3 Headed Snake Of CP3, SGA, Schröder Lead OKC To Game 3 Victory (119-107)

3 Headed Snake Of CP3, SGA, Schröder Lead OKC To Game 3 Victory (119-107)

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by | Aug 23, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game down 2-0 in the series. Chris Paul said, “I need to be better” and that’s exactly what happened. Chris Paul delivered tonight in a big way as he was able to finish with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Chris Paul was the true leader that we’re used to seeing tonight as he was able to get to his spots and motivate his teammates. Tonight Chris was very aggressive and you can tell he set the tone for the whole OKC Thunder team. When Chris Paul has his offense going it gets his teammates into the game a lot more and it opens up the offense for spacing. The Thunder were able to space the floor a lot better today as they controlled the pace in this one more than Houston did. The lineup that changed the series in my opinion was when Billy Donovan put SGA, CP3, and Schröder in the lineup together.

 

 

The 6th Man of the Year candidate Dennis Schröder stepped up in a big way tonight as he was able to beat the Rockets off the mismatches when they had Gordon or House on him. Schröder was able to showcase his offensive talents and had a game-high for the Thunder with 29 points. Schröder brought the energy and was able to give OKC the edge when it came to attacking the rim. Schröder was hitting his floater, attacking the paint, and was hitting his jumper at a consistent rate. When Schröder plays like this the Thunder are hard to beat. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his great play as he finished the night with 23 points and none bigger than his 3 pointer in the corner coming off the CP3 dish to bring it to overtime. SGA has found his swagger and put his stamp on this series after that huge shot. SGA has the ability to beat the Houston Rockets off the dribble every time he gets downhill and needs to continue that if the Thunder will be successful.

 

 

 

When all 3 of the OKC guards play this good on a daily basis this Thunder team will be tough to get out. All 3 can control the pace of the game on both the offensive and defensive side. The unsung hero for this game against the Rockets was Lugentz Dort who defended James Harden the best that we have seen in recent memory. Dort was able to make it tough on Harden all night long. Dort is a big body that was able to make Harden’s drives tough and he’s been able to defend without fouling. If Lu Dort can keep this defensive intensity up on Harden it gives OKC a great chance.

 

(Mike Ehrmann/Pool Photo via AP)

 

The aggressiveness of OKC got James Harden fouled out at the start of overtime. Harden was able to finish the game with 38 points and he didn’t even have a great outing shooting from the field. The biggest mismatch that has kept the Rockets in control has been the Jeff Green/Steven Adams battle. Every time that Adams gives Jeff Green any space he’s made the Thunder pay and that continued tonight as Green finished with 22 points. The fact that Jeff Green has been able to get good looks inside and outside when he wants is a problem. The Thunder knows that Harden will get his but the fact that other players have been able to hit some big shots throughout the series has hurt OKC. The Thunder will have to expect that James Harden will not get fouled out again and that he will get some calls next game. James Harden said “We let this one slip” so look for Harden to try and get his game going early in Game 4 on Monday. The Rockets missed a lot of 3 pointers tonight that they have hit in the previous two games and the Thunder will need to continue to contest those 3 pointers if they want to make it two wins in a row.

 

 

 

Game 4 will be at 3 PM on Monday as the series is Houston (2-1) right now

Aug 23, 2020 No Comments
Houston Role Players Step Up Big Time In Game 2 Victory Over OKC (111-98)

Houston Role Players Step Up Big Time In Game 2 Victory Over OKC (111-98)

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by | Aug 21, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder made the proper adjustments after struggling in Game 1. Tonight you can tell the Thunder came out with a lot more energy and were locking up defensively. The addition of Lugentz Dort back to the starting lineup helped out big time. The defense that Dort played on James Harden was as good as it gets. Dort was able to defend Harden using his length and his body so he wasn’t giving up any position to Harden. On the night James Harden finished with 21 points on 5/16 shooting from the field. James Harden wasn’t getting the usual calls that would put him on the line as he only attempted 9 free throws. Dort was a huge boost to this team and you can tell that his presence helped other players to be able to get their offense going as well. One of the players that was able to apply pressure to the Rockets defense all night was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he finished with a playoff career-high 31 points. Shai was aggressive from the tip-off and didn’t look back at all. This was the most emotional that was seen from SGA in a long time. You can tell he made it a mission to be able to put the team on his back with his offense and it worked. Shai was hitting stepback 3 pointers and was going in for some of those tough finishes.

