Best OKC Reserve:
Stellar effort from Dennis Schroder and one of those matches where he showcased how vital he can be in terms of affecting more than scoring. His 23 points were vital to the win, but those nine assists and his defensive intensity were equally important to the win.
Most impressive was his game management as he didn’t force shots and shot an efficient 7 of 14 from the field plus 2 of 4 from deep. Also of note, is Schroder is playing with more aggression which got him to the line seven times where he was perfect.
Best Opponent:
Coming into this season few fans outside Detroit knew much about Christian Wood. That’s no longer the case as Wood has cemented himself as arguably the one untouchable on the club.
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His skills speak for themselves as he’s a lethal scorer that even with isolated game plans made fro him seldom limit his production. The Thunder had already witnessed his prowess and yet were unable to stop the forward from keeping the Pistons in this match.
He collected 29 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double. Wood also dished three assists and added a block although those six turnovers weren’t ideal.
He’ll need to work on his aggressiveness at getting to the bucket in order to earn a reputation with the refs as he didn’t get one free throw. In fairness, he was so sharp in his shot selection and accuracy (12 of 14) that there wasn’t much left for the refs to call.
Perhaps he should’ve been a bit more selfish given how hot his shooting stroke was (5 of 6 from deep) but that’s also part of why he has to be considered one of the great surprises of this season.
In terms of the Thunder considering how the Clippers won last night and how easily Wood scored tonight, this also speaks to a weakness for the Thunder stopping wings with scoring panache and is something likely at the top of Sam Presti’s board to correct for next season.
The OKC Thunder remain on the road traveling to the Mecca where they’ll face the Knicks apparently without Spike Lee in attendance on Friday. For a full box score of tonight’s game, head over to this link courtesy of ESPN.