In the News brings you a healthy serving of updates on All-Star voting and Nerlens Noel, as well as a historical analysis on OKC Thunder through the last three seasons.
OKC Thunder had a rough night hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, Jan. 8, with tensions rising after Nerlens Noel was knocked to the ground. It sent shocks through the ‘Peake that fans hadn’t experienced since Terrance Ferguson had a similar situation last season.
Noel was taken from the court on a stretcher and held at OU Medical Center overnight.
Nerlens Noel leaves in a stretcher after taking an elbow to the face & hitting his head on the floor.
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 9, 2019
"It was just a really sh*** play. It's unfortunate that it happened. Obviously, Wiggins didn't mean anything in that. He shouldn't be taking any blame for it." - Steven Adams pic.twitter.com/NDhPrcTYAT
Rightly so, the team was shaken up after the incident. ESPN writer Royce Young reported on the rough night in OKC, and how it led to technical fouls.
"Schroder was upset with Wolves players who he thought were talking among themselves and laughing while Noel was on the floor. Schroder stared at the Wolves players and yelled in their direction, “What are you laughing at?” Wolves players responded to Schroder, saying they weren’t laughing at Noel or the current situation.After play resumed, Schroder and Teague had to be separated. Following a review, Schroder was called for a technical foul, and Teague received two T’s, leading to an automatic ejection."
The score didn’t end in the OKC Thunder favor despite a few attempts by Russell Westbrook in the final seconds. More importantly, Noel has been released from OU Medical with a concussion. Per Brett Dawson, Noel will resume under concussion protocol with no determined expectation in regards to his return to the court.
As always, a player’s health and livelihood are more important than the outcome of a game and TI wishes a healthy recovery for Noel.
All-Star voting update:
All-Star voting is underway and the first polls have been released outlining the top contenders. TI writer Stephen Dolan has done a remarkable job reminding the twittersphere to stay on top of voting for the OKC Big 3. It has paid off as Westbrook, Paul George, and Steven Adams are representing OKC Thunder in the votes.
Jordan Buckamneer reported for TI to break down the first release of votes. He highlighted the expected names that appeared, as well as a few surprises throughout the first release.
Though the OKC Big 3 all appear, it is possible fans could question why none appear in the Top 3 of their bracket. Lucky for you, Buckamneer sheds light on the factors that impact the rankings so be sure to check it out.
If you’re unhappy with the number of votes for the OKC Big 3, there’s plenty of time for you to change it. For information on how to vote, click here.
"The first tally gave us plenty to think about, but the important thing to remember is there’s still plenty of time to vote. Players will continue to slide up and down the polls, so it’s important Thunder fans vote for their big three. George and Westbrook will probably get a lot of love from the public, so be sure not to overlook Adams.The next poll updates are set to be announced on January 10 and 17, with the voting concluding on Jan. 21. The two-for-one voting days, where each vote counts as two, are scheduled for Jan. 10 and 11."
OKC can’t handle the Northwestern Division?
After the 2-point loss to Minnesota, OKC Thunder is under scrutiny. The Timberwolves are owners of a 20-21 record. Why couldn’t the 25-15 Thunder team handle them? Some claimed that OKC just can’t handle sub-par teams.
More from Thunderous Intentions
- 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
This claim could hold some weight as OKC came into the game fresh off an 18-point loss to the 16-24 Wizards (Ugh, I’m sorry I had to remind you). But, is that it? For Berry Tramel, the loss to Minnesota may have resulted from a divisional struggle.
In his article for NewsOK.com, Tramel broke down the last three seasons of OKC Thunder analyzing its records ‘against the other 29 NBA teams’.
Through his examination he derived some enticing results:
- OKC has dominated Eastern foes, with only Boston achieving a winning record.
- “Only seven teams have a winning record against the Thunder the last three seasons.”
- Post-Durant, OKC really hasn’t done all that bad: “The Thunder has lost some games it shouldn’t lose. But I tallied the regular-season record for OKC since July 4, 2016. The Thunder is 120-84, a winning percentage of .588.”
One of his main points is that OKC simply struggles inside the Northwest Division.
"So really, the only four teams that really seem to have the Thunder’s number is Denver, Minnesota, Golden State and Portland. And the Warriors are the Warriors. They have given everyone trouble. So the slap-your-forehead foes for OKC are Nuggets, Timberwolves and TrailBlazers. All Northwest Division foes."
The best results come at the end, though. I had to read the article twice just to believe my own eyes.
"Wait. The Thunder has the NBA’s sixth-best record since losing Kevin Durant? I think I’ve buried the lead. That’s an incredible statistic. The playoff success hasn’t been there, with first-round losses as a sixth seed to Houston and as a fourth seed to Utah.But man, the Thunder has kept on winning. Even if it struggles against its Northwest Division foes."
Tramel had a great break down of the records he examined and this insight was needed as OKC is on a two-loss streak and the criticism has overloaded my social media. I encourage you to remember what this team is made of and that inconsistency is part of that recipe. So hold your horses OKC fans, the season is not even halfway over.