Player grades: Thunder outlast Spurs for second straight win

OKC Thunder Player Grades

Starting Lineup

Like Friday night, Westbrook was incredible in the first quarter. And like Friday night, he struggled for most of the game from there. Russ’ recorded half of his triple-double in the frame while only turning the ball over once. The big difference came when San Antonio gained control of the pace, forcing OKC to run more offense in the half court. Russ is still struggling to pinpoint his role for this team – the last two games are a big indicator of that.

Roberson played another solid game tonight. He was a big reason for the Spurs’ perimeter players offensive struggles: Danny Green, Brandon Paul and Bryn Forbes combined to shoot 6-25 from the field. The Thunder’s defensive stalwart also hit all four of his attempts from the field, including a wild finger roll that was a legitimately impressive offensive play.

Paul George struggled tonight….to put the ball in the basket. Besides shooting 2-17 from the field PG actually played a solid game. His defense alongside Roberson was too much to handle for a Spurs team playing without a go-to offensive threat. George is doing a better job spreading the ball, and his chemistry with Steven Adams is quickly evolving. Billy Donovan needs to keep pushing the George/Adams pick & roll because his ability to shoot adds an extra dynamic to a play (Westbrook & Adams) that is a huge part of the OKC offense.

Here’s more evidence that Carmelo is actively trying to change his game to fit this team. Besides the Brandon Paul mismatch in the fourth quarter we didn’t see much isolation from Melo. He only took 10 shots on the night, and his three assists tonight was only the fifth time he’s hit that number all season. One big item of concern was Melo’s propensity to give Davis Bertans too much space tonight. He’s got to be engaged on defense at all times so sharpshooting role players like Bertans can’t score 16 points and get multiple wide-open looks.

For the second game in a row Steven Adams recorded a positive double-digit +/-. He recorded his sixth double-double of the season – fun fact: the Thunder are 4-2 in those games. Pau Gasol was no match for the Big Kiwi, hence why the Spurs best offensive weapon only played 16 minutes. Adams made up for his defensive performance on Friday by solidifying the Thunder’s defense down low. He disrupted Spurs passing lanes to the paint all night, finishing with three steals.