OKC Thunder Defeat The Short Handed Detroit Pistons (108-101)

OKC Thunder Defeat The Short Handed Detroit Pistons (108-101)

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by | Feb 8, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The Detroit Pistons came into this game short-handed after the NBA Trade Deadline. Andre Drummond was traded away for John Henson and Brand Knight with an additional pick. The life without Andre Drummond started tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. The Pistons only suited up 9 players on the night and it gave expended minutes to other players that didn’t usually have that spotlight. Two of those players that had to step their game up to fill that void for Drummond were Thon Maker and Christian Wood. Both players were very good on the perimeter and made it tough on Steven Adams/Nerlens Noel on the night. Christian Wood was a player that many teams inquired about on the trade deadline and Detroit refused to take calls. The Thunder found out first hand why the Pistons wanted to keep Wood on the roster. On the night Wood finished with 27 points going 10/18 from the field. Wood was able to get the job on the inside and outside with ease and looks like a promising young player. Christian Wood was able to hit the 3 point shot and he was able to attack when given the chance. It seemed as though the Thunder had some trouble containing Wood inside and when they switched he hurt them from 3 point range. The other player that surprised a lot of the Thunder players was Thon Maker. Tonight Maker was able to finish with 19 points and showed that he has some range as well. The Thunder usually struggles with players that can play inside and outside in that 5 position. Thon Maker has a chance to get more minutes and more opportunity moving forward with the Pistons getting rid of Andre Drummond. Reggie Jackson played his heart out tonight as he finished with a game-high 28 points. Reggie was able to hit his 3 point shot and he was able to get to the rim with impressive dribble and finesse. The problem for Reggie was the fact that every time he did something that was impressive that could get them closer the Thunder made a run. The Pistons didn’t have enough bodies tonight to get it done and the Thunder made them pay every chance they could from the field shooting 51% on the evening.

 

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game not making any moves on the NBA Trade Deadline. Not making a move on the deadline could be huge moving forward because they already have chemistry. Tonight the Thunder put that chemistry on display as they were shooting lights out from the field. The three-guard lineup has been working all season and the Thunder could be up to something with their playmakers down the stretch. The Pistons had no answer for the three guards as Schröder, Gilegeous-Alexander, and Paul finished for a combined 61 points out of the 108 OKC put up tonight. This three-guard lineup’s extremely tough to guard because you have ball handlers that can create for others and create shots for themselves as well. Balanced scoring was a huge part of this game as OKC had five players that scored in double digits. The way that the guards play rubs off on this team from hustle plays to creating for each other. OKC has a team that has been unselfish and they play as a true unit. The Pistons didn’t have anyone in the paint that could stop the Thunder from scoring in the paint like they love to do. The Thunder had 50 points in the paint and they executed their plays with ease as the Pistons didn’t have enough men to make a difference. If OKC can continue to play that this pace and with this much confidence they will be a scary team in the western conference moving forward. The bench production will come with timing and once the Thunder gets a true 2nd unit together where everyone knows their role it will be epic. The Thunder have young players that are learning on the fly as the season goes on like Luguentz, Darius, and Hamidou. The future is bright for this team and as long as Shai continues to grow on a nightly basis this team will be successful. Up next the Thunder will host the Boston Celtics on Sunday as they try to make it 13 games above .500 on the season. Before the season a lot of media outlets didn’t have the Thunder even in the playoffs and they’re now chasing down that number 4 spot in the West.

 

 

Feb 8, 2020 No Comments
OKC Thunder Lose Emotional Game Against The Dallas Mavericks (107-97)

OKC Thunder Lose Emotional Game Against The Dallas Mavericks (107-97)

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by | Jan 28, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The NBA world was stunned yesterday after the passing of Kobe Bryant. All of the basketball world was affected by the loss of one of the greatest to ever play the game. Kobe Bryant meant a lot to so many players in the NBA and it showed with the outpouring of love all over social media. A lot of those players wear his sneakers, mimic his moves, and play with the Mamba Mentality he showed on a daily basis. Two of those players that really idolized Kobe Bryant in their work ethic and basketball attire on the court were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Luka Doncic. Both players wanted to play tonight and put on a show for Kobe Bryant who’s watching from heaven. The game started with a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant followed by the OKC fans chanting “Kobe, Kobe, Kobe”. Both teams paying homage to Kobe Bryant with the 8-second violation followed by the 24-second shot clock violation. Once that happened the game got underway and that’s when the Dallas Mavericks were able to push the tempo right away.

