Nuggets and notes
- The good news: OKC won!
- The bad news: It took a huge effort for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to survive the Utah Jazz.
- Shai was ridiculous: 46 points on 14 of 26 shooting, plus 6 assists and zero turnovers (!!!). The Thunder will likely be steamrolled if the MVP isn’t there.
- SGA was questionable when he came into the game, and I think the only questionable thing about his health was whether he is a full human being.
- It looked like the Phoenix Suns game all around. Oklahoma City took action early, built a big lead and then let it evaporate. After Lauri Markkanen grabbed the rebound on Walter Clayton Jr.’s missed shot. (blocked by Aaron Wiggins) and converted the putback to put the Jazz up by two with three seconds left, three straight losses felt very real.
- But back to Sja. A cool, calm and collected SGA used those final seconds to reach his spot in the midrange and swing home a buzzer beater to force OT. SGA then poured in 9 more in the extra period to save the Thunder from themselves.
- The Jazz are pathetic on defense. It felt like the perfect antidote to OKC’s struggling offense.
- It wasn’t.
- The Thunder shot 44% from the field and 18% from three (and went 1-18 in the second half + OT). I no longer consider putting a lid on the basket proverbial. There may be a real lid on the basket. Someone calls maintenance.
- Honestly, without the Thunder attacking the basket and getting to the line, this game looks very different. The Thunder made 42 free throws (to the Jazz’s 21). The +18 point difference from the free throw line saved OKC from the inability to shoot from deep.
- Chet Holmgren deserves some love too. Chet was excellent defensively, hitting three shots and recording a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
- It’s clear that Holmgren has put work into his body this offseason. He is clearly stronger in the paint. One possession that showed this for me was his running dunk with 4:35 left in the first quarter. I don’t think rookie year Chet is capable of that.
- Ajay Mitchell was assertive in attack. The 6MOY prospect wasn’t shy, providing some much-needed punch to the flailing attack (16 points, 5 assists).
- Branden Carlson impresses me defensively. I’m not sure there’s a better player on the roster who will stay grounded and not bite a fake.
- Coach Mark Daigneault is in full-on tinkering mode. He has used Aaron Wiggins for the last two games. After the game, Daigs said Wiggins has shown some pretty good pop lately, and with Alex Caruso out, he wanted Wallace to be that kind of defense first man off the bench.
- More on tinker mode: To close out the fourth quarter, Mark went with the big three + Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins. To close out OT, Mark went with the big three + Ajay Mitchell and Lu Dort.
- Kenrich Williams only played 8 minutes and somehow still finished at +11. I just love every Kenny Hustle minute. My favorite moment of the night for him is when he came up on Markkanen late in the first round and stole it out of his hands, stone cold. It was rude, and I loved it.
- The rebound was bad (see one of the key takeaways below), but how fitting it was that the Thunder won this because Chet had a monstrous offensive rebound and putback dunk to give OKC a lead it wouldn’t relinquish with 29 seconds left in OT, and then SGA flew in to secure the absolutely crucial defensive rebound from the Svi Mykhailiuk missed three on the other end.
One important takeaway
The foul is an issue, but I want to talk about rebounding again. The Thunder are still getting killed on the boards. I don’t think it’s about effort either; it’s about bodies. I see a team effort to get defensive rebounds, but despite the effort, OKC can’t stop giving its opponent extra possessions.
The rebound was so rough that SGA clearly did everything it could to get defensive rebounds of its own in the second half. In that fourth quarter + overtime, Shai realized he had to do everything (score, pass, defend, And rebound) if the Thunder were to survive the lottery-bound Jazz.
Luckily, OKC has the best player in the NBA to bail them out, but that’s not sustainable.
On the Daily Thunder Podcast yesterdaymy biggest moment was dialing in about how much the Thunder miss Isaiah Hartenstein (and Jaylin Williams). These two are among the team’s best rebounders, and without them it’s a battle to limit defensive possessions every night.
So I guess the rebounding woes have a solution per the injury report, but until Hart and J-Will come back, the Thunder have to figure out how to get rebounds or we’ll have to keep talking about OKC struggling.
#Thunder #Jazz #Day #report