Grades: Thunder use strong second half to slay Sacramento

OKC Thunder Player Grades

Starting Lineup

Russ had an extremely strange game tonight. He was solid from the field tonight but couldn’t buy a basket at the free throw line. He had multiple passes that didn’t come close to reaching their target. Yet the reigning MVP dominated the game en route to a team-high +15 in 33 minutes. We need to see Russ up his effort on the defensive end for the Thunder to reach their true potential – I’m a believer that he will when the lights shine the brightest.

Other then a gravity-defying putback dunk over Steven Adams, the 19-year old continues to prove that he isn’t ready for rotational minutes in the Playoffs. That doesn’t mean Billy Donovan should stop starting him during Andre Roberson’s absence. Ferguson is slowly getting better on the defensive end, but he’s still getting pushed around because of his light frame. Add that with his incredibly inconsistent jumper and you have your prototypical teenager with a high ceiling. Be patient and the reward will unveil itself in the next couple of years.

Wow – after the first half I was thissssssss close to saying that Sam Presti might have to consider trading PG. And then he went out and defensively dominated the Kings in the second, especially the fourth quarter. George’s five steals were his first with 2+ since *swallows hard* the LA Lakers contest on January 3rd. He played great as a secondary distributor with the starters, a look the Thunder will need when going up against the League’s top defenses. Now if they can just get him to go 110% the entire game we might see him score in the “A” range…

I’m convinced that Carmelo feeds off off PG and PG only. The two’s effort levels are very much correlated (it’s not, but it truly feels like it). Melo was the catalyst behind the Thunder’s third quarter scoring barrage, scoring 15 of his 20 points in that frame. The 33-year old even had two blocks to go with his 9 rebounds. He’s got to make those hustle plays a consistent part of his game, especially with the Lowkey MVP sidelined.

I’ve never loved a seven-foot behemoth as much as I love Steven Adams (sorry Perk). The Big Kiwi is just too large for most current NBA centers to handle, and Willie Cauley-Stein experienced that tonight. Adams controlled the paint en route to 13 rebounds (8 offensive); Oklahoma City out-rebounded Sacramento 58-37 in total. The big black mark for Adams, like it’s been for the Thunder all season, was his performance at the line. His 3-12 night is a scary sight for a team that already relies on a guard who can’t make their own free throws. Other then that, it was a perfect game.