Lakers 90, Thunder 87
Nuggets from my notebook from Sunday’s loss to L.A.
- The Thunder played an excellent opening period. OKC jumped out to a 12-2 run and showed early it was ready to compete for 48 minutes, whether shorthanded or not. A 28-22 lead was the result.
- Thabo Sefolosha’s defense on Kobe Bryant was outstanding. Sefolosha made Bryant work for everything he got. He forced him into an air-ball, which ended up in a Lakers shot clock violation. He stripped Bryant following a pump fake. And he was a pest in the passing lanes, coming up with another steal on an entry pass into Kobe at the high post. What shouldn’t go overlooked is the job Thabo did on Kobe off the ball as well. Sefolosha denied entry passes extremely well, and once Kobe gave it up Thabo rarely allowed him to get it back. It took Bryant right out of the offense.
- My question is where has this level of defense been from Sefolosha all season?
- Bryant finished with 17 points on 8-for-22 shooting. He had seven assists by also four turnovers.
- Here’s a shocker. Kobe didn’t attempt a single free throw. That happened only once this year, in the Lakers’ road loss to Cleveland. You’d have to go back to last season to find the last time Bryant didn’t take at least one foul shot and the Lakers won. He pulled that feat in back-to-back games against Washington and San Antonio on March 21 and March 24
- The Thunder scored 31 points in the second half. OKC made 12 of 40 shots (30 percent) and turned the ball over 10 times. The turning point came early in the third quarter. The Thunder came out of the locker room playing selfish basketball. The ball movement dried up, and too many players went into hero made, taking bad shots and forcing one-on-one plays. It completely killed the team’s rhythm.
- The Thunder scored just 13 points in the third quarter, when it made just five of 22 shots. There was a stretch late where I would have loved to see Nate Robinson get some burn. The guy can be instant offense and is capable of igniting a team and the crowd.
- Once again, late game execution on offense was a problem. The Thunder scored just three points in the final 3 1/2 minutes. Over that same span, the Thunder had three turnovers. The one bucket the Thunder did get was a 3-pointer from Russell Westbrook.
- The final minute was discouraging. Kevin Durant had a Ron Artest strip the ball from him with 49.9 seconds left and the Thunder down three. And when Bryant missed a jumper, Serge Ibaka secured the rebound to give the Thunder another chance. Westbrook then dribbled around like a chicken with his head cut off before barrelling down the lane for a charge. And when Lamar Odom missed two free throws, the Thunder wasted two more chances to tie when Durant missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key and James Harden misfired on a trey following a tap out by Nick Collison.
Magic 111, Thunder 88
News, notes and observations from Friday’s loss at Orlando.
- With four players shipped out and three players yet to report, Thunder coach Scott Brooks was forced to use 10 different lineups according to my count. And some of them looked like preseason units at best. Maybe even summer league. Eric Maynor, Daequan Cook, James Harden, Thabo Sefolosha and Cole Aldrich. Really? What can the Thunder possible do against the Magic with that mix and match bunch?
- Oddly enough, the team’s bench played better than the more decorated starters. Maynor was the distributor Russell Westbrook decided he didn’t want to be tonight. Cook provided the shooting Kevin Durant couldn’t. And Harden, with a strong all-around game, made yet another case to supplant Sefolosha as the starter.
- If you’re wondering whether the loss of a few teammates played a big factor in this one, Durant comes through with his opinion. “It’s real tough,” Durant said. “Those guys were like brothers to us here. Not to see them out there on the bench clapping for us, in the locker room speaking up, it’s tough.” Durant was then asked if their departures disrupted the flow of the team. “It felt a little different going out there and playing, not having our guys out there,” Durant said. “But hopefully next game we get back into the flow and be all right.”
- In my eyes, Dwight Howard spoiled a spectacular game by remaining in the game to ensure he got 40. I put most of the blame on Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who you otherwise will never hear me say a bad word about. Van Gundy should have taken Howard out of the game during a timeout with 2:27 left on the clock. Instead, they showed up the Thunder and showed little class. Dwight’s 40th point came on a lob pass from Hedo Turkoglu with exactly 2:00 left to play. The Magic were up 20. His basket put the Magic up 22.