 

 

 

It was tough to see because the Thunder usually dominate the paint and tonight OKC/DAL both only had 36 points in the interior. The Mavericks were able to contain the Thunder bigs Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel as they combined for 18 points. The Mavericks made it an added effort to contain the paint and they wanted to force the Thunder to score outside the paint. Without Chris Paul, in the lineup, OKC needed Shai and Dennis to show up on the night. Both combined for 37 points as they played extended roles with the basketball in their hands. Shai was missing a lot of shots that he can usually hit and wasn’t getting the calls he normally gets on a nightly basis. The whole Thunder team didn’t play as motivated as they usually do and it’s tough to do so after a tribute to one of your favorite players. The Thunder would get closer and closer in the game but every time the Mavs would make a run. The Thunder had no answer for Luka Doncic who wanted to play well in homage to Kobe Bryant. Luka who’s a Jordan Brand ambassador played the game in the Nike Kobe 5 “Chaos” to show love to all the victims from the crash. Luka was able to finish the game with 29 points and he was able to hit some unbelievable stepback jumpers on the night. The Thunder put multiple defenders on Luka but there wasn’t much that they could do. Once Luka gets hot it’s going to be a long night as that usually opens up the passing game for him as well. When Luka started getting it going he had the Thunder players on their heals as they didn’t know if he was attacking or dishing to get others involved. OKC was short-handed but this was still a big win for the Mavs moving forward. The Thunder and Mavericks meet one more time and OKC will be looking for a different outcome.

 

Jan 28, 2020 No Comments
OKC Thunder’s Season High 140 Points More Than Enough To Handle The Hawks (140-111)

OKC Thunder’s Season High 140 Points More Than Enough To Handle The Hawks (140-111)

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by | Jan 25, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The hometown kid Trae Young was back in town fresh off the announcement that he will be starting in the All-Star Game. It was pretty much a storybook moment as he was able to share the announcement with family and friends in Norman, OK. Trae didn’t play the last game but fought through his injury to make sure he was able to play against his hometown OKC Thunder. The game didn’t start the way that Trae Young wanted as Lugentz Dort was able to defend him well. Billy Donovan put Dort on Trae Young early to try to get Trae off his game with the bigger defender. The Thunder defense was doing a great job on Trae Young and the defense set the tone in this game. Oklahoma City’s one of the best teams in the league when it comes to scoring off turnovers. The Thunder make other teams pay and it uses happens in the paint. Tonight the Thunder punished the Hawks in the paint as they scored 62 points and dominated in the pick & roll. When the Thunder gets the pick & roll it opens up for an easy alley-oop opportunity like they did tonight with Nerlens Noel. This OKC team was extremely balanced tonight as they had 7 players in double figures and they made the Hawks pay from downtown. On the night the Thunder shot for 56% from the 3 point line and at one point they hit 4 of them in a row. When the Thunder plays with this type of confidence and chemistry they’re a very scary team to go against. Chris Paul only played 28 minutes on the night as the Thunder were in command all night long. In those 28 minutes, CP3 finished with 18 points and 5 assists. It’s clear that Chris Paul’s leadership has been on full display and the players respect him because of the way they communicate on the court. When a player makes a mistake or a misread CP3 helps them with adjustments. The Thunder has young talent and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken full advantage of the spotlight. Some of the layups that Shai has been able to make and the angles he makes them at are impressive. On the night the Hawks didn’t know what to do with Shai when he went to the basket and played aggressively. On the night he finished with 24 points and he was able to get into the teeth of the defense anytime he wanted too. The other players that made a huge impact on the game were Dennis Schröder and Danilo Gallinari who finished with a combined 36 points on the night. Both Dennis and Danilo have an offensive game and they both were mismatches all night for the Hawks who couldn’t contain anything the Thunder did tonight. The Thunder were able to beat them up inside and outside while executing the gameplan to hold Trae Young in check if possible. Tonight was a complete effort from the Thunder as they were able to make things happen in all phases of the game as a unit.

 

 

The Hawks weren’t able to get anything going in that second half against the OKC Thunder. Atlanta does have some bright spots in their franchise as their 3 young studs stepped up tonight. On the game, John Collins had a game-high 28 points as he was punishing the rim and showed some range hitting 3’s. Another player that was able to shine tonight for the Hawks who has a bright future was Cam Reddish who finished with 20 points off the bench. Cam Reddish has shown some signs of playing like a true force and if he can continue to get his jumper at a consistent level this Hawks team can be special. Trae Young was able to get his game going in that second half as he was able to show why he’s an All-Star starter in Chicago this year. Trae was able to score 26 points on the night and he was doing what he always does. Trae was hitting his shots inside and outside but the Thunder were willing to live with it because of the difference in the score. The Thunder had a gameplan and that was to limit Trae and make the others step up and in the beginning, it looked like it wasn’t working until they pulled away. The future is bright in Atlanta and you can tell that this team is another All-Star away from really making some noise in the East.

