OKC Thunder: 3 takeaways in OT loss to the Lakers
By Ryan Lewis
For the second consecutive game, the OKC Thunder took the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers to overtime, and for the second consecutive game, the Thunder lost in overtime.
Much like Monday’s loss, the Thunder surged ahead of the Lakers in the first frame and held the lead for most of the game. The Lakers didn’t pick up their first lead until the fourth quarter. From there, it was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams, with the Lakers eventually coming away with the 114-113 win in overtime.
The Thunder deserved to win. They played tough defense against the Lakers and scrapped their way to near-victory not only in overtime but also in the fourth quarter. The game belonged to the Thunder.
In terms of the rebuild, the Thunder losing helps achieve management’s ultimate goal. They want to see a tough, young group of players giving their all in every game; it just doesn’t help the team in the long term if the Thunder win.
So, Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers is not a bad thing. As fans, we got to see the future of this team take the defending champions to the brink of defeat, and that alone was just as sweet as a victory in a season in which we’re not expecting to see many.
The Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon, George Hill and Isaiah Roby in the game. This left an opening for other players to step up with increased minutes on the floor.
Wednesday’s game didn’t disappoint.
The OKC Thunder were led by Kenrich Williams, who has had a handful of career games lately and put up another solid performance on Wednesday. Williams scored a career-high 24 points against the Lakers, shooting 78.6 percent from the field. He finished with six rebounds, two assists and three steals in the game. Aside from his five turnovers, there were few negatives about his game on Wednesday.
Al Horford had 25 points on 61 percent shooting while also grabbing eight rebounds and four steals and dishing eight assists. Luguentz Dort had scored 17 points on 41 percent shooting, and Hamidou Diallo added 15 points on 38.5 percent shooting. Diallo also pulled down 13 rebounds.
The team’s performance left us with plenty to chew on, and with that being said, let’s dive right into TI’s 3 takeaways.
OKC Thunder takeaway No. 1) Unselfish play keeps the Thunder competitive
The OKC Thunder played yet another game without a true point guard leading the team down the court. It’s not the first time it has happened this season, and it won’t be the last.
The team will be without Hill’s services for quite some time and maybe for good, depending on if the Thunder move him before or at the trade deadline. Maledon missed the game because of COVID-19 protocols, and Gilgeous-Alexander is day-to-day, missing the game Wednesday.
Even without a point guard on the floor, the Thunder didn’t seem to have any problems sharing the ball, posting 32 assists. For comparison, the Thunder average 22.6 assists per game.
There’s little doubt that this team plays well together. They move the ball, set-up screens and find ways to feed the open player. It breeds success, which could explain why a young team is consistently finding themselves hanging tough against most teams they face.
Teams typically have players looking to stuff the stat sheet for their own personal gain, but this Thunder team features players who play for each other. The Thunder want to win, and we all want to see them win, but even with a loss, the Thunder give us so many reasons to cheer.