Tuesday Bolts – 11.19.13
Ben Golliver of SI.com: “Assuming only one fan per game gets a crack from half-court and a shot is attempted at every home game, Oklahoma City $20,000 shot-takers are converting at a 19 percent clip since Mar. 5. Just for giggles, here’s a list of NBA players who are hitting less than 19 percent of their three-pointers with at least 21 attempts so far this season (through Sunday): Luol Deng, Patrick Patterson, Evan Turner and Kyle Singler. You guys are welcome to swing through the Sooner State for a little extra shooting work anytime. Just don’t be surprised if your new shot doctor is only willing to accept a giant novelty check for payment.”
Darnell Mayberry: “Brooks waited until 3:01 to insert Jackson in the third quarter. I’m sure he’ll tell you Jackson still got 24 minutes, but this is what Brooks used to do with Harden that drove me nuts. It’s not a matter of how many minutes a player ends up with at the end of the night, it’s when those minutes come. And Jackson checked in only after the Thunder’s offense had stalled and the Nuggets had constructed an 11-point lead.”
Zach Lowe’s Tuesday column. Always a must-read.
David Aldridge of NBA.com: “I’ve said this before, but I really think Reggie Jackson can be a big-time contributor to the Thunder when it counts in the playoffs.”
Denver Stiffs recap: “But when the game tightened and the pressure mounted Denver clammed up. The offense wouldn’t run, the attacking lanes closed, and open shots were unavailable. Oklahoma City was more than willing to foul any Nugget player approaching the basket, and Denver rewarded them by missing nearly half of their free throws. Tonight, a statement could have been made announcing that Denver had arrived after early growing pains. After the fourth quarter the only thing said was, ‘We are not ready.'”
The Thunder dropped to eight in Stein’s power rankings. They’re sixth in CBSSports.com’s.
Reminder: On Thursday there’s a little pregame happy hour with specials and prizes at Yucatan Tacos in Bricktown. Be there before the game and stuff your faces with good tacos.
