this season when Cade Cunningham was healthy.
You can make the case that the Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, but any player would’ve had a hard time beating the Pistons with them shooting 54% from the field. Detroit also gave OKC a tough challenge on Monday night, with the Thunder almost fully healthy, and Cunningham not stepping on the hardwood.
The short-handed Pistons took the Thunder to overtime, and were only fended off by Gilgeous-Alexander’s 47 points. If Detroit is awaiting OKC in the finals with a fully healthy roster, it could be a long series.
Boston seemed to emerge as another potential issue for OKC. The Thunder took the first bout by only two points, even with Jason Tatum still injured. Then, in the second bout with Tatum back and the Thunder healthy, OKC fell by 10.
Boston straight-up outplayed Oklahoma City in the last three quarters of this bout and proved they can hang with the defending champions. If the Celtics are the team awaiting OKC in the finals, the Thunder could be in for a tough matchup.
If the Thunder are able to make it to the Finals for the second year in a row, they will have to be prepared for whatever challenge stands in their way. Some teams might be more of a challenge than others, but OKC has proved time and time again that when it matters, they get the job done.