- I doubt Howard and the Magic would have been so strident had Kendrick Perkins been on the court. I can’t wait to see Perk’s scowl.
- Speaking of, the trio of new players are expected to practice with the team Saturday and meet the media following the session. I’m told all three players were in OKC on Friday taking physicals. If all goes well, I’d expect to see Nazr Mohammed and Nate Robinson in uniform Sunday. Perkins is out at least a week with a left knee injury.
- Does this bit from Howard ease the sting of Howard’s monster game and boastful final bucket?
Five Quick Thoughts On OKC’s Deals
1) I love both deals. In one trade, the Thunder essentially packaged its out of position power forward (who is probably better suited as a sixth man) and its token starting center for a proven championship caliber center who can anchor its defense. In the other deal, OKC dealt spare parts for additional size, shot-blocking, experience and frontcourt depth. And the Thunder did it all without blowing up its budget in the short or long term. That about sums up the day. Yeah, the Thunder came out a huge winner.
2) I hope Perkins is healthy. The team’s medical staff already has pored over the particulars in Perkins’ history. No red flags were raised during that process, which ultimately paved the way for the Thunder to agree to the deal. Perkins must now pass a physical, and his knees will be the biggest question marks. Perk missed this season’s first 43 games after tearing the MCL and PCL in his knee in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. And he is currently sidelined for at least a week with a sprained MCL in his left knee. If even the slightest sign of something fishy appears during the physical process, we could see the Thunder rescind the deal. I highly doubt that happens. But Thunder general manager Sam Presti has proven in the past (see Tyson Chandler) that he listens to and trusts his medical staff. He’d nix this deal as well if need be. All indications, however, are that the Thunder organization believes Perkins is good to go and ready to be a cornerstone in OKC.
3) The Thunder just got tough. How many teams will want to to pick on a starting frontline of Perkins and Serge Ibaka? The answer is zero. The Thunder won’t be bullied by anyone. Not now. Not in the playoffs. For 2 1/2 seasons, the Thunder has been more of a finesse team. But both of today’s deals add more force and fire. Russell Westbrook is as tough as a point guard as you’ll find (ask Jermaine O’Neal), and Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed have much-needed meanness as well. Perk and Mohammed are a match made in heaven for the Thunder.
4) Don’t underestimate Nate Robinson. It’s easy to look at him as a throw in. Don’t. Robinson has value. And lots of it. Whether he matters in Oklahoma City, though, will all depend on Scott Brooks. If Brooks gives Robinson minutes, he could be a serious spark plug. He scores in bunches and poses problems for defenses. He might be small. But he’s quick, he’s strong and he can shoot. Robinson can also get to the rack. So forget about where he plays. What’s important is that he plays. He’s a point guard but can slide over and steal minutes at the 2 in some situations, or all0w Westbrook to move over at times. Robinson might not fit in OKC long term. But my eyes are locked strictly on this year’s postseason. A scorer like Robinson who can heat up in a hurry is never a bad thing to have coming off your bench. It’s players like Robinson who can steal a game in a series. Just go back and look at Game 4 of last year’s Finals.
5) Say hello to better defense. You’re tired of seeing it. I’m tired of writing about it. The Thunder’s defense just hasn’t been as good this year as it was last season. At least not consistently. Perkins and Ibaka could be great together. They present ideal size and a perfect blend of bulk and athleticism. Perk is an exceptional position defender. Ibaka is a great shot-blocker who’s at his best when helping off his man. Together, they should shore up the team’s D while making everyone else in front of them better. Now, the Thunder can rely less on helping the post, either on post-ups or penetration, and stay at home more on shooters. It should have a trickle down effect that leads to better 3-point defense.
-DM-
Spurs 109, Thunder 105
Nuggets from my notebook from Wednesday’s loss at San Antonio.
