OKC Thunder come back vs. Warriors to capture first road win of season – player grades
Best Reserve:
C. Oklahoma City Thunder. NERLENS NOEL. B+.
Of all the players on the hardwood, (other than Chris Paul) Nerlens Noel was the most active. He changed shots, deflected them and had Warriors questioning entering the paint. All things which won’t show up on the stat sheet.
In terms of items that did get marked down Noel scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds (one on the offensive glass) and delivered an incredible five blocks.
If there is a negative it isn’t directed at Noel but at Schroder who refused to utilize NN more offensively. The big man hit four of his six shot attempts and I’m sure would be happy to throw down a few lobs if only Dennis Schroder would work on perfecting that advantage the pair clearly would garner over most teams who don’t have the size or defensive ilk to stop.
Best Opponent:
Golden State Warriors. KY BOWMAN. A. . PG
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The kid was everywhere on the court and not one of the OKC Thunder players put on him to abate his offensive breakout was able to stop him (until the very end of the game).
He collected 24 points on 9 of 17 shooting efficiency hitting 75 percent of his perimeter shots (2 of 3) and all four free throws. In addition, he grabbed three boards, dished five assists, snagged three steals and even blocked a shot. He energized his court mates and was the only starter to register a positive in the plus/minus column (+6).
All in all an impressive showing as Bowman posted his career high in scoring. He should enjoy the moment as it’s pretty much a guarantee Billy Donovan and his players will be better prepared for him the next time the teams play.
Next. Thunder suffer two close losses in LA, but gain valuable insights for the future. dark
The OKC Thunder are back in action Wednesday night as they continue the road trip to Portland to face the slumping Blazers (although they did end their four game losing skid in Chicago tonight). For a full box score of tonight’s game, head over to this link courtesy of ESPN.