OKC Thunder at Nets Jan. 7th, replay: 3 areas of focus in overtime comeback

Find a comfy seat to watch the replay of the OKC Thunder overtime comeback versus the Brooklyn Nets. T.I. notes the three keys to isolate on in the win.

While the NBA remains in a suspended state as everyone copes with the coronavirus pandemic Fox Sports Oklahoma and NBA TV are replaying games to remind fans of the best games this season. It’s an opportunity to spend some family time enjoying the OKC Thunder and without live games, it fulfills our need for basketball.

The OKC Thunder has predominantly been a playoff club and subsequently hasn’t had many poor seasons. Other than the initial rise of the Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden era this year’s team has served up the most exciting season in years. That’s mostly due to the club performing above preconceived expectations and the manner in which they collect most of their wins.

Diving into each campaign there is always a handful of the nail-biting last-second shots to finish games and those tend to be the matches locked in our memory banks. And, that’s what makes this year’s roster so exciting. Instead of a handful, there are 29 clutch time victories to chose from.

They’ve become the Clutch Time masters with Chris Paul the King of Clutch. In the game at Brooklyn versus the Nets that fact was driven home on both counts.

The above match from January 7th is featured this evening with the first showing at 6:00 p.m. and a second airing at 9:00 p.m.

If you caught the live version you already know how great this comeback overtime win was. Alternatively, if you missed that match you’ll definitely want to catch this one.

Three things to watch for:

Clutch King and Big Kiwi make their mark:

Chris Paul was spectacular in this match. A loss to the 76ers the game prior had the Thunder anxious to get back on track. CP3 virtually took over in a similar manner to how he played in that fourth quarter of the All-Star Game.

He scored 20 of his 28 points in the final and overtime frame and was on fire from the perimeter. Watch for that ‘Raging Bull’ strut that he unleashes in the fourth quarter and how his team responds to his leadership.

Steven Adams was a beast on the boards (18 rebounds) outplaying all the Nets big men.

Young Stars Shine:

As he has all season Shai Gilgeous-Alexander worked in concert with CP3 to be a force particularly late. But it was the play of rookie Darius Bazley that merits your attention.

Watch how the youngster seamlessly meshes with SGA and CP3 and appears more comfortable than in minutes he typically gets with the reserve unit.

This was an early sign that Bazley could grow into the OKC Thunder regular starter either as a small forward or at the power forward position if Gallinari doesn’t re-sign.

Next Man Up:

More from Thunderous Intentions

To that end, Danilo Gallinari and Nerlens Noel were both out in this match which led to other roster members buried on the bench stepping up to deliver.

Each of Abdel Nader, Mike Muscala, Hamidou Diallo and Deonte Burton factored in the win. The latter didn’t have a stat sheet full of big numbers but his presence, particularly on defense, was a factor.

Game Specifics:

Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

Replay airs at 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM

TV: FS Oklahoma

History:
With this overtime victory, the OKC Thunder moved to an all-time lead over the Brooklyn Nets of 15 wins in 22 outings. The teams were scheduled for another meeting at Chesapeake in the 75th game of the Thunder schedule. With the season suspended, there is uncertainty whether that game will occur depending on what happens when (if) play resumes.

Next. Thunder vs. Nets, 2019-20 team preview. dark

As noted you’ve got two opportunities to catch this game tonight and if you only have limited time make sure you tune in for the final quarter and overtime.

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