 

 

The Thunder played a great game overall as they played their pace throughout the game. In Game 1 the Thunder got caught playing Houston Rockets ball and through 3 quarters the Thunder were in the driver seat with the momentum. Both Gallinari and Schröder were able to contribute to helping SGA on the scoring end as they both combined for 30 points. The two biggest mismatches that OKC tried to execute on in the 1st half was Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari. OKC has the height advantage and they need to stick to their game plan and it seemed as though they got away from it in that 4th quarter. Chris Paul postgame said that he needs to do better heading into Game 3 and OKC will definitely need his big game. This OKC Thunder team is unstoppable when the 3 headed monsters of Chris Paul, Dennis Schröder, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all play well. The Thunder will need to come out in Game 3 on Saturday and punch them in the mouth first.

 

 

The Thunder were able to slow down James Harden in this game. It seemed as though every time Harden went to the bench his teammates stepped up big time. Tonight Daniel House was able to drop 19 points and he added 9 rebounds. The Rocket’s small ball worked today as they were able to get a lot of second-chance points off offensive rebounds. It looked like each loose ball just bounced out to a shooter and House was one of those people that benefited. House was hitting 3 pointers and he was able to have his defense help his offense with some easy buckets. The Rockets had 7 players in double figures and they were able to hit big shots in big moments. Austin Rivers came out with some extra juice and had 11 big points during a moment in the game when Harden was in foul trouble.

 

 

Eric Gordon and Jeff Green have been playing out of their minds. Any time the Thunder miss out on a switch or get out to the player too slow it seemed as though Green and Gordon made them pay. Both of them combined for 30 points for the Rockets and they held it down for Harden as he was on the bench. The Rockets bench has stepped up in this series as they’ve been able to score points and hang with OKC with Harden resting. This victory just shows that type of confidence that Houston has been playing with and this has been without Russell Westbrook. James Harden got it going in the 4th quarter but his teammates were able to help him out big time. It was tough for Dort to guard Harden with foul trouble and late in that 4th it didn’t matter who was guarding him. The Houston Rockets had broken the record for most 3 pointers attempted and made in a playoff game. Tonight Westbrook was coaching his teammates on the sideline and encouraging them with unlimited energy. The Rockets small ball has been working but if OKC can get a game from all 3 of their star point guards at once this series can change real quick.

 

 

Game 3 will be on Saturday at 5 pm as the Thunder look to claw back into this series.

 

 

 

Kevin C. Cox/Associated Press

Aug 21, 2020 No Comments
Harden’s 37 PT Performance Leads HOU To Game 1 Victory Over OKC (123-108)

Harden’s 37 PT Performance Leads HOU To Game 1 Victory Over OKC (123-108)

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by | Aug 19, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

This series has a lot of storylines coming into Game 1 but the biggest one was Russell Westbrook being out. Westbrook was out with a quad injury that forced the Rockets to put Eric Gordon in the starting lineup. The Houston Rockets came out in this game faster than a Ferrari on an open highway. The pace that the Rockets played in that first half had the Thunder on their heels all night. Everyone wanted to see how the small-ball lineup of Houston would fair against the Thunder big lineup and we got our first glimpse. The Rockets make it tough on defenses with that small lineup because you get caught either trying to cover the 3 point shooter or crash the middle for the slasher. Tonight James Harden was able to take advantage of that as he finished with 37 points and was able to score anywhere on the court. James had the stepback working, crossovers to the rim, and free throws working all night. The aggressiveness of James Harden made it easy for the other players on the Houston Rockets to get their games going as well. The Thunder put multiple bodies on Harden all night but it didn’t matter tonight with the confidence he was playing with.