- I agree with Thunder coach Scott Brooks. He said tonight was one of those games where his team moved forward. That’s exactly what happened tonight. Since the Thunder is 16 games over .500, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that this season is still mostly about development. Wins are becoming what matters most. That’s certainly understandable. But winning is no good (unless you win it all, which the Thunder is not. I could be wrong) if you don’t understand how to win, which is precisely what I think the Thunder was doing early in the year. A win tonight would have been great for the Thunder. Another signature victory. But it might be better that the boys lost playing a style they want to become their staple as opposed to winning yet again in a manner that isn’t its desired makeup.
- With that said, the Thunder has got to get off a better shot in the final 10 seconds. I don’t know what Jeff Green was thinking. But what he did looked like something along the lines of, ‘Oh crap, the clock is about to run out” was running through his mind. Not used to seeing Green lose his composure in those situations.
- I don’t completely blame Green, the other four Thunder players on the court or the coaching staff. The Spurs are an excellent defensive team. This is what they do. They take away your options and force you into doing something that looks plain dumb.
- What would concern me more is the Thunder’s two field goals in the final 7 1/2 minutes. Jumper after jumper bounced off the rim. The feeling inside the locker room was that the looks were all good. That’s up for debate. In the final 7 1/2 minutes, the Thunder went 2-for-11 from the field. Ten of those shots were from 15 feet and beyond. Five of those misses were from 3-point range. Compare that with the Spurs. San Antonio was 4-for-13 from the field over that same span. Nine of those attempts came from seven feet or closer. The Spurs missed seven of those bunnies. Those are great looks. The Spurs attempted only three 3s in that stretch, making one.
- Russell Westbrook needs a filter. From what I could tell, nobody on the court or the bench said anything to him as he continued to jack up shots. That tells me he’s going to have to figure it out on his own. His rope is long, which, again, is understandable since harnessing him could halter his effectiveness. But he clearly hurt the team tonight by looking for his own offense so much. I don’t think Westbrook is doing it selfishly. He simply seems to play hero too much and get into trouble. But I have no doubt he has good intentions, probably feeling like he can bring his team back by himself.
Thunder 111, Clippers 88
News, notes and observations from Tuesday’s win over the Clippers.
- The most significant thing of the night had nothing to do with anything on the court. The most intriguing action surfaced following multiple reports that claim the Thunder is actively searching for a center as Thursday’s trade deadline approaches. Denver’s Nene was at the center of the reports Tuesday, and the Thunder was linked to Memphis shot-blocker Hasheem Thabeet as well. I haven’t heard anything that suggests the Thunder is close to a deal for either player, and my feeling is what’s being reported is snippets of standard conversations. It’s no secret that the Thunder needs improved inside play so the organization is going to be linked to just about every player over 6-9. And the front office would be crazy to not be taking and making calls. So none of the reports come as a surprise. I’ve written that the Thunder has the assets to get a deal done. But I wouldn’t hold my breath for any sort of blockbuster.
- Now to the game. This is what the Thunder is supposed to do to bad teams. Lost in all the Blake Griffin hype was the fact that the Los Angeles Clippers are still the Clippers. They’re 15 games below .500, and the Thunder walked over them like the bottom feeder that they are. Very encouraging result, especially when combined with the Sacramento massacre just before the break.
- The real test comes Wednesday at San Antonio. Starting with the Spurs, and continuing in Orlando on Friday and back here against the L.A. Lakers on Sunday, we’ll get a true sense of where this Thunder team is in this home stretch.
- A huge key in the win tonight was the play of the Thunder’s role players. Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison, James Harden, Eric Maynor and Daequan Cook all stepped up in a big way to overcome a poor shooting night from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Each guy chipped in something and made an impact.
- Who would have guessed Durant and Westbrook would combine for 34 points on 32 shots and Green and Harden would combined for 41 points on 23 shots? Not me.
- Give Green credit for this one. He started off in foul trouble but shook off those early struggles and bounced back with a nice offensive performance. What stood out early on is how Green was making the most out of garbage. He found ways to score and capitalized on opportunities when the ball was swung his direction. Classic game for the man known as Uncle Jeff.
