Rare event as OKC Thunder lose to Celtics in clutch time – grades
B. . PG. Oklahoma City Thunder. DENNIS SCHRODER
Although the points were there (22) he required 21 shot attempts to get those 22 points!
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It was one of those games where it felt like he was forcing his offense instead of moving the ball more to create shot opportunities for the open man and his single assist reflects that fact.
On the positive side of the equation, there were the seven boards, steal and Schoder’s block on Tatum was the reason the Thunder got the chance to steal the victory at game end. But it was also his reluctance to take the briefly open 3-point shot electing instead to drive and force a shot in the paint that ate up clock and negated that opportunity.
Overall – a mixed bag – but moving forward it would be great to see him instigate more ball movement, especially with the reserve unit where he seemed to take over the scoring and not look for any of his court mates which comes down to game management.
Granted of the 13 shots not taken by Schroder only four were successful, however, there was a true size advantage with Noel in the post that was overlooked.
Best Opponent:
A. . F. Boston Celtics. JAYSON TATUM
Although Kemba Walker’s two 3-pointers at game end buried the Thunder come back effort if it wasn’t for the third quarter outburst by Jayson Tatum the Celtics never get the opportunity to win the game.
The young star delivered a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds. He added an assist (the same number Walker dished) plus a block. His efficiency was on point hitting 10 of his 19 shots including four of his seven attempted 3-point shots.
Next. NBA Power Rankings week 15: Teams hit trade deadline. dark
The OKC Thunder close out their pre All-Star schedule with two more games this week first hosting the Spurs on Tuesday (who’ve yet to win on the Rodeo trip) and then Thursday at New Orleans. For a full box score of the matinee results from this game, head over to this link courtesy of ESPN.