 

 

Eric Gordon looked like the Gordon of old as he was hitting some long-range 3 pointers and was attacking the rim hard. Gordon replaced Westbrook in that starting lineup and didn’t disappoint as he finished with 21 points on the night. Another player that had a huge game was Jeff Green who played some center and power forward as he made the Thunder pay from downtown. Jeff Green was open as Thunder players got caught being in the wrong spot on the court and he made the most of the moment. Jeff Green looked like he was back in his OKC days himself with dunks and crossover drives as he finished with 22 points on the night. When James Harden gets help from the bench like he did tonight from his teammates this team is very tough to beat. In this game, there were multiple times where Harden was getting rest while his team was up by double digits. If OKC’s going to win this series they need to make it a point to take advantage of the Rocket’s second unit and defend better.

 

 

The Thunder usually plays off their defense as it helps create offense but that wasn’t the case tonight. Tonight the Thunder played a lot of isolation ball which didn’t work throughout the game. This OKC team is known for their ball movement and getting everyone involved with touches and they need to get back to that in Game 2. The Thunder need to take more advantage of the mismatch with Steven Adams in the paint and let the offense flow through the big man. Adams was a walking bucket when he was able to get the ball and looked extremely dominant. The Thunder got sucked into the 3 point contest at times with Houston and got away from Thunder Basketball. Steven Adams finished the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds tonight and we should continue to see numbers these numbers from him in this series. Chris Paul was having a tough outing in the first half of the game but managed to get his offense going as he finished with a near triple-double with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. This Thunder team will go as far as CP3 brings him and if they’re going to win Game 2 CP3 will have to get his game going a lot earlier.

 

 

The bright spot for the Thunder tonight was the shooting from Danilo Gallinari as he was able to get his shot any time he wanted on the court because the Rockets couldn’t guard him. Gallinari was able to finish the game with 29 points on the night. When Gallinari plays like this he’s a special talent but the other players like Dennis Schröder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will need to help out big time in the next game. The Rockets punched the Thunder in the mouth but Game 2 on Thursday OKC has a chance to punch back. The Thunder were playing at the Rocket pace and they will need to play their game in order to be successful.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Kim Klement/Associated Press

Aug 19, 2020 No Comments
Diallo’s Career High 27 Point Performance Wasn’t Enough In OT As The Clippers Win (107-103)

Diallo’s Career High 27 Point Performance Wasn’t Enough In OT As The Clippers Win (107-103)

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by | Aug 15, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Thunder and LA Clippers came into this game already knowing their seeding placement. OKC will start off in the 4/5 matchup against Houston. The LA Clippers locked up the 2nd seed and will be hosting the 7th seed Dallas Mavericks.

 

Both teams had a lot of starters out tonight but one person that made his return to the court after leaving the bubble for the Thunder was Dennis Schröder. Dennis was inserted into the lineup and looked like he never left the NBA bubble in the first place. Dennis was able to play 25 minutes in his return and finished with 17 points. You could tell he was a little winded but that was to be expected in his first game back in the bubble. Dennis was able to get his drives, jumper, and floater going in real game time which will go a long way. It was important for Dennis to get some game time in before the playoffs started because of rust.

 

Dennis started the game alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and both were able to flourish in the small amount of time given. It was good to see Dennis out there because this Thunder team plays with a different type of energy when he’s in the lineup. Schröder’s in the 6th Man of the Year race and tonight showed that it doesn’t matter if he’s starting or coming off the bench he’s lethal on the offensive end. The small plays that he does that impact the game like charges and cheering his teammates will go a long way to this team’s success from the bench unit.

 

 

Speaking of the bench tonight Hamidou Diallo went off for a career-high in points with 27 points and even added 11 rebounds. Hami has come into the bubble with a new confidence and swagger that’s been contagious as the Thunder bench unit has stepped up overall. Tonight Hami played a career-high 40 minutes and has shown that he will be a huge part of this bench rotation in the Houston Rockets series. With Dort down for some time look for Diallo and Roberson to be seeing a lot more minutes if he misses time. Hamidou was able to show people that he has a lot more to offer than just dunking on someone under the rim. Tonight he was able to hit some 3 pointers and was able to slash at an elite level.

 

When Hamidou plays with this confidence he can definitely help OKC out in a big way. One of the things that he has to work on that will come in due time is the maturity to worry about the next play. Hami misses a shot or a defensive read and he shows the frustration but you have to just put your head down and keep pushing for the next play. Hamidou’s still young and the Thunder have a great young core that will be special in the long run especially with the experience that they’re getting in Orlando. Overall this was a game to get everyone ready for the playoffs but the Thunder youth have gained a lot of experience that will help OKC in the postseason. A lot of the players that barely get in the game were able to get some big minutes so they will be ready for anything coming there way.

