Shorthanded OKC Thunder top Suns – Player grades
By Rylan Stiles
OKC Thunder Best Reserve:
Oklahoma City Thunder. NERLENS NOEL. B. . C
Nerlens Noel did not exactly fill up the stat sheet. Noel blocked a pair of shots and got a steal on the defensive end. He also got four defensive rebounds. Offensively Noel turned in four points on two-of-four shooting.
He also sported a pair of pretty nice goggles that frankly look better than my reading glasses.
Noel only played eleven minutes, but they were the most impactful off the bench. In those eleven minutes, he sort of calmed the team, especially defensively. However, the competition for the best reserve wasn’t the best.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 12 points on four of eight shooting off the bench despite his first half being dreadful.
Best Opponent:
T.J. WARREN. A. . SF. Phoenix Suns
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T.J. Warren played 40 minutes and turned in a 23 point effort in this game earning him the best opponent nod. Warren shot 52 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three. The former North Carolina State Wolf Pack wing man blocked a shot, earned a steal, and grabbed five rebounds to add to his stat line.
Warren was nothing short of incredible tonight.
Final Thoughts
The Thunder earned a very good win tonight. Coming into this game, no matter the opponent it was going to be hard to grab a win with all of the other factors. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had to play 25 minutes. That should tell you the lack of depth OKC had to deal with tonight.
Up next for the Thunder, they kick off Turkey week via a Monday night date with the scrappy Sacramento Kings before a primetime Wednesday Night matchup with the spiraling Warriors who are seeking to get back on track.
Next. When Steven Adams dictates offense Thunder flourish. dark
For the full box score visit ESPN link and for game highlights, click the video above. Check back later for the Topic: Thunder podcast analysis and key takeaways from win.