 

 

The Thunder will be playing against the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow on the second end of the back to back. If the Thunder can continue to shoot at this rate they should be able to continue that climb in the playoff race.

Jan 25, 2020 No Comments
Chris Paul’s 30 PT Performance Leads OKC To Victory Against Portland (119-106)

Chris Paul’s 30 PT Performance Leads OKC To Victory Against Portland (119-106)

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by | Jan 19, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to dominate the short-handed Trail Blazers who traded away three players before the game. The Trail Blazers were only able to suit up to eight players on the night to take on the Thunder. After the loss against Miami, it was clear that OKC wanted to come out extremely aggressive. It helped that the Thunder were able to get Steven Adams back in the lineup after missing a couple of games. Adams didn’t do much on the stat sheet but his presence in the paint was definitely noticed. The combination of Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel was able to hold Hassan Whiteside to only 6 points on the night. The Thunder were able to show that with a complete frontcourt they can put up big numbers inside the paint. Tonight Oklahoma City had 64 points in the paint combined to the 42 points for Portland. This was a true bounce-back game for the Thunder overall and it started with the amazing play of Chris Paul. CP3 was in his bag all night long and it didn’t matter where he was shooting from on the court as he finished with 30 points. The Trail Blazers had no answer for Chris Paul all night as he was able to get his mid-range and three-point shot going early. When Chris Paul plays like this the Thunder look unstoppable because he gives this team a boost of confidence like a true leader can do. Chris Paul shot 11-15 from the field and was looking for his shot all night long as he had the young guard Anfernee Simons and Damian Lillard taking turns guarding him. Chris Paul’s one of the most clutch players in the NBA and showed that he can still get it done when his numbers called.

 

 

Without Danilo Gallinari and Terrence Ferguson, other players had to step up to help the Thunder capture this win as well. One of the players that stepped up was Darius Bazley as he was able to defend Carmelo Anthony and grab a career-high 10 rebounds with extended minutes. The Thunder as a unit knows their identity and each player takes their role seriously. Nerlens Noel was another bright spot on the night as he finished with 15 points with 5 rebounds. Nerlens has been able to develop his game throughout the season as he’s been looking a lot more confident in the pick and roll. Speaking of the pick and roll that’s exactly what Shai Gilegous-Alexander was able to use to beat the Trail Blazers. Every time the Trail Blazers went under the screen Shai made them pay on the night. It’s amazing the growth he continues to show throughout the season and that continued tonight. Shai finished with 22 points on the night and flourished in attacking the rim like he always does with grace/finesse. This was a true overall effort from the Thunder as all three of their guards finished with a combined 67 points on the night. This Thunder team is fun to watch and it was great to see them get back in the winning column after beating the Trail Blazers. The Thunder were able to limit the Trail Blazers offense as it only came from Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr.

 

 

 

The Trail Blazers came into this game short-handed after the trade made earlier in the day but they still had Damian Lillard. Any time you have a scorer and all NBA players like Damian Lillard in your lineup you’re going to have a chance to at least compete in the game. Tonight Dame Time didn’t show up in OKC as the lead was at 20 points at one point late in the game. The Trail Blazers needed someone else to step up to help Lillard with McCollum out the game with an ankle injury. Gary Trent who was hooked up to an IV earlier in the day to get over his cold/flu was balling out of his mind on his birthday. Gary Trent Jr was able to add in 30 points to help the 34 points that Lillard put up tonight. Gary was able to hit some big three-pointers that helped keep them in the mix before the game got out of hand. It was going to take more of a full team effort from the Trail Blazers and that didn’t happen. The second half the Thunder made adjustments to stop Lillard from getting the same looks he had in the first half. The Thunder were doubling Lillard and making sure to deny him the ball. Carmelo Anthony was able to play some significant minutes but finished with 9 points on the night. The Trail Blazers were going to need more from Melo if they were going to win this game and it didn’t happen this time. Overall the Trail Blazers did as much as you can with only eight players but they still weren’t able to stop Chris Paul from his terrific shooting night. The OKC Thunder will be heading to Houston to play the Rockets on MLK day as they try to get that 25th win on the season.