 

 

Terance Mann was the key factor for this win against the OKC Thunder tonight. Mann finished with a career-high in points as well with 25 against OKC. It seemed as though Mann was able to get to the rim whenever he wanted too as he had 10+ free throws. He showed a smooth mid-range game and you can tell he’s been working with Leonard & George on that. Mann has a lot of promise and will be one of those players that will impact this Clippers team for the future in a big way. Mann logged some good minutes tonight and I’m sure he was able to show Coach Rivers that he’s got a lot to offer them for that second unit. The Clippers rested all their starters as they prepare for the Mavericks but it was also good to see Amir Coffey get some time just like Mann. Coffey finished with 21 points in the win as the Clippers went full-on bench mode to rest for the championship run.

 

 

Aug 15, 2020 No Comments
OKC Thunder Comeback From 22 Point Deficit To Beat Miami Heat (116-115)

OKC Thunder Comeback From 22 Point Deficit To Beat Miami Heat (116-115)

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by | Aug 13, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder came out flat in this game against Miami. This was the first game back for the majority of starters since 5 out of the top 6 scorers sat out against Phoenix. There was a little rust to start off this one but OKC got it going with their defense which always makes things easier to get the offense going. OKC did a great job defending inside the paint but it was the outside shooting that was hurting the Thunder. Duncan Robinson was playing like a man possessed in this game and looked unconscious from 3 point range. Duncan was able to get two 4 point plays back to back on OKC as the Heat started getting things rolling. Duncan Robinson only played the first half of the game as Miami was resting players but he finished with 19 points. The Thunder suffered a huge blow when Luguentz Dort banged knees with Jae Crowder early in the game. Dort didn’t return to the game so keep it locked here for updates on his status moving forward. The Thunder started getting it going on the offensive end as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was able to find his rhythm. Tonight Shai played with a lot of confidence and had a different swagger to his game than he did in the previous games. Shai finished the game with 18 points as OKC didn’t play their starters much because Miami pulled their starters out after halftime.

 

This was one of those games where the OKC Thunder starters didn’t get that much work but it also showcased a lot of the young talent on the roster. Darius Bazley has been no stranger to the minutes and has shown game after game in Orlando that he doesn’t mind stepping up to the challenge. Darius has been scoring inside and outside through the restart and that didn’t stop tonight. One thing that has stood out about Darius Bazley is the fact OKC has been able to play him at multiple positions. Bazley’s played a little of the 1,3,5 for the Thunder and has been a key piece to the success on both ends. Tonight Bazley poured in 21 points to lead all scorers for the Thunder and made it look easy during their comeback. Confidence is key heading into the playoffs and that’s exactly what was on display for the Thunder youth tonight. The Thunder still has one more seeding game on Friday against the Clippers and we will probably see more of the youth then as well. Hamidou Diallo and Abdel Nader have shown up in these games for the second unit and have played in some key roles in Orlando. This just shows how comfortable Billy Donovan is with these guys and it shows the growth over the hiatus. Both Nader and Diallo scored a combined 24 points tonight while OKC was toe to toe in the battle with Miami. It would be back to back Mike Muscala shots that would help OKC beat Miami as he had a clutch moment to seal the win.

 

 

The Miami Heat sat their starters after the first half which gave Tyler Herro the greenest light ever. You can tell the Heat will be needing their rookie sniper in the playoffs as they wanted to make some he got his reps up. Herro put up 30 points and played 38 minutes tonight against the OKC Thunder. Herro was able to score inside and outside without hesitation. The young rookie was making some tough shots with Thunder defenders in his face as well. The Heat rested people but wanted to get his confidence up and that’s exactly what they ended up doing tonight. The Miami Heat will be opening up the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers which should be a great showdown especially when it comes to TJ Warren and Jimmy Butler.

 

 

The OKC Thunder will be playing the LA Clippers on Friday but they’re locked into the 4/5 seed to face the Houston Rockets in the NBA Playoffs.

Aug 13, 2020 No Comments