Nuggets and notes
- Defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder walked into Miami on a five-game winning streak in the league. For the first time since Jalen Williams returned from wrist rehab, the team really seemed to be getting into shape.
- Forty-eight minutes later, the Thunder left Miami with a frustrating loss.
- OKC actually controlled most of the night thanks to an incredibly rare hot shooting night. The Thunder led by as many as 12 in the first half.
- In that first quarter, it seemed like Oklahoma City couldn’t miss (even from three!), but Miami never let it get out of hand, even though they didn’t shoot nearly as well as OKC. I mean, in the first quarter the Thunder shot over 71% from the field and 50% from deep while the Heat only shot 44% from the floor and 33% from deep and after the first quarter OKC led by just 7.
- Maybe this is wrong, but according to the unofficial statistics in my head, teams that perform this well in the first quarter and are not that big have never won a game. I just feel like it’s an ominous sign when a team is red hot but doesn’t retreat because the shooting percentages always regress to the mean.
- The Thunder finished the night shooting 55% from the field and 45% from three, numbers that almost always translate into a win. OKC came into the game this season 9-1 when shooting above 50%.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was phenomenal: 39 points on 12-for-19 shooting, plus a perfect 13-for-13 at the line.
- Shai consistently bent Miami’s defense and kept OKC afloat when things started to wobble.
- A brutal offensive foul on Shai with 1:14 to go in the fourth loomed large in a one-possession game. OKC was up by 3 at the time, and points on that possession likely made the difference.
- Michael Cage was in disbelief at the call, and so was I. I was able to get the referees to not call a defensive foul, but how was that a foul? offensive crazy?
- Another big call: When Chet Holmgren grabbed the rebound with just over three seconds left, giving the Thunder one last gasp to tie or win, Holmgren got punched in the face. It could (should have) been a foul on Miami, giving Chet two free throws.
- We’re waiting for the report of the last two minutes.
- Jalen Williams left the game at the 5:39 mark of the second quarter with a pulled hamstring. He was later ruled out of the match due to a thigh injury.
- Before leaving, JDub had 8 points in 14 minutes and looked like the difference maker the Thunder needed in a tough road game.
- Chet Holmgren was stable again: 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks.
- That gives Chet 11 consecutive games with more than 2 blocks, a stretch that now feels more routine than remarkable. Chet’s defense is Defensive Player of the Year caliber. Just to state the obvious.
One important takeaway
Offensively, the Oklahoma City Thunder did almost everything right. They shot out the lights, they passed well, they got to the line and won the battle for points in the paint. The one thing the Thunder didn’t do was play like the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the other hand, the Miami Heat did just that. The heat exceeded the thunder in a big way: by creating more assets.
In the Thunder’s championship-winning season, OKC was able to shoot 35% from the field and win games because it limited the opponent’s possessions and piled up extra possessions for itself (usually by forcing turnovers).
In this one, Miami outmatched the Thunder by creating extra possessions in every way a team can do.
- Miami won the rebounding battle, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds, compared to just 5 for OKC. That’s +16 in assets.
- Miami protected the ball and forced the Thunder to turn it over. The Heat had just 4 turnovers, compared to 17 for the Thunder. That’s +13 in assets.
The result: Miami took 111 shots compared to just 77 for the Thunder. That’s right, the Heat made 34 more shots. That’s crazy. That’s crazy. And so a team can beat its opponent by shooting 55%, while you only shoot 37%.
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