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
OKC’s Thunderous Comeback Comes Up Short Against The Raptors (130-121)

OKC’s Thunderous Comeback Comes Up Short Against The Raptors (130-121)

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by | Jan 16, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the comeback kids of the NBA this season. Tonight they almost pulled off a huge comeback as the Raptors had them down by 30 points at one point in the game. The Raptors had an answer for every Thunder run that would get them close in the game. The Raptors got back Marc Gasol tonight and Pascal Siakam recently after their injuries. It looked like they didn’t miss any beats as both combined for 36 points on the night. It was an all-around performance from the Raptors as they had 7 players in double figures on the night. Norman Powell had a huge night from the field shooting 9-11 for a team-high 23 points. Powell was able to hit on a lot of open opportunities that were given to him when the Thunder were doubling. The Raptors took advantage of the fact that Steven Adams only played 6 mins before getting sidelined. The Raptors were able to attack the paint for 62 points in there without a true rim protector. Without Adams and Noel, the Thunder leaned on Mike Muscala to give some big minutes throughout the game. The Raptors were making some tough shots all night and they capitalized on the Thunder missing a lot of open shots they usually make. The Raptors role players were able to come through for them in big minutes as OG Anunoby had 21 points on the night and made it tough on Terrance Ferguson after he switched off Pascal Siakam. The player that was able to carry the Raptors early in this game was Serge Ibaka as he finished with 15 points but 13 of those points were in the 1st quarter. Tonight the Raptors showed how deep they can be when everyone’s healthy and they didn’t even have Fred Van Fleet. Kyle Lowry was able to put in 17 points and 8 assists on the night. Kyle Lowry’s an amazing leader and he leads this team vocally and in most games as well. Kyle Lowry presented some problems for the Thunder tonight because he can get his shot off while creating for his teammates. Every time the Thunder got close enough to try and take the lead it was Norman Powell or Pascal Siakam that made a big shot to help them keep the lead. The Raptors were up by 30 points in this game and let the Thunder back in the game as they trailed by 3 points late in the 4th.

 

 

The Thunder lost this game but it shows how much heart this really has overall. OKC missed a lot of shots that they usually hit and you can tell it frustrated them early. The great thing about this Thunder team is the fact that they have the best leader in the NBA in Chris Paul. Every time this Thunder team gets down CP3 gets into his teammates and gives them the confidence to play to that higher level. Chris Paul didn’t have his best night in the stat sheet but he was able to make some plays defensively down the stretch that helped OKC get extremely close. Chris Paul finished with 16 points, 11 assists and 4 steals on the night. The tale of this game was the fact that OKC only hit 38% of their 3 pointers combined to 55% from the Raptors. Sometimes this team gets happy with the 3 pointers and it has backfired the last two home games that they were able to play. The Thunder were energized by the game that Dennis Schröder was able to bring to the table. Schröder finished the game with 25 points on the night and the Raptors didn’t have an answer for his first step. Dennis plays the game with a lot of energy and he used that energy to get steals while creating his own shots. The Raptors had no answer for Dennis Schröder tonight as they had Lowry guarding him and he was able to blow right by him. The Thunder guards of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schröder, and Chris Paul didn’t have their best night and it showed. Tonight Shai was able to finish with 21 points but he turned it on a little too late in the game. When Shai gets aggressive as he did in the 4th quarter he’s unstoppable, especially with that length. The Raptors were making sure they were able to take away the inside passage and tried to force them to shoot the 3 pointers instead. It seems like teams are slowly catching on to what the Thunder is trying to do but this team continues to fight. This Thunder team continues to fight and they’re exciting to watch because they play together. When the Thunder got in trouble throughout the game they were able to lean on Danilo Gallinari who’s been consistent all season long. Tonight Gallinari was able to go for 23 points on the night and had his shot working when it was needed. The Thunder fought back into this game and Danilo Gallinari was able to get it down to 3 points after his And-1 dunk. After that moment in the game, the Raptors were able to make some tough shots but the Thunder also put up some 3 pointers that didn’t go down. The NBA is a miss or make league and tonight it proved to be that way the last 3 minutes of this game as the Thunder dropped this one.

