OKC Thunder face Lakers for round two – preview
Key Stats:
These clubs just played but the statistics have already shifted from that first match. Much of that is tied to the Lakers getting to play a series of lower-tier teams so take some of these statistics with a grain of salt.
In terms of the big three categories, the Lakers rank 11th offensively (107.8), tied for 17th defensively (107.3), and tied for 14th in net differential (+0.6).
Comparatively, the OKC Thunder ranks 29th offensively (96.7), 23rd defensively (109.5), and 29th in net differential (-12.8).
Scoring: Through eight games the Lakers are scoring 113.4 points per game keeping them fifth overall. Opponents are averaging 112.6 points which rank 25th on the ladder.
The Thunder ranks 29th in scoring per game with 96.7 points as they attempt to raise that level above the century mark. The OKC Thunder perform better than the Lakers in terms of opponent scoring ranking in a tie for 17th with 109.9 points scored.
Cleaning the glass: The last time these teams played Intentions noted the oddity of how poorly a tall squad like the Lakers were performing on the glass. At the time they ranked 19th and since then have dropped further down the board to 26th with 43.9 rebounds per match.
The Thunder who isn’t one of the taller clubs and don’t have 7′ centers to fight for boards ranks in a higher 24th position averaging 44.4 boards per match.
Where the Lakers have the advantage is on the offensive glass where they rank 18th (9.6) compared to the Thunder in 26th (8.7).
Dime dishers: LA is one of the better clubs at moving the ball as evidenced by their eighth rank dishing 24.5 dimes per match. Conversely, the Thunder are among the worst ball movement teams dishing only 19.4 dimes per match which places them 29th in the association. That’s a big drop for OKC who were 14th the last time they played the Lakers.
Miscellaneous Categories: A major advantage for the Lakers occurs in some miscellaneous categories. Specifically, LA scores 20.5 points per game off turnovers which ranks third and 14.9 points scored on the fast break which ranks in a tie for sixth.
While they don’t perform well on the glass they rank second for points scored in the paint (52.5).
The Thunder don’t rank well in any of these key miscellaneous offensive categories placing 26th in fast break scoring (8.9) and 23rd for points in the paint (43.4). Their best ranking is in points off turnovers where they place 17th (16.6).
On the opposing side of the court, the situation skews to the OKC Thunder. They rank ninth in limiting points scored off turnovers (15.0) whereas the Lakers rank 21st (18.6).
LA struggles to stop teams scoring on second-chance points (14.8) as well as points in the paint where they rank 24th and 30th respectively (53.8).
If you’re wondering how the Thunder are staying competitive in matches two miscellaneous defensive categories stand out. OKC is the top-ranked team for limiting opponent fast break scoring (8.3) and ranks in a tie for ninth for opponent paint scoring (43.4).
Perimeter: Another advantage the Lakers hold over the Thunder is their perimeter performance. LA ranks ninth for efficiency shooting 36.2 percent and makes the 19th most 3-pointers (11.5). Conversely, the OKC Thunder ranks 29th for their 3-point efficiency (29.3%) but are close to the same number of makes (10.7) ranking 23rd.