In the News: OKC Thunder Turning a corner

December starts with a bang as the OKC Thunder finally break through in clutch time and capture what was as close to a must win as they’ve faced this season.

OKC Thunder In the news for December 2 finds the team celebrating a couple of firsts.  Finally the squad pulled off a clutch victory and also were able to take a game over the Minnesota Timberwolves who had snagged both of their earlier matches.

Hot Tub Time Machine rewind:

Leading up to the game yesterday I noted how different the season would be had the OKC Thunder won the initial match versus the Timberwolves. Specifically, attention was paid to the numerous games the squad lost either via losing large leads or failure to convert in the clutch.

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Last night while surfing through games I must have heard five different analysts say the net differential of the OKC Thunder should have them at 12-8 not 8-12.  Perhaps my hot tub time machine warrants some additional emphasis given the consensus of analysts. And, hey if they can use this to push the rest button all the better.

‘Would the Thunder have been more confident in clutch situations having already won the first close match? So much could have been different.  Although it might seem like a stretch, ask any player why they get in shooting slumps or a suddenly hot team why they beat far superior competition. The response will be the same every time – confidence.

Flash back to game 3 of the OKC Thunder season and a win turning to a loss when an illegal screen wasn’t called. Diving into the Hot Tub Time Machine let’s reflect on how that loss altered the season.’

Moving  forward the question will be the same as it’s been all season – can the OKC Thunder translate an important victory into building momentum?  Diving further into this equation means trying to figure out Billy Donovan’s rotations.

Reasons behind Donovan’s rotations:

Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript offered some answers to the latter part of that equation. Specifically, Katz provides feedback on the disappearing act of Alex Abrines absence of Patrick Patterson on the court.  Katz points out Abrines adds value in terms of his teammates getting more free throws when on court.

"Abrines isn’t the one getting to the line, but the numbers say there’s a direct correlation between him being on the floor and the team forcing shooting fouls. The Thunder shoot 36 percent more free throws while he’s playing and sink almost six free throws per 36 minutes more during that time, though Donovan isn’t confident Abrines’ presence is the reason for the disparity, considering it’s not like Abrines is the one getting to the line often."

That said it appears defense is Donovan’s deciding factor based on this quote:

"Alex on the floor with his ability to stretch the floor, his skill level, his understanding of how to play, handling passing and all those things are strong positives,” Donovan said. “But I do think that Alex continuing to grow and develop defensively is important.”"

Quarter mark grades for OKC Thunder:

Speaking of Alex Abrines , Thunderous Intentions will roll out our quarter season grades over the next week. Beginning the process is Jordan Buckamneer who serves up this thoughts on Alex Abrines.

"Although every OKC Thunder role player was expected to get fewer minutes with the addition of the OK3 over the off-season, Alex Abrines had an excellent opportunity to be a big contributor as well the first guard to come off the bench.While the second-year Spaniard hasn’t been terrible, or the sole reason for the early struggles, yet he’s certainly not been the spark off the bench."

Westbrook coined Porzingis the unicorn:

For those wondering who was the originator of “the Unicorn” title Kristaps Prozingis was labelled with it was none other than Russell Westbrook. Dime Uproxx details the Unicorn’s appearance on Jimmy Fallon and his acknowledgement of the moniker created by Westbrook.

"Kristaps Porzingis is not a unicorn. In fact, at this point it’s not even clear he knows what a unicorn is. But plenty of people call him that, and now that he’s had everything fully explained to him he’s fully appreciative of what Russell Westbrook meant when he christened the Latvian big man a unicorn in the first place."

That wraps up in the news for December 2.  Make sure to check in with Thunderous Intentions daily as our talented team of scribes keeps you up to date and your favorite team and players. Next up for the OKC Thunder an important test versus the San Antonio Spurs Sunday at 6:00CT.