Best OKC Thunder Reserve:
With so many players out and the need for scoring Dennis Schroder provided the early offense. On one play he turned his defender inside out and headed to the rim unimpeded. It was just one of several sweet moves made by the point guard.
With SGA drawing extra attention given his massive triple-double from the last trip to the Twin Cities and CP3’s shot off early he was the player Minny elected to give less attention to. Subsequently, he collected 12 early points but it wasn’t in an efficient manner.
He kept up the aggression, however, and finished with a team-high 26 points along with four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. He was four of six from deep and hit all six free throws.
Best Opponent:
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In the opening frame with Steven Adams clearly still hobbled, Karl-Anthony Towns feasted particularly from deep and especially when Adams left the court to ride the bike and keep his knee warm.
His opening quarter featured 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting. It looked like the big man was going to put up a huge scoring night. But the Thunder figured out a way to slow the big man limiting him to 18 points through the next three quarters.
In the end, he delivered 37 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Notably, KAT’s body language is telling and his constant pouting can’t be ignored. He is playing these games looking like a player who would rather be playing anywhere but in Minny.
The win by the OKC Thunder extends their streak to five in a row.
Next up the OKC Thunder will host the Dallas Mavericks on Monday prior to hitting the road again for two games versus the Kings and Suns.
For a full box score of tonight’s game, head over to this link courtesy of ESPN.