Jan 19, 2020 No Comments
OKC Thunder Come Up Short Against The Miami Heat (115-108)

OKC Thunder Come Up Short Against The Miami Heat (115-108)

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by | Jan 18, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The OKC Thunder were coming into tonight’s game against the Miami Heat following a loss against Toronto Wednesday. After getting hurt in action against the Raptors Steven Adams wasn’t available tonight. The Thunder would be missing Steven Adams in the paint tonight as the Miami Heat had 44 points in the paint. One player that was very impressive tonight for the Miami Heat was Bam Adebayo who was bringing the ball up the court as a playmaker. Bam has a lot of different aspects to his game that he’s yet to showcase and he did just that tonight. The Thunder had a little trouble adjusting to Bam bringing the ball up as a point guard. With Bam bringing the ball up it opened up the lane for him to attack and also he found a lot of his teammates for better basketball plays. This Miami Heat team has playmakers and they were able to get the ball in the spots they needed to execute. Bam finished the game with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists while continuing to improve his game on a nightly basis. Bam’s a tough guard for any big because he can score and defend with the best of the bigs in the NBA. Tonight he made it tough on the Thunder bigs Muscala and Noel. The Miami Heat play scrappy and they defend throughout all 48 minutes of the game. This team is built to mold around the playing style of Jimmy Butler and they have done an amazing job of that. Jimmy Butler made it tough on any Thunder defender who guarded him as he finished with 14 points but added 10 rebounds with 7 assists. Even if Butler isn’t scoring he’s so much of a threat that the Thunder had to double him sometimes which left players like Kendrick Nunn wide open. Jimmy Butler’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA and showed that tonight against the Thunder. Having a player of Jimmy Butler’s caliber on the team gives a young player like Kendrick Nunn a chance to showcase some confidence. Nunn was able to take advantage of the open opportunities that he was given by the Thunder tonight. Nunn showed a lot of confidence in his jumper and going to the rim with ease as he had a team-high 22 points for the Miami Heat. Kendrick Nunn’s game is like a seasoned veteran and he was able to showcase his skills against the Thunder tonight. The Miami Heat had a 22 point lead on the Thunder and they almost blew it as OKC was able to claw back and get back down by three points. The Miami Heat let the Thunder back in this game with poor play down the stretch and letting Danilo Gallinari go off from three-point land.

 

 

All month of January it seems as though the Oklahoma City Thunder has been playing catch up in games. Something about the drama and the adrenaline of trying to come back down from a large margin excites them. The Thunder trailed by 22 points tonight against the Heat and were able to get within three points but just didn’t get it done down the stretch. Tonight the Thunder had a very balanced attack against the Heat as they had six players in double figures. When Danilo Gallinari has it going from the three-point line as he did tonight going 7-12 it makes this team tough to beat. Gallinari had his game going all night and the Heat couldn’t do anything to stop him as Gallinari kept the Thunder in a position to win. The Heat tried putting multiple players on Gallinari while defending the three-point line but it didn’t work out too well. The Thunder guards were given a chance to flourish in this one as Dragic and Nunn couldn’t defend Shai, CP3, and Dennis. Those three combined for 50 points on the night and each had their moment. A lot of the teams that OKC has played recently have players with the height that are trying to stop them from getting to their spots on the court. Tonight wasn’t the case because all three of the guards were able to do what they wanted scoring and playmaking. If the three guards play with aggression and are constantly attacking it helps the Thunder a lot as they put the defense on their heels. Tonight the guards weren’t able to set the tone as they usually do against other teams. The thing that hurt the Thunder in this game was the fact that they allowed 15-second chance points to the Miami Heat. The rebounding was an issue without Steven Adams but you still have to play the game. The Thunder played a great game once they settled in on the defensive end. If OKC can get out the hole from the start of games they can have the momentum and set the tone. On this stretch of games, the Thunder have been down early instead of having the lead early. The Thunder defense was able to slow down Jimmy Butler as they tried to make sure that someone else beat them instead. Kendrick Nunn was the player that hit some big shots for the Heat and a lot of his shots came on loose ball kick-outs that the Thunder missed out on. Defensively the Thunder has to come together and take it personally to make sure they can get chances to lead to points. Oklahoma City plays great when they let their defense create offensive opportunities and they didn’t do that tonight.

 

The Thunder will be playing tomorrow night against the Portland Trailblazers in a back to back as they look to get their 24th win of the season against Carmelo, Dame, and CJ.

Jan 18, 2020 No Comments