Russell Westbrook celebrates a 3-point shot. (AP Photo)

On March 3, the Thunder played at Golden State and lost 121-106. The game was closer than the score indicated. The Thunder led 83-82 after three quarters and was within 99-97 with six minutes left.

But that night in Oakland, the Thunder made four of 20 3-point shots. The Warriors made 11 of 34 3-point shots. The Thunder was outscored 33-12 on 3-pointers. You can make up a 21-point discrepancy. But it’s not easy. It’s almost impossible against a good team. You can make it up in the paint and at the foul line, but the Warriors get fouled, too, and have a potent transition offense that leads to easy buckets inside the arc. And it’s hard to make up when you’ve used 20 shots on 3-pointers and still been outscored by 21.

The Thunder’s 3-point shooting isn’t bad. It’s average. Literally. Average. There are 30 teams in the NBA. The Thunder is tied with Milwaukee for 15th in the league in 3-point accuracy, at .351. Right in the middle.