OKC Thunder win ugly in OT vs. Hornets – player grades

Best OKC Thunder Reserve:

Dennis Schroder gets the nod by virtue of his 24 points, two rebounds, three assists and one of the better efficiency lines of the night (10 of 17). Although there were some silly choices made by the guard like the unnecessary technical foul he took or a couple of instances where he forced the play.

Still, I’m happy that he’s trying to involve his court mates and finding a solid balance of his game management knowing when he needs to take over and when he needs to get others rolling. And, in fairness, there were shots he set up his teammates for that they missed.

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There are clear signs working with Chris Paul is paying dividends. If I’m picky it’s the real need for him to learn how to toss up a lob for his centers and wings on the fly – as he still can’t seem to pull that move off. That action could be a huge weapon for the Thunder with Nerlens Noel and Steven Adams feasting on a steady diet of lobs so let’s hope Paul works with him to teach him that maneuver.

Hat tip to the ‘Hustle Crew’ which consisted of Deonte Burton, LuGuentz Dort, Dennis Schroder, Abdel Nader and Steven Adams – or I guess we could call it the ‘The International Line’ as the Hornets announcers pointed out had only one American on it (Burton).

That group provided effort and aggressiveness when it was needed. The combo of Dort/Burton combined to tally10 points, five rebounds, and two assists in eight minutes of the first half but wasn’t as productive in the second half (the pair totaled 13 points, five rebounds, two assists by night’s end) in spite of playing similar minutes.

Best Opponent:

Although Terry Rozier scored more it was Graham’s late scoring surge and timely buckets that kept the Hornets in the match. He shot an abysmal 6 of 21 — BUT– he came very close to collecting a triple-double with 15 points, nine rebounds, 13 assists, and a steal.

Hard to believe he collected that many rebounds given his size but he’s scrappy and seems like he’d be better off playing with a defensive guard who has length.

Hat tip to Bismack Biyombo who also was a factor with his double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds (five on the offensive glass) assist and two blocks.  I’m also a big fan of Washington (although he missed the key free throws). His game offers so many different tools and he never forces anything. He’ll be a solid glue guy for the Hornets well into the future.

The OKC Thunder are back in action Sunday when they’ll face the defending champions who are suffering from copious core players out injured. For a full box score of tonight’s game, head over to this link courtesy of ESPN