 

 

The Thunder will be back in action on Friday as they have Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat coming into town. Jimmy Butler will be a handful to guard and the Thunder will need to be up to the challenge in order to get their 24th win before this back to back coming.

Jan 16, 2020 No Comments
The Lakers Led By Kyle Kuzma & Rajon Rondo Defeat OKC (125-110)

The Lakers Led By Kyle Kuzma & Rajon Rondo Defeat OKC (125-110)

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by | Jan 12, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder played one of their best games on Thursday against the Rockets. Coming into tonight’s game against the Lakers the news broke out that LeBron James and Anthony Davis were going to be out tonight. Once that news came out the Lakers knew other players would have to step up for them to be victorious. Rajon Rondo took the challenge tonight to help his team get the win as he came out looking like vintage Rondo from Boston. Rajon Rondo set the tone for the Lakers with his offense and was able to get other players involved early. The Lakers played with freedom and played unselfishly tonight as a whole which helped out big time. The Lakers had a well-balanced attack against the Thunder and they couldn’t miss from the 3 point line in the first half. At one point in the game, the Lakers were shooting 88% from the 3 point line and that helped them maintain a double-digit margin throughout the night. The Thunder were down by 32 points in the game and it looked as though it was going to be tough to crawl back in this game. The OKC Thunder were getting the good looks that they usually do but the shots just didn’t fall tonight.

 

 

The Thunder got caught up in the LA Lakers 3 point shooting and failed at attempting it tonight as they only shot 9-31 for 29%. Every time the Thunder would try to make a run the Lakers would make a crucial shot that would stop the momentum. One player that had it going for the Lakers all night from start to finish was Kyle Kuzma. On the night Kuzma finished with 36 points which were a season-high. It seemed like Kyle Kuzma couldn’t miss anything that he put up from inside or outside it didn’t matter. With LeBron and AD being out Kyle Kuzma stepped his game up and made the most of the opportunity. The Thunder tried to put Gallinari and Bazley on Kuzma tonight but he was feeling it as he hit 15-24 from the field. Kyle Kuzma had the points but Rajon Rondo set the tone from start to finish as he dropped 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Lakers bench players had bigger roles tonight and stepped up in a major way in a game that most would have given to the Thunder from the beginning. The Lakers had seven players in double figures on the night and shot 51% from the field as a team. The Thunder just didn’t have it from the start of the game and it showed as the Lakers jumped on them right away. The Thunder tried to fight back in this game but the time was running out on that attempt.

 

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a bad game overall as a unit especially after the big win against the Rockets. This was a game they started out the game flat and it came back to get them. All night the Thunder were trying to slow down the Lakers and catch up in the score but it didn’t work in their favor. Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a combined 48 points on the night as they tried to shoot the Thunder back into the game. This was a prime example of shooting yourself in the foot because the Thunder as a unit is better than the Lakers team that played tonight. Dennis Schröder wasn’t himself tonight as he missed some shots that he usually makes as well. Schröder gives the Thunder team some added energy and tonight he wasn’t able to get into a true rhythm offensively. Chris Paul was able to get his game going but it was a little too late. The Lakers didn’t have anyone that can guard Chris Paul but the opportunities just weren’t there overall as a team. It’s easy to say that the Thunder looked over the Lakers without their stars but sometimes it happens. The Thunder lived by the three and died by the three tonight. This team has been able to bounce back all season and this game will be one of those moments that help them regain that focus. The Thunder were playing really good defense but the Lakers were just making some tough shots all night long. The Thunder will look to bounce back as they play the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. Tonight was one of those nights where the three guards just didn’t have it going and all season long they’ve been playing at a high level. Look for the Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schröder to bounce back in a major way.

 

 

Jan 12, 2020 No Comments