- I thought Harden was exceptional tonight. Not perfect, but exceptional. He had only one assist (a beautiful drive and dish to Durant), but his playmaking was better than the assist column gave him credit for. At times, he made the pass that led to the assist. And his shooting touch was on target tonight. He was aggressive unlike he usually is, and his 12 shots tied Green for the second most tonight. More of this type of effort would be welcomed, I’m sure.
Thunder 126, Kings 96
Nuggets from my notebook from Tuesday’s win over Sacramento.
- You knew this one was going to be a blowout the moment Russell Westbrook stormed down the lane and flushed a monster jam 10 seconds in. As DeMarcus Cousins said after the game: “That really got their blood flowing…They smelled blood.”
- From that point on, this game felt like a high school or college game, where one team was simply over-matched and there wasn’t a thing they could do about it.
- The Thunder jumped out to a 19-4 lead, made its first seven shots and assisted on six of those. The seventh made bucket was a 3-pointer by Thabo Sefolosha. The first miss was by Kevin Durant. Go figure.
- Here’s something you wouldn’t expect. The Thunder shot 12 of 22 (54.5 percent) in the first quarter. Durant was 1-for-7. That would become the oddity in this one, as Durant shot just 5-for-18 and finished with 17 points in the Thunder’s best game of the year.
- The defense was outstanding. It led to run-outs and easy scoring opportunities. And we all know by now that the Thunder is an absolute force in transition. Twenty-three of the Thunder’s 28 fast-break points were in the first half. For the game, the Thunder converted 10 of its 11 fast-break opportunities.
- Westbrook was the engine tonight. He slowed down, made it a point to look for others and made smart decisions throughout. He took only eight shots, one more than his season-low, and was every bit as effective as he normally is.
- Jeff Green benefited the most from Westbrook’s game management. Green scored six points inside the first three minutes, and all of them were off Westbrook’s feeds. Eight of Green’s 10 first-quarter points came off passes from Russ. It got Green going early and made his night on the offensive end extremely easy. Green finished with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, one of his most efficient scoring nights this season.
- I’ve said before that it’s hard to reel in Westbrook. Doing so could take away his effectiveness. He’s got to learn to manage the game like this consistently on his own. But tonight’s attack showed how great the Thunder can be if he defers and gets everyone involved. He makes Green better. He makes Nenad Krstic more of a threat. And his passing rubs off on teammates. Westbrook can score whenever he wants. The fourth quarter should be his time to shine. But in the first three, things would be so much easier if Westbrook stepped it up as a set-up man.
Grizzlies 105, Thunder 101
News, notes and observations from Tuesday’s loss to Memphis.
- A few people asked me after the game (and some during when the outcome looked in doubt) whether this could be classified as a bad loss. I say yes. But only on the surface. The Grizzlies were shorthanded. They were on the second night of a back-to-back. And, quite frankly, they’re mediocre. The Thunder, meanwhile, had its full complement of players, had not laced them up since Saturday and is a top four team in the West. For all those reasons, this was a bad loss. But the Grizzlies played terrific basketball in the second half and earned this win. It’s not like the Thunder lost to a team going through the motions.
- With that said, OKC couldn’t have rolled out the red carpet more than it did. The Thunder blew a 13-point lead (10 at the half) by throwing it away a season-high 23 times, 12 coming in the second half. Memphis scored 31 points off the Thunder’s turnovers and had 27 fast break points.
- Bad offense burned the Thunder. Disregard the turnovers. Even in spite of them the Thunder could have won this game. But OKC couldn’t get a quality shot on three separate occasions in late-game situations — once at the end of regulation and twice in the final 17 seconds of overtime. The Thunder also missed six free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime (all of them by the point guards, Russell Westbrook and Eric Maynor, of all players). And OKC made sharing the ball look like a foreign subject.
