Defensive reputation:
In Saturday night’s win, OKC flourished defensively forcing 26 turnovers for 10 points, and 13 steals to help OKC climb to 20 fast break points on the night. Almost half of the team’s cumulative steals were forced by Russell Westbrook, who proved he is useful despite a shooting drought with 6 steals.
The team also diminished LA’s offensive rebounds to six, eliminating a multitude of second-chance opportunities with 31 defensive rebounds.
Maintaining this defensive pressure and aggression will not just be vital in tonight’s contest, but necessary also for OKC’s uphill battle back to the top of the Western Conference. With Paul George at an offensive peak with his fourth consecutive game of 20+ points, having Russ focused more on defensive pressure might just be a smart move to secure a split series with Chicago tonight.
Chicago is ranked No. 4 in the league for turnovers, with a 15.8 turnover percentage. Taking advantage of the struggling offense is an obvious point, but one worth mentioning.
Block a second-half surge:
According to Vijay Vemu’s game recap, the Bulls are coming off a last-minute win over the Spurs.
"Down 21 to the San Antonio Spurs in the second half, the Chicago Bulls looked dead and buried, headed for another Bulls blowout. However, Chicago kept battling back in the second half to find themselves within striking distance in the final moments of the game."
Chicago commanded clutch time for the 98-93 victory, with big buckets out of Kris Dunn. He ended the night with 24 points and 7 rebounds, scoring six of the Bulls’ final eight points in the upset win. Though it is an anomaly in his injury-stricken career with the Bulls, OKC cannot allow another successful night for Dunn to aid the struggling offense.
OKC Thunder is a second-half team, but with a huge statement to be made after Chicago gave the team its first sub .500 loss of the season, OKC has to maintain dominance through the final buzzer. Hopefully, OKC can build a large enough lead in the first half to make room for the inevitable drought the team will have in the second (let’s face it, there’s always something that allows the opponent to scratch at the lead).
The @chicagobulls have arrived in Mexico City for #NBAenMéxico! pic.twitter.com/uRSaIbY20W
— NBA (@NBA) December 12, 2018
A dynamic duo:
In the initial 114-112 loss to the Bulls, Russ was still struggling with his shot selection. And as of now…yeah, not much has changed.
As I alluded to earlier, with Russ struggling to return to his traditional identity with this team, maybe it would be a better fit to focus him on defense as he did in the win over LA. It’s a good time for him to put the criticism to rest and prove his worth without the ball in his hands. Luckily, George’s recent scoring will relinquish some of Russ’ pressure and allow him to do so.
Here’s an obvious point: another night of PG’s 20+ scoring would greatly increase the odds of an OKC win. But really, George ended the Saturday night plus +15, the team’s highest impact rating of the night. Keeping his hands hot will be important, and part of that will be determined by how many shot attempts Russ will be willing to give up.
If OKC can focus in on George for tonight’s offensive strength, and shift Russ’ focus to defensive pressure, I’d say this dynamic duo could eliminate any possibility of another upset loss from the Bulls.