OKC Thunder: 3 takeaways from sloppy loss to Mavericks
By Ryan Lewis
Just a few days away from the All-Star break, the OKC Thunder looked as if they were already checked out.
The Thunder took on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, and from the tip, it was a defensive battle between the two teams, with the Mavericks getting the best of the Thunder, 87-78.
The OKC Thunder will have a hard time forgetting this game.
The Thunder had just two players shoot 50 percent or better. As a team, the Thunder shot just 33.3 percent. If not for the Mavericks shooting just as bad, the game could have gotten out of hand quickly for the Thunder.
Instead, the Mavericks were without All-Star Luka Doncic and leaned heavily on Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr.
And it paid off for Dallas.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Mavericks’ lead swelled to 22 points in the otherwise back-and-forth game. The Thunder closed the gap to nine points by holding the Mavericks to just 12 points in the quarter and scoreless for the final 3:24.
But it was too little, too late, as the Mavericks held on for the win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a rare off night, scoring a respectable 15 points but shooting a low 33.3 percent. Ty Jerome had 13 points in an efficient shooting performance, hitting five of his seven shots. Darius Bazley had 11 points on 27.3 percent shooting and Theo Maledon had 11 points on 50 percent shooting.
Jerome was one of the few Thunder players to find his comfort zone and play his way against the Mavericks. That’s why he leads TI’s 3 takeaways.
OKC Thunder takeaway No. 1) Jerome keeps improving since his call-up
Jerome has now played three games with the OKC Thunder, and he’s been impressive in each game.
Jerome is averaging 26.7 minutes of court time per game since getting called up from the OKC Blue, and in that time, he has been exactly what the Thunder have needed off the bench.
Jerome’s efficiency is a testament to what the second-year player has learned in his time with the Phoenix Suns last season and during his stint with the Blue this year. That there was no decline in his production since coming to the OKC Thunder is impressive.
In three games, Jerome is shooting 57.7 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from 3-point territory. He’s averaging 12.3 points, 3.7 assists, three rebounds, and one steal per game.
Jerome looks comfortable on the court and chooses his shot wisely. He’s matured a lot since coming into the league and looks to be well on his way to being a significant player for the OKC Thunder.