Most anticipated OKC Thunder games of the 2019-2020 season
The wave:
The last image the OKC Thunder fans have this past season was Damian Lillard pulling up to hit a killer step back 3-pointer in Paul George’s face. This was followed by Dame turning and waving goodbye to the Thunder bench. Presumably, this action was meant more for Russell Westbrook.
The question is whether the Thunder will still have the same burning fire in their bellies given Russ and PG are gone.
Last season the Thunder owned the Blazers in the regular season sweeping all four games but then lost in five games to the Portland squad who were without their starting big man Jusuf Nurkic. Instead ‘can’t play Kanter’ came back to bite Billy Donovan and Steven Adams specifically as the former Thunder big man won the playoff battle against our big Kiwi. Surely, Adams will be fired up but with Kanter no longer in Portland he might have to wait until OKC play Boston as Kanter joined the Celtics in free agency.
Comparing the performances of Lillard and CJ McCollum in the regular season versus the playoffs showcases how the star backcourt stepped up in the postseason.
Lillard:
Regular season:
In the regular season Dame averaged 34.7 points, 4.25 rebounds, 7.75 assists but shot only 25 percent from the perimeter.
| Rk | Date | Opp | MP | FGA | FG% | 2PA | 2P% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-03-07 | OKC | L | 47 | 28 | .536 | 18 | .667 | 10 | .300 | 20 | .900 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 51 | |
| 2 | 2019-01-22 | @ | OKC | L | 40 | 24 | .500 | 14 | .714 | 10 | .200 | 8 | 1.000 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 34 |
| 3 | 2019-02-11 | @ | OKC | L | 37 | 22 | .409 | 14 | .429 | 8 | .375 | 11 | .909 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 31 |
| 4 | 2019-01-04 | OKC | L | 36 | 19 | .368 | 11 | .545 | 8 | .125 | 9 | .889 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 23 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/12/2019.
Playoffs:
Although Dame’s point totals were less in the playoffs (33) he delivered in other areas of the court. Dame averaged 4.4 rebounds, 6 assists, and a healthy 2.4 steals. Where Lillard truly made a mark was from behind the arc where he shot 46.8 percent from 3-point land and again punctuated the end of the series with an impossible step back shot with George draped all over him.
| Rk | Date | Round | G# | MP | FGA | FG% | 2PA | 2P% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-04-23 | WC1 | 5 | W | 45 | 33 | .515 | 15 | .467 | 18 | .556 | 8 | .750 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 50 | |
| 2 | 2019-04-19 | WC1 | 3 | @ | L | 37 | 21 | .476 | 12 | .583 | 9 | .333 | 10 | .900 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 32 |
| 3 | 2019-04-14 | WC1 | 1 | W | 39 | 21 | .429 | 10 | .400 | 11 | .455 | 8 | .875 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 30 | |
| 4 | 2019-04-16 | WC1 | 2 | W | 37 | 21 | .476 | 13 | .462 | 8 | .500 | 7 | .714 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 29 | |
| 5 | 2019-04-21 | WC1 | 4 | @ | W | 41 | 19 | .368 | 11 | .273 | 8 | .500 | 6 | 1.000 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 24 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/12/2019.
McCollum:
Regular Season:
In the four-game regular season sweep by the Thunder, McCollum had mixed results averaging 19.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 33.3 percent from behind the arc. Yet, in three of the matches, he shot just 24.9 percent.
| Rk | Date | MP | FGA | FG% | 2PA | 2P% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-01-22 | @ | L | 38 | 23 | .478 | 11 | .364 | 12 | .583 | 2 | 1.000 | 3 | 3 | 31 |
| 2 | 2019-03-07 | L | 45 | 24 | .375 | 13 | .462 | 11 | .273 | 4 | 1.000 | 5 | 0 | 25 | |
| 3 | 2019-02-11 | @ | L | 37 | 20 | .250 | 13 | .308 | 7 | .143 | 3 | .667 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 4 | 2019-01-04 | L | 32 | 15 | .267 | 9 | .222 | 6 | .333 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/12/2019.
Playoffs:
| Rk | Date | G# | MP | FGA | FG% | 2PA | 2P% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-04-16 | 2 | W | 36 | 22 | .545 | 15 | .600 | 3 | 7 | .429 | 6 | 1.000 | 8 | 5 | 33 | |
| 2 | 2019-04-21 | 4 | @ | W | 42 | 20 | .500 | 11 | .455 | 5 | 9 | .556 | 2 | 1.000 | 4 | 3 | 27 |
| 3 | 2019-04-14 | 1 | W | 37 | 24 | .375 | 17 | .353 | 3 | 7 | .429 | 5 | .600 | 6 | 3 | 24 | |
| 4 | 2019-04-19 | 3 | @ | L | 36 | 16 | .438 | 8 | .250 | 5 | 8 | .625 | 4 | .500 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| 5 | 2019-04-23 | 5 | W | 32 | 19 | .421 | 12 | .583 | 1 | 7 | .143 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/12/2019.
With the memory of the previous postseason sweep by the Pelicans in his mind and a regular-season sweep by the Thunder CJ brought his A-game to the court in the playoffs. Through five games he improved in virtually every category. CJ averaged 24.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
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Yet, it was his 3-point shooting which McCollum cleaned up hitting a robust 43.6 percent. Even that number isn’t reflective of his efforts as he shot 14.3 percent in Game 5 meaning he shot 50.9 percent in the other four games.
This year the four-game series falls on the following dates:
- October 30 at 7:00 p.m. CT at Chesapeake
- November 27 at 7:00 pm CT at Moda Center
- December 8 at 6:00 pm CT at Moda Center
- January 18 at 8:00 p.m. CT at Chesapeake
Last season the clubs played four times with the Thunder sweeping the Blazers:
- January 4 on the road in a win: 111-109
- January 22 at home in a win: 123-114
- February 11 at home in a win: 120-111
- March 7 on the road in an overtime win: 129-121
Next. How Thunder backcourt duo Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can thrive together. dark
So, there you have it a list of must watch games from this seasons schedule. The Thunderous Intentions writing team will continue to dive into the 2019-20 schedule with more details in the next day.