OKC Thunder: Turnovers dominate 3 takeaways in loss to the Nuggets
By Ryan Lewis
The OKC Thunder are getting bullied on the boards
To say the OKC Thunder struggled wrestling rebounds away from the Nuggets would be, perhaps, the understatement of the year. For all the talent this team has, there seems to be no sense of urgency when it comes to blocking out opposing players and snagging a rebound.
That’s not what we, as fans, are used to seeing. We were spoiled with Russell Westbrook flying in from seemingly nowhere to snatch the ball away from the grasping hands of his opponents, and Steven Adams tipping in a missed shot from a teammate.
Those days are long behind us.
Now, the Thunder roster has its fair share of players who don’t have a ton of on-court time in the NBA. While rebounding is an essential part of the game at every level, the NBA is filled with top-tier athletes who are the best at what they do. Beating out those players at the bucket is no easy feat.
That much was evident in Tuesday’s loss.
The Nuggets outscored the OKC Thunder in second-chance points 32-3 – possibly the biggest stat-line of the game.
The Nuggets pulled down 18 offensive rebounds and 40 defensive rebounds. They battled for every loose ball around the rim, and the result was an insurmountable lead that carried Denver to a big win. Comparatively, the Thunder managed to snag just nine offensive rebounds and 32 defensive rebounds.
In every way, the Thunder were simply outmatched on the boards.
Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap each had 12 rebounds for the Nuggets.
As Tamberlyn Richardson pointed out in her previous article, 3 keys to victory versus the Nuggets, any shot the OKC Thunder had at beating Denver would come to slowing down Jokic and Jamal Murray, but Jokic seems to be the Thunder’s kryptonite.
The Thunder rendered Murray ineffective but seemed to miss the memo altogether on Jokic.
In the end, Jokic scored 27 points and finished with 12 rebounds and six assists, all while never stepping on the court in the fourth quarter. Jokic also led the Nuggets in second-chance points with 13.
The Thunder are a top-6 team in defensive rebounds per game at 37.4 but rank among the bottom two in offensive rebounds per game with 7.3.
With experience, that will change, but right now, it severely limits second-chance points for the Thunder.