OKC Thunder beyond the numbers: Markieff Morris

If you click to 8:09 in the video above, you’ll see the play that ignited this rendition of Beyond the Numbers. Philly was on a 10-0 run before Jerami Grant snapped it with a 3-ball. Still trailing by five points, veteran Russell Westbrook handed the ball off to rookie-esque Ferguson. TFerg gave up the 3-point attempt to attack a small gap created by Morris blocking out underneath.

The basket led to statistical improvements for Ferguson, but the strategic move from Morris wouldn’t show up in his numbers after the game. Though, he did put up 17 points on the night for his OKC career-high so he certainly wasn’t lacking in numbers.

Approximately 16 game seconds later, Philadelphia had extended their lead back out to six. Morris gained possession at the perimeter and attacked a huge gap to pull OKC back within four points.

Though the game wouldn’t end in OKC’s favor, with a few controversial decisions from the officials, OKC came back from a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes of the game.

In the first possession in the video above, Morris misses a 3-point attempt but doesn’t clear out like the rest of the team does. After seeing Noel with the rebound, Morris sneaks in to turn his miss into a swish.

OKC was taking on Sacramento after a double-overtime win over Utah the night before. That didn’t stop Morris. With six minutes left, Morris ignited a 10-6 run with three free throws. They were his final 3 of his 10 points, helping lead OKC to just a one-point deficit. A tough game was expected as the men struggled with fatigue, but the fight went on through the final seconds.

At 4:03 in the video above, Nerlens Noel mishandles a bounce pass to give what could have been an easy fast-break bucket. Fortunately, Morris was positioned to counteract and forced a turnover at the other end.

Still trailing 112-111, Sacramento had the chance to extend with 3:30 left to play. Morris was stationed at the high post and slid down the lane to record his second block on the night (eliminating what could have been four consecutive points for SAC). His defensive pressure did lead to a more beefy stat line on the night, but more importantly, it kept the score close enough for OKC to tie the score again to start the final 60 seconds.

Due to a charge called on Westbrook, the win was fated to Sacramento but given the circumstances, the team’s performance was impressive coming off the double-overtime.