OKC Thunder: OKC Blue struggling prior to G-League showcase

OKC Thunder affiliate the OKC Blue lost both games prior to the G-League showcase but a return of healthy players should help get things back on track.

The OKC Thunder affiliate, the OKC Blue started the week poorly against last season’s G-League champions the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Vipers are themselves struggling so it shows how badly the Blue has been impacted by the injuries.

However, what impacted the game against the Vipers more was the 26 turnovers committed by the Blue. It is hard to get any sort of momentum going when you keep giving the ball away. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell had a team-high 15 points. This was counterbalanced by the team-high six turnovers.

The Blue then took on the Iowa Wolves, losing a close one 107-105. This was a game where the Blue were down in the contest most of the night. They came back in the fourth, outscoring the Wolves 28-16. Unfortunately, it was not enough.

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It was a strange night for the Blue. This was the first game for Devon Hall as an official member of the team, having been waived by the varsity team earlier in the week. He played like someone who had just been cut and did not know how to respond. His 14 points came on 5-of-16 shooting and he was -14 on the night.

Kevin Hervey, who has just signed a two-way contract with the OKC Thunder, played his first game back from injury in a while, only scoring seven points. However on a night where the bench was crucial to the game he had a team-high plus 18 on the night.

Deonte Burton, still assigned to the Blue by the OKC Thunder had a poor shooting night. He went 2-of-10 from the floor but redeemed himself with seven rebounds. The other assignee, Justin Patton also did not score well with only seven points but collected a team-high 12 rebounds.

Now that the OKC Blue is starting to get their team back, they should be able to move back up the standings. Check back in next week for your full Blue roundup.