OKC Thunder – Rockets Game 2 Grades -Dort’s return spoiled
OKC Thunder Starting Frontcourt
Oklahoma City Thunder. LU DORT. A. . PG
WELCOME BACK LU!
Wow! What a difference he makes in the starting rotation. It was so good to see the young Canadian back in the mix.
I know many are upset Billy Donovan didn’t go back to Lu with the Rockets surging in the fourth quarter but I won’t join in on the rant. It’s far more important this youngster stays healthy long term and jeopardizing his health isn’t worth ‘maybe’ winning one game.
I brought this up in a previous article about the difference Dort makes when covering Harden. His frame and speed give Harden real problems because he can’t overpower him and he can’t run by him. He’ll still score but nowhere near as easy.
If there is something to cling to regarding the Thunder getting back in this series – hand your hat here because with Dort in the lineup the Thunder have someone who’ll limit Harden (on most nights).
I’m not even going to dive into all the semantics — Dort gets the A just for getting back on the court and reminding us what the Thunder have in their pocket for the future.
Oklahoma City Thunder. DANILO GALLINARI. B. . PF
Danilo Gallinari had a typically efficient outing if not a little light in touches. He scored 17 points on 5 of 12 from the field, 1 of 3 from deep and got to the line six times (hitting all six). That latter number is higher than his typical fare.
He added five rebounds, an assist and was a plus 12 in 33 minutes of action.
It’s not like he did anything particularly wrong it’s just that the Thunder needs more from him. Combine his opening game with Shai’s Game 2 and it could be the difference.
B. . C. Oklahoma City Thunder. STEVEN ADAMS
How much can Steven Adams effect in a series where he’s having to chase around much smaller players? On top of that though he has the clear size advantage in the post there isn’t much he can do when his own team neglects to give him touches.
To wit, he scored eight points on 4 of 4 shooting — all in the first half and never touched the ball again!
Adams added 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal.
His score reflects his -26 differential but if there is one note we’d like to pass along to Billy Donovan it’s that he should be using his advantages and Steven Adams simply cannot be stopped in the paint. So — WHY aren’t you giving Houston a steady diet of him and forcing their top players to pile up fouls?