It can be a bit tough getting back into the swing of Thunder basketball after the All-Star break. But….
Our new friend at Up The Thunder, Shane Steinkraus, dropped a hype video and boom: Thundered up. Ready to run through a brick wall.
The All-Star break is over and it's time to get back to work. The Thunder playoff push begins tonight in Oklahoma City. Let's get it.#ThunderUppic.twitter.com/X6hNJNJd81
The first man off the bench vs. Utah? Markieff Morris.
Markieff looked roooouuuuugh. But that’s to be expected. He hasn’t played in a while due to injury and just joined the team. Zero points on 0-of-1 shooting, two assists, and one steal in 17 minutes.
The bench, in general, was pretty atrocious in this one. The Thunder scored 148 points in the game (!!!) and the bench contributed just 14.
Dennis Schroder brought back the gold patch. He Went 3-of-16 on the night, scoring nine points and dishing seven assists. Maybe we should reconsider the patch?
Westbrook still makes bad decisions now and then. I get that. And honestly, I think he gets criticized PLENTY for it. So let me just say, I think he’s making MORE really good decisions this season. This quick pass to beat the buzzer at the half was awesome:
Westbrook to Adams at the buzzer. The Thunder take a 66-57 lead into halftime. #ThunderUp
And yes, Russ will always be the guy that tries way too hard and makes a bad decision at the most atrocious times…. But it’s been cool to see him trust the role players with big shots this season.
Terrance Ferguson would foul out of this one, but it has been quite noticeable that the young man is taking a lot of pride in his defense right now.
Anyone else getting the “This season is special?” feeling? The ‘Peake is even starting to revert back to the outrageously loud environment from season’s past.
Thunder/Jazz went to double-overtime after OKC faced a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Big time comeback that showed a lot of heart.
Paul George just did this dunk in an overtime game to tie it up. Gooooodness. pic.twitter.com/P5Y7bmVY0p
Let me just break down what you just saw: Paul George, who played his butt off all game, steals the ball and throws down a windmill dunk on the fast break. A windmill. In overtime.
George said after the game that it was a statement to Utah, letting them know his legs were fresh. That’s the stuff of legends, folks.
George would go on to hit the game-winner on a high-arcing floater over Rudy Gobert in the second OT. Beautiful.
This was a signature win. Not just for the season, but for the franchise. This is far from the first thing George has done that’s awesome, but it was the first moment I became convinced that PG might just do more than fill the gap Kevin Durant left behind.
Look, Russ is more than likely my favorite player of all time. Am I allowed to say that? Whatever. But now that he’s doing PE color ways of my favorite childhood cartoons? Can he get much cooler?
The answer to the above question? Yes, Westbrook can get cooler. And that’s by shooting 44 percent from 3PT, which is what he’s done in the two games since the All-Star break.
The Westbrook surge started a little before the break, but it’s obvious to me that Russ seems fresher, healthier, and is shooting better than he has all season. I can’t tell you what has changed, but it feels like we are currently seeing MVP Russ.
The Thunder would take the lead late in the fourth, but go on to lose tto the Kings. The controversial call? A charge called on Russell Westbrook late.
I see it both ways, which means it was probably a charge because I’m biased as h*ck. I just wished no call was made, even though the L2M report said the refs got it right.
Two takeaways: 1. This Thunder team has heart. They’re not going to give up and that bodes well for the Playoffs. 2. Let’s hope OKC doesn’t draw the Kings first round, because they are goooooood. What a fun team with young talent. They’re going to be a problem.
(Buddy Hield has surpassed the point where I can be happy for him. Sorry bro. You’re too good for me to root for.)
Everything Else…
The Oscars were last night. I hadn’t seen half of the movies so I was just irrationally mad A Star Is Born and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse didn’t win every award.
Enjoy this tweet though:
Looking at Russell Westbrook’s shooting numbers from the last three games like: pic.twitter.com/Tz1HQn56JD
Whoever asked me to do predictions in this section is not cool. This last stretch of the season is going to be unbelievably hard to predict.
With that being said: 3-1
Predictions:
Win @ Denver (51% Confidence) | Loss vs. Philly (62% Confidence) |
Win @ San Antonio (75% Confidence) | Win vs. Memphis (92% Confidence)
Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Clippers on the horizon. It’s absolutely imperative the Thunder bench begins to perform better if OKC wants to string together some wins.