Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

5 takeaways from OKC Thunder brutal Game 3 loss

By Tamberlyn Richardson

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 11: Coach Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder speaks with his team before halftime during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 11, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 11: Coach Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder speaks with his team before halftime during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 11, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – APRIL 18: Donovan Mitchell
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – APRIL 18: Donovan Mitchell /

Play to your strengths:

Throughout the season there was always a few key strengths the OKC Thunder brought to the court. Chief among these were:

  • Rebounding
  • Steals
  • Points scored off steals and second chances
  • The Westbrook – Adams pick and roll
  • Fastbreak scoring

Diving into a few of these individually offers up some rather startling figures. Although there have been issues in the last two games this piece focuses on Game 3, so lets look at the disparity of these so called strengths of OKC.

More from Thunderous Intentions

Rebounding:

Jazz out rebound the Thunder 56 to 37 and 13 to 6 on the offensive boards.

Let that sink in and register. OKC’s prowess on the glass has been obliterated! For the Thunder to win they absolutely have to win the battle on the glass.

Fast Break Scoring:

Jazz win this battle 11 to 4

Although the steals were relatively similar in Game 3 the Jazz are the ones turning the steals into points.

Adams PNR/Points in paint scoring:

Jazz won the PIP battle 40 to 36. More concerning was Steven Adams stat line of 8 points and 2 rebounds (no offensive boards) versus Rudy Gobert who scored 18 and added 12 rebounds (5 on the offensive glass).

Think back to one of the most compelling wins of the season in Toronto. In that match Adams scored 25 points and the Thunder gained 56 points in the paint.

Granted, Gobert will shift the ability for Adams to score, but he can’t guard both Adams and Westbrook at the same time so one of them can gain points in the paint.

Hey, this was never going to be a sweep by the Thunder. There is a reason why the Jazz were in the mix to win homecourt. And, this Jazz squad is arguably the best defense in the NBA.

Bottom line, the Thunder need to play to their advantages and if there is one hint I could pass along it’s to take a page out of the Jazz playbook – and play LIKE A TEAM!

Next: Round 1 complete series hub article compilation

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All stats for this post were provided by NBA.com/Stats and Basketball-Reference.com

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