Backcourt Grades:
It might feel like an unfair grade given Chris Paul was the one who kept things as smooth as possible. That said, one of the best qualities of CP3 is reading time and circumstance.
It became clear the Nuggets were controlling pace and tempo. That meant the Thunder needed to be more aggressive, move the ball and run on makes or misses.
They did that at the stage in the game when they pulled ahead but stopped late in the game.
Paul uncharacteristically was forcing shots and passes. His five turnovers (again not typical) are evidence of that.
In the end, he looked exhausted and wasn’t able to dig into the clutch time well he typically does.
Paul scored 23 points, added eight assists and two rebounds.
No one was hit harder by the absence of Dennis Schroder than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
If I could separate the game into two halves he would get a C- for his first half and B+ for his second half.
Although he is used to running point it’s another thing to be doing it and with players that he typically doesn’t share the court with.
They’ll get this eventually and like the Canadian is wont to do quickly adapt.
The one stand out was the shot he made late in the game that as my cohort Rylan Stiles said ‘that sure reminded of a Russ-type shot’. He did seem to be trying to channel Westbrook and it’s moments like this it’s important to remember he’s still just a sophomore, playing on a new team and off the ball more than he ever has.
He’ll have a better time of it each outing and with the Lakers up next and suffering their own guard absences it should offer an opportunity to get more comfortable in his role.