Spurs desperation wipes out OKC Thunder effort – player grades
B. . PG. Oklahoma City Thunder. DENNIS SCHRODER
The San Antonio Spurs bench outscored OKC 42 to 29 – even with Aldridge and Murray having solid production for the starting unit this discrepancy could also be cited as another key difference in the match.
It was hoped that Terrance Ferguson playing with the reserves would offer Dennis Schroder some additional offense but to date that hasn’t been the case.
On the other hand, it’s hard to be upset with Schroder who didn’t fall into old habits where he would just fire away with abandon to try to shoot the Thunder back into a game. The fact he’s letting the game come to him and acting accordingly is a positive.
Pops crew had DS dialed into their sights and basically were saying – let someone else beat us. And, no one else on the Thunder stepped up to deliver.
On the night Schroder registered 14 points (on 5 of 13 from the field) and three assists.
Best Opponent:
A+. . PF. San Antonio Spurs. LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE
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LaMarcus Aldridge is a really good basketball player — shocker!
The Spurs big man continues to hold an edge over the Thunder and tonight was no different as he was near unstoppable.
LMA delivered a double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds along with three assists a steal and a block. He shot an efficient 9 of 20 from the field and 7 of 8 from the charity stripe.
Previous meetings between the clubs have witnessed better shooting efficiency but this was all that was required by the big man to end the Spurs five-game losing streak.
Ultimately the OKC Thunder got nailed by a poor start (14 first-quarter points), not counteracting the Spurs bench production (42-29) and losing the rebounding battle (46-35). The Thunder might’ve still been able to pull out the win if they hadn’t suffered in all three areas but the combination was too much to overcome.
Next. Lu Dort’s uprising couldn’t have come at a better time. dark
The OKC Thunder are back in action Thursday when they’ll play Zion Williamson in New Orleans. This is the last game the club will play before hitting the All-Star Break. For those interested in viewing the full box score it’s available by clicking this link courtesy of ESPN.