- Strangely enough, the defense was actually good tonight. The Thunder held the Grizzlies to 24 points in the first quarter. It was the first time in seven games that the Thunder has held an opponent under 25 points in the opening period. Memphis’ 44 first-half points marked the first time in 14 games that the Thunder held an opponent to less than 50 points in the first half. OKC allowed Memphis to outscore it 30-17 in the third quarter, but much of that goes back to the turnover issues. The Thunder had six in the period, which led to 10 Grizzlies points. But the Thunder out-rebounded the Grizzlies 58-36, which included an 18-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
- From a team standpoint, the defense was solid. I did not like Kevin Durant’s defense at all tonight. KD wasn’t really engaged on that end all night. Tony Allen beat Durant with sheer hustle on at least two possessions, scoring in transition both times as Durant jogged back on D. The second instance saw Durant stroll back as Allen sprinted. And when Greivis Vasquez missed a 3-pointer, Allen was right there for the putback while KD was standing near the 3-point line watching. The play gave the Grizzlies a 72-71 lead, their first since 22-21.
- The rest of this entry could easily be about Allen. He was awesome tonight. His defense on Durant was smothering. And his assertiveness on offense was much-needed for the Grizzlies and unmatched by anyone on the Thunder.
- Here’s what Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of Allen: “The guy was All-Pro all night. Both ends of the floor. Twenty-seven points and he made Kevin work for every shot. I thought he won the game for them. Give him a lot of credit. He’s a competitor. Certain guys in this league compete every possession and he’s one of them. He competes every possession. And I love guys that hate getting scored on and he’s one of them.”
Thunder 104, Hornets 93
Nuggets from my notebook from Wednesday’s win over New Orleans.
- Scott Brooks said Serge Ibaka wasn’t in the doghouse. Brooks insisted much of the reason Ibaka sat the bench the previous two games was because of matchups. A side issue was Ibaka’s lack of energy against the Heat. Against the Hornets, the matchups were more favorable and Ibaka brought the energy. In a big way. Ibaka had three blocks in the first quarter alone and was a major presence on both ends. He finished with eight points, 12 boards and six blocks in 33 minutes.
- When asked about Ibaka’s performance during his postgame press conference, Brooks had a little fun at my expense. “He finally got out of the doghouse and played,” Brooks said. “I was Serge’s best teammate tonight. I gave him some minutes.”
- For Wednesday’s paper, I wrote about how Trevor Ariza has had success against Kevin Durant this season. Sure enough, Durant quickly put an end to that. Late in the first half, KD had 19 points and was perfect from the floor (5-for-5), the 3-point line (3-for-3) and the foul line (6-for-6). Durant finished with 21 points in the first half en route to 43 for the game.
- This is the third time in four games that Durant has scored at least 40 points. Tonight’s scoring surge bumped his season average to 29.2 points. Back-to-back scoring titles, here Durant comes.
- What impressed me the most about Durant is that he stopped shooting with 5 1/2 minutes left despite sitting on 43 points. He could have forced his way to 50. But he decided to make the right play instead. He found or created open shots for Jeff Green, Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka. They didn’t finish plays and get Durant an assist. But his unselfishness was noteworthy.
- Something else that will probably get lost in Durant’s performance: rebounds. Durant had 10 of them and really picked it up in the second half when his team needed it most. With the exception of one rebound opportunity that Durant sat there and watched all but fall into David West’s hands in the second half, Durant showed that he’s really focused on becoming a better rebounder. He’s averaged 10.8 boards over his past six games.
Monday Morning Mailbag
Sharpshooter Daequan Cook has heat up on the court and lit up our mailbag.
What a week!
Since we last emptied our inbox, the Thunder has lost on a buzzer-beater, gone into overtime twice (three times if you count double-OT) and hosted the Miami Heat.
Over that same span, Serge Ibaka has found the doghouse, Daequan Cook has found his stroke, Russell Westbrook registered his third triple-double of the year and Kevin Durant had a career night in the midst of averaging 35.5 points and 10.7 rebounds in four games.
Ready to do it all over again?
