OKC Thunder in the news: notable All-star contenders and OKC in clutch time

Approaching the midway mark of the season, it’s time to discuss the OKC Thunder reality as a contender in the West, in addition to individual All-Star and MVP contenders.

Clutch-time analysis:

The OKC Thunder bounced back from its 0-4 start but has seemed to struggle recently when facing real contenders. NewsOK.com’s new addition this season, Maddie Lee, compiled an analysis of OKC’s clutch time struggles.

Lee highlighted two factors that have been apparent in OKC’s “seven clutch games this month”: the first-quarter curse and defensive rebounding.

We have witnessed many leads dwindle recently, a concerning situation for the team that has always been a trend as OKC’s bench struggles to maintain the lead. Lee emphasizes this area as a need for focus as more threatening teams approach in the schedule.

Tuesday night was the perfect example. OKC fell to the Rockets in a clutch time battle after controlling nearly the entire game.

According to Lee, one of the deciding factors in the two clutch-time wins this month is defensive rebounding.

"The inability to control defensive boards wasn’t just an issue Tuesday night. In the Thunder’s two clutch wins this month, 107-106 at Utah and 114-112 at Brooklyn, OKC grabbed over 43 defensive rebounds in each, compared to 37 or fewer in each of its five losses.It’s a small sample size, but inconsistency on defensive boards has been a theme for much of OKC’s season, resulting in second-chance points for its opponents. That was especially apparent in the Thunder’s loss Tuesday, when the Rockets scored 23 second-chance points."

It’s a great point to make. During games that could really go either way, second-chance opportunities must be limited. And on the other hand, offensive rebounding must be a focus, to ensure that every possession for the Thunder is profitable. I, for one, noticed multiple possessions during the fourth quarter Tuesday night, when a shot went up and the players cleared out, relinquishing the rebound to Houston.

Regardless, OKC has to tighten its clutch-time performance, or its future at the top of the Western Conference standings may just become a pipe dream.

All-star voting:

‘Tis the season to vote.

Polls for the 2019 NBA All-star Game have opened. There are many ways to vote for OKC Thunder players and a few rules to understand. Click here for all the goodies.

As you deliberate your decisions, here are a few lines of statistics to aid you.

Russell Westbrook is topping the Season Leaders boards with No. 1 in assists per game (10.2) and No. 1 in steals per game (2.7). Russ is once again averaging a triple-double despite his recent struggles, 20.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists.

Steven Adams is .1 away from averaging 10 rebounds per game paired with 16.1 points per game. He ranks No. 3 in the league in second-chance points.

Paul George sits at No. 3 in steals per game (2.2) and No. 3 in three-pointers made (112). He’s had eleven 30+ point games this season, averaging 26.3 points per game.

If you need even more in-depth conversation on the All-star Game, check out Jordan Buckamneer’s article here.

Paul George’s impact:

More from Thunder News

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

George’s back-to-back 43-point games propelled him to the top of MVP talks. He has the highest impact rating on the team at 17.1. His surges have been perfectly timed as Russ’ fire has seemed to fizzle out recently.

For OKC Thunder fans, he seems to be the front-runner as an MVP candidate this season. TI writer Jordan Buckamneer breaks it down.

Importantly, Buckamneer emphasized that MVP talk consists of more than just numbers, but the actual impact on a game-by-game basis and the collective progress of the team. In addition to his statistics mentioned above, George has performed in a way that kept OKC as a whole a contender in the West.

"Furthermore, he scored more fourth-quarter points than anyone in the league this past month with 9.4 points and has been the definition of clutch for the Thunder. Not only has he made shots with the game on the line like he did against Brooklyn, but he’s also made the shots to put games away before they come down to the wire, which in my opinion, is just as clutch as hitting game winners."

It may be an early discussion as we are only 33 games deep, but with George’s contributions, it is hard to sustain the pride and excitement.

Not only was George’s presence for this season a shock, but it has made this team one of the most exciting OKC teams to watch and cleaned up the OKC Thunder reputation, all important factors to consider in MVP debates.