OKC Thunder: Grades highlight positives in OT loss to Lakers

Once again the OKC Thunder had the league minimum of eight players available as they took on the defending champions. This time the team was missing their star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is dealing with a knee sprain.

Most figured the Lakers would make them pay for the short roster and not underestimate them two games in a row.

Instead, it was a deja vu performance by the Resiliency Era Thunder as they pushed the Lakers to overtime for a second consecutive game.

Other than a head-scratching last play call this match was about as entertaining and positive as Thunder Nation could hope for.

OKC Thunder display grit in a consecutive overtime loss to Lakers

It’s interesting that Lakers head coach Frank Vogel spoke of his team’s grit in the post-game media interview. This from the reigning champions who granted were missing Anthony Davis but had their MVP LeBron James and most of the core on the court.

That OKC was missing their star and several core members speak to just how competitive this Thunder team is. While the Thunder lost two games in overtime to the Lakers the key takeaway from these games should be just how close this Thunder club is to being competitive again.

Furthermore, the culture and identity of the Thunder is very much intact!

The OKC Thunder jumped on the Lakers from the tip posting a 37-23 first-quarter advantage and took a 67-57 lead into the half.

Although the eight Thunder players battled, like the previous game they ran out of gas in the second half as the Lakers evened the score to force yet another overtime.

Unlike the previous game, however, this match came down to a final shot albeit on a play call that needs some tweaking as no Thunder players were moving toward the inbounder. Instead, LeBron James broke up the play and forced a wild shot that had no chance of making the mark.

While it was a loss, this is a game that every Thunder player who participated should feel proud of. Ultimately, the goal is to land one of those bottom three landing spots in order to increase the possibility of grabbing the top pick in the 2021 draft.

Yet, this iteration of the Thunder, especially the youngsters have proven they are fully committed to the Thunder culture and don’t plan on being in the bottom portion of the league for long.

With that let’s dive into the player grades…