The Thunder has an abbreviated three-game schedule this week, hosting New Orleans on Wednesday before a road back-to-back set at Phoenix and Utah. It’ll be hard to top last week’s excitement. But with this team, you just never know.
Let’s get to the mailbag.
Where can we find stats/info on Pleiss? What team is he playing for and how is he playing? Are the Thunder keeping in touch with him and watching his development closely? – Daniel.
Eurobasket.com has stats that seem to be accurate and updated regularly. It looks like in 21 games Pleiss is averaging 9.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 20.6 minutes. The name of his team is Brose Baskets. And, yes, the Thunder’s front office keeps close tabs on him. Several front office executives have traveled across the water to check in with Pleiss and monitor his development. I hear he’s doing quite well. The Thunder has made it a point to maintain positive relationships with the international clubs that their draft picks play on. That was the case with Serge Ibaka and, to a lesser extent DeVon Hardin and Robert Vaden. It’s been no different with Pleiss.
This might be the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about, and I don’t mean this as a slight against Westbrook (I think he is a great, explosive player). But do you think the fact that he is not a “true” point guard holds the team back at all? Sometimes he gets into hero mode which takes others out of rhythm and Maynor sometimes seems to do a better job of getting everyone involved. Is this an issue for the Thunder or am I overreacting? – Timothy.
You’re overreacting. Westbrook’s hero-mode mentality looks terrible at times. But no one has any complaints when that style takes over and wins games. Besides, how many “true” point guards are there in the league today? Three? Four? Maybe. The NBA has changed. John Stockton isn’t walking through that door. I will say that Westbrook has fallen in love with his pull-up jumper. I wrote last year that it was much better even though the stats didn’t indicate as much. But this year, Westbrook has become more consistent and the numbers bear out that fact. Now, he forces it too much at times and that does in fact hurt the team. But he’s not the only one who takes bad or rushed shots. The bottom line, though, is Westbrook helps this team much, much more than he hurts it. And he’s got to be on the floor, doing exactly what’s brought him this far.
Heat 108, Thunder 103
News, notes and observations from Sunday’s loss to Miami
- Rebounding. Rebounding. Rebounding. Got to close out possessions. The Thunder didn’t in the fourth quarter and it cost them the game.
- Because of that, it’s safe to say this is a game the Thunder should have won. It almost felt like watching the Heat do to the Thunder what the Thunder has done to about 17 other teams this season. The Thunder essentially found a way to lose this one by not corralling a rebound.
- Miami had eight offensive boards in the fourth quarter. It led to 15 second-chance points. The Heat had 18 total rebounds in the final period. That’s more than they had in the entire first half.
- What might have gotten lost in the battle for rebounds is how the offense bogged down again in the fourth quarter. The Thunder stopped running plays, stopped sharing the ball and stopping searching for quality shots. And it led to a 5-for-19 period.
- LeBron James just passed Derrick Rose in my eyes for MVP. But not by much. James is doing some incredible things for Miami. But because he plays alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, people automatically write him off. But the way he played point guard today, orchestrating the Heat’s offense and getting everyone involved was a thing of beauty. And then he threatened to take over the game with his scoring.
- I was impressed with how Kevin Durant competed against not just James but the entire Heat team. He didn’t back down from Bosh. He battled for rebounds. He was locked in defensively (save a few possessions). And he came out in attack mode offensively. Durant might have gone 2-for-10 in the second half, but I thought tonight was a big step forward in his evolution as a player. He hasn’t had much success on the big stage. But he was clearly ready to accept the challenge tonight. Could be a sign of things to come as we march toward April.
- Neither team played good defense in the first half. Some of it was great offense, though. But the two teams combined to make 20 of their first 27 shots. Miami led 64-61 at halftime. The Heat was shooting 62 percent. The Thunder was shooting 52 percent.
- Wade was ridiculous at times. His ability to hit difficult shots is something I don’t hear talked about much. He tossed in some high-arching layups in traffic with his left hand, and his baseline fadeaway is just nasty. When he has it going like he did today, there isn’t much anyone can do about it.
