OKC Thunder: Grades highlight positives in OT loss to Lakers

Best OKC Thunder reserve performance:

Only three players were available for Mark Daigneault off the bench including Justin Jackson, Darius Miller, and Mike Muscala who returned after dealing with a concussion.

Muscala could’ve got the hat tip here but Jackson was the more efficient reserve player scoring nine points on 4 of 9 from the field while adding a rebound, four assists, and a steal.

Best opponent:

In his 18th season, the King, LeBron James is making a solid case to win the Most Valuable Player Award. While we can debate what factors are most important to earn an “MVP” one that can’t be ignored is affecting a game in the moments that lead their teams to wins.

That’s precisely what James did in this match as it was his 3-point shot at the end of regulation that evened the score to force overtime and again his play on the inbound pass that broke up the final play to ensure the victory.

On the night he delivered a line of 25 points (tying Horford for the game-high score), six rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.

James didn’t have a highly efficient shooting night, particularly from deep (3 of 9), and turned over the ball five times. However, that game-tying basket and especially his move to ruin the final play earn him the “+” on this grade.

In Closing:

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While the OKC Thunder exit LA having lost back-to-back overtime games there were valuable lessons gained.

In both matches, the Thunder had the bare minimum of players available, and no doubt a few were playing banged up.

While losses are more palatable this year with the long-range vision of the draft on the horizon it’s also noteworthy this squad is as competitive as they are.

Without a natural point guard available the team is also putting on display how the positionless era is playing into their schemes as they collected 32 assists in this match.

Another key is their ability to bounce back and learn quickly to correct mistakes. That’s a notable quality that probably is partially credited to the coaching staff and partially to the players for making the adjustments.

Check out the ESPN box score here