OKC Thunder blow 3 crucial defensive coverage’s handing game to Philadelphia
The OKC Thunder battled back against the 76ers only to be let down by three crucial plays which handed the game to Philadelphia.
The OKC Thunder dropped its third game in a row in the clutch, failing to make smart plays on both sides of the ball. Lapses on defense continue to plague Oklahoma City and it reared its ugly head again, this time against Philadelphia.
Three plays stood out as back-breaking plays from the game.
Play one – Grant makes a bad read, Harris makes OKC pay
Tied at 93-apiece and the clock winding down, Ben Simmons backed down Russell Westbrook deep into the paint. Jerami Grant makes a poor decision to help with 1.9 seconds on the shot clock and Simmons finds a wide-open Tobias Harris for three.
Every other day of the week, you give Simmons that shot yet Grant elects to leave Harris whose shooting the three at a scorching 43.2 percent rate. Westbrook just tied the game with a transition bucket with all the momentum in Oklahoma City’s favor. Grant’s bad choice essentially gave it all back.
Play two – Markieff Morris guards fresh air
Down three with less than a minute remaining, Jimmy Butler casually brings the ball up out of a time-out and finds a wide-open Mike Scott. Scott has all day to pull the trigger and makes a clutch shot to push the game to six.
Without a screen or any rolling action, this play is simply inexcusable at the end of a game. Markieff Morris anticipates a switch and fails to stay with his man for no apparent reason. While the veteran has only been with the team for three games,
Morris is caught in no-mans land guarding nothing but fresh air. His issues on defense aren’t new as these were seen while he was with Washington earlier in the season and they returned to essentially push the game out of reach.
Play three – Missed defensive rebound
After two clutch free throws, Philadelphia runs an isolation play for Butler. Ferguson plays Butler strong and forces him into a tough mid-range jumper only for Simmons to beat Westbrook and Morris to the rebound.
This one captures OKC’s rebounding issues as a team. Rather than putting a body on Simmons, Westbrook is waiting underneath the rim for the rebound. Although Russ is one of the teams best rebounders, Simmons is 6’7 and there’s no excuse not to find him. The Australian sealed the game with his hustle and OKC’s lack of concentration.
Problem is larger than the absence of Paul George
While the team has shown character to compete in almost every game this season, OKC is
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struggling to execute basic basketball principles. Leaving one of the leagues leading 3-point shooters wide open, guarding nothing but air and failing to box-out have become regular issues for a Thunder squad looking to solidify itself as a contender. Allowing offensive rebounds at inopportune times especially has become a massive problem.
Oklahoma City could hang its hat on the absence of Paul George for tonight’s loss but his absence is not the reason for these lapses. These issues are present even when PG13 is on the court and its a concentration problem, not a personal problem. To make matters worse, Philly was missing superstar big man Joel Embiid so there are no excuses.
OKC need to work this out and fast.
Next. OKC Thunder: Steven Adams too friendly for Westbrook. dark
Now tied with Portland for third in the West, every game counts as we head toward the playoffs.