OKC Thunder player grades: No Westbrook, no problem – OKC win sixth straight
By Rylan Stiles
Despite being without Russell Westbrook the OKC Thunder managed to extend their win streak to six in a row by virtue of outlasting the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The OKC Thunder reeled off their sixth consecutive win moving their overall record to 6-4. This most recent victory came on the road in Cleveland as OKC faced the reeling Cavaliers who move to 1-10 on the season.
Final. 95. 149. 86. 156
The OKC Thunder played a beautiful defensive game Wednesday in Cleveland. Despite their lackluster opponent this fact shouldn’t be overlooked as the Thunder were playing without their franchise star. To that end, Russell Westbrook sat this out following the his horrific ankle injury versus the Pelicans.
Blocks and steals came in droves as OKC aggressively took it to the Cavaliers. Case in point, the Thunder swatted a season-high 9-shots tonight and swiped the ball away from the Cavaliers on 13 occasions. Additionally OKC collected 37-defensive rebounds.
The team was active and energized, something the squad is working to deliver consistently through 48 minutes. Still, the defensive performance was not without lapses which led to windows of opportunity for the Cavaliers to make it a contest,
For example, Cleveland’s 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter was less than ideal, but the Thunder were able to weather that storm. Cleveland played desperate particularly in the final frame and down the stretch when they banged in nine perimeter shots.
Shooting efficiency is a clear area cited as problematic for OKC, specifically from the perimeter and at the charity stripe. The OKC Thunder went 18-for-26 from the line, good enough for 69 percent. That is perfectly consistent for their season average which of course, is 69 percent.
From 3-point land, the Thunder shot 25 percent, that number jumped to 41 percent from the field. OKC only turned the ball over 12 times, compared to the Cavaliers 19 turnovers.
The biggest lead of the night for the Thunder was 16 points. Without Westbrook, Dennis Schroder stepped into the starting role and took the game over. Schroder thrived off the two-man game with Steven Adams, however it should be noted he collected zero assists.