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OKC Thunder In the News: Road wins, overtime and Donovan’s odd rotations

By Tamberlyn Richardson

MEMPHIS, TN - DECEMBER 9: Terrance Ferguson
MEMPHIS, TN - DECEMBER 9: Terrance Ferguson /
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OKC Thunder in  the news for December 10 celebrates the rare road victory first overtime win of the season and Donovan’s perplexing rotations.

After 10 losses with only two victories on the road this season the OKC Thunder will take any win outside Oracle  they can get. Never mind the Thunder had to claw back from a 20 point deficit. Or the fact the team that pushed them into overtime has won once in 14 tries (now 1 in 15). On the verge of yet another road loss for the briefest of moments the team and fans could ignore the elephant in the room, just to focus on snaring the ‘W’.

With that big ‘W’ in hand the OKC Thunder pull within a game of .500 again. Yet, now that the arrow has moved in the right direction there is a priority to address concerns. Recognizing this is the refrain of the season doesn’t make it any less true.

Donovan’s rotational changes are infuriating:

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Of particular interest are the rotation and minute distribution. Without Paul George or Jerami Grant available it was expected others would benefit in their absence.  It’s doubtful anyone expected there would be very little change to the rotation other than an uptick in the starter’s minutes.

Yet, this is precisely what happened in the game versus Memphis. Well that and the second straight game where Kyle Singler made an appearance. Unless Sam Presti sent down the mandate to feature Singler for trade purposes this move makes zero sense.

Patrick Patterson is showing signs of being fully healthy. He has a jump in his step again, has improved defensively. In short, this is the Patterson the team expected when they signed him. Donovan needs to smarten up and utilize Patterson because not only does he improve the defense he spaces the floor. Despite connecting on two of his perimeter shots (2 of 4) Donovan gave Patterson a measly 15 minutes. Seriously, Donovan needs to stop these nonsensical rotations. For a full rant and explanation on the subject read the entire post here.

"Furthermore, Patrick Patterson has finally hit his typical time frame of being successful. He hit all three shot attempts he made. In his specific case Patterson should be if not the first player off the bench then the second. He brings solid defensive acumen to the floor. But more importantly, he spaces the court. There’s even an argument to start Patterson over Carmelo Anthony, but that’s an argument for another day."

OKC continue to put up season firsts:

As for the OKC Thunder’s first overtime win this season Thunderous Intentions served up plenty of post game analysis and hot takes for you viewing pleasure.  My cohort Tony Heim offers five hot takes on the game.

"Playing without Paul George for the second straight game, the defense struggled to contain the Grizzlies in the first half. The defensive rotations were slow, leading to a plethora of open shots. Memphis shot 51.2% from the field in the half, extending their lead to a 11 by the time the teams returned to the locker room.The second half was a completely different story. And it came down to one thing: effort. Once Oklahoma City picked up their intensity every major issue from the first half dissipated. They kept the Grizzlies from dominating the rebounding battle. They forced Memphis into contested shots at a higher rate. And most importantly, the Thunder started making their open looks (relatively speaking)."

In addition to the above hot takes check out Lawrence George’s post game grades (hint: he’s not happy with Russell Westbrook) and Gideon Lim’s Film Room session where he highlights how Carmelo Anthony can affect a game without scoring.

That wraps up in the news for Sunday December 10. Check back with TI daily for news on your favorite team and players.

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