Flat to the boards
The biggest issue with OKC’s performance tonight was its overall defense. Not only did the Thunder allow Atlanta to score 142 points with two 45-point quarters, they allowed the Hawks to shoot a scorching 62.2 percent from the field and 48.6 percent from three. Atlanta exploited OKC’s blown coverages, poor pick and roll defense and switch-all defense with regularity leading to a number of wide open looks.
While these appeared to be the primary causes of the Thunder’s demise last night, the team spoke briefly after the game about “lack of energy”. Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Dennis Schroder share their thoughts on the game.
Russell Westbrook: “We didn’t have the effort we needed for 48 minutes.” pic.twitter.com/nPcOIe4N6j
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) January 16, 2019
PG13’s elaborated further on the issue, citing fatigue as the main reason behind the team’s defensive effort.
Paul George: “We were a bit flat. These are the games we’ve got to be ready for, the ones where we’re supposed to come in and roll them over.” pic.twitter.com/zYtRatbgw8
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) January 16, 2019
Schroder was a little more optimistic about the situation, giving props to the team for overcoming an 11-point deficit in the third but then later admitted they ran out of gas.
Dennis Schroder: “The third quarter gave us a chance. From there, we probably didn’t have enough energy. We’ve got to do it for 48 minutes.” pic.twitter.com/kd2dMM2qgs
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) January 16, 2019
The Thunder now moves to 1-4 in their last five games, conceding 122 points per game (28th) with a defensive rating of 119.7 (28th). Tonight wasn’t the teams best performance on the defensive side of the ball and needs to get back to playing Thunder basketball.