The Oklahoma City Thunder Aren’t THAT Bad. Just Ask The Lakers
We had a lot to talk about last night around the association. From the Hawks-Pelicans nail-biting finish to the Thunder’s wild comeback, it was a wild day of NBA action. And I broke it all down.
Atlanta Hawks vs New Orleans Pelicans
With Zion Williamson out, I expected this game to be lopsided. The skill gap between these two teams is very large, but somehow, this game was close.
The Hawks couldn’t score early on and the Pelicans built a double-digit lead. The Hawks rallied back, but they could never finish things off. Down the stretch, it was a defensive battle and the Hawks eventually scrapped out a win thanks to a big stop from De’Andre Hunter.
It wasn’t pretty, but this was an overall fun game to watch.
Atlanta Hawks
Well…I might that last statement back. From the Hawks’ perspective, this game shouldn’t have been remotely close. The Hawks roared back after a slow start but just couldn’t pull away, for one reason or another. While they dominated offensive boards and (seemingly) had control of the game, it was too close for comfort.
But a great defensive stop from De’Andre Hunter sealed the deal, saving the Hawks from another embarrassing road loss.
De’Andre Hunter Is EXCELLENT
Speaking of Hunter, he’s been great this season. Hunter is picking up where he left off last season in the regular season, as he is doing it at such a high level on both ends. Offensively, he’s a great complimentary piece. But on the other side of the ball? He’s a menace and one of the best wing defenders in the NBA.
Hunter is on his way to a great season and I think he’s going to start to get the recognition that he desperately deserves.
Offense
Offensively, Hunter doesn’t try and do too much. Hunter hit some perimeter shots and went off the dribble a few times. Him going 5/10 from the field with 13 points is just what the Hawks need. Another safety blanket for Trae Young with some floor spacing to go along with it.
Hunter has gotten off to a slow start offensively, but he’s not asked to do that much. If he does this on a nightly basis, then it’s just one more weapon for opposing defenses to try and cover.
Defense
Defensively, Hunter was again excellent. He locked up Luka Doncic to open the season and last night, he did the same thing against Brandon Ingram.
Hunter forced Ingram to take some incredibly difficult shots. While Ingram made them consistently, Hunter really didn’t make it easy for him. Hunter got the better of Ingram during the Pelicans’ last possession of the game, forcing an airball from the former All-Star.
Hunter is one of the best defensive wings in the NBA and is certainly in the running for an All-Defensive Selection this season. Hunter has been an elite defender so far this season;
Opponents Are Shooting 16/40 From The Field (40%) When Guarded By Hunter
I think that explains a lot. Hunter is a lockdown defender and he’s going to (quietly) have an elite season on the defensive side of the ball.
This wasn’t an impressive game by any means for the Hawks. Their offense struggled early on and they didn’t look dominant in this game. But they dominated the offensive boards (21 OREB) and had 2nd chance points.
I wasn’t overly impressed by anything the Hawks did, but hey, a win is a win.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans need Zion Williamson back, badly. No matter his physical condition, they just aren’t that good when he’s not on the floor. The offense has struggled this season and while they were (somehow) in this game, they just aren’t as dynamic.
Jonas Valanciunas Is Good
Valanciunas had another monster game on the boards, as a more offensive center is just what the Pelicans needed. While Steven Adams is good, Valanciunas is another beast. He has been one of the few bright spots for the Pelicans this season.
Jonas Valanciunas In 2022
17.0 points – 15.0 rebounds – 4.8 OREB – 52% TS
While he isn’t shooting that well from the field, Valanciunas has been a monster on the boards. He is 3rd in the NBA in offensive rebounds, 2nd in total rebounds, and has already generated 28-second chance points for himself, which leads the NBA.
The Pelicans needed a more offensive center next to Zion and they found their answer. Valanciunas is a great rebounder, he can somewhat stretch the floor, and the pairing of him and Zion should be much better than the partnership with Steven Adams was last season.
Devonte’ Graham Is…Also Good?
How is this possible? I didn’t like Graham’s addition to New Orleans and his 4-year contract extension with the team. But, to be honest, he’s been passable this season.
In this game, Graham hit five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists on the night. He even finished with a +5 plus/minus, so even with his lack of defense, he was a positive player when he was on the floor.
Graham has had an overall solid start to his season. He’s shooting it from long-range pretty well, he’s passing well, and he hasn’t been that bad. The turnovers are a little bit of an issue (2.6), but other than that, I have to say, I have been impressed.
Could Zion just stay healthy? Is that too much to ask for?
What Happened To RJ Hampton?
The Orlando Magic are going into a full rebuild. They have so many young players and they are set to be very, very bad in 2022. RJ Hampton was a rookie traded to Orlando last season and I expected him to take a step up in his production after flashing his talent late last season.
But, Hampton has been struggling mightily to start the season. These numbers don’t scream potential at you;
6.6 points – 33% FG – 43% 3-PT – (-7.2 BPM)
Hampton has been really, really bad this season. Sure, the Magic aren’t exactly a good team, but Hampton just hasn’t looked good.
- Hampton has drove the ball 31 times and taken 10 shots. He has made only one of them (1/10 shooting)
- Hampton is 0/6 from the field when he is pulling-up for a jump shot
- Hampton is shooting just 27% from the field on two-pointers – hasn’t made a mid-range shot all year
Hampton isn’t getting to the rim as much as he did last year and when he does, he’s not making his shots. He hasn’t hit a single mid-range shot all year and his offense has been atrocious. It’s only been 5 games, but it’s not an ideal start for a player looking to break out.
The OKC Thunder Aren’t Complete Pushovers
The OKC Thunder started 2022 as we all expected them to. They fully accepted their rebuilding stage and are a team full of unproven young guys. The Thunder started 0-4, getting blown out in their first two games and just not looking good.
Against the Lakers, I think we all expected them to get handed their 5th straight loss. The Lakers dominated them in the first half. OKC trailed by as many as 26 in the first half and they were down by 16 at halftime. The Lakers had a 99% chance of winning.
But instead of chalking things up as just another loss, the Thunder responded. After struggling to start the season, SGA woke up for 17 points in the 3rd quarter. That fueled a monster 41-point 3rd quarter and it gave OKC the lead. The Thunder outscored LA 41-23 in the 3rd and flipped the game on its head.
OKC managed to hold on, but it proved a point. They might be young, inexperienced, and headed for another high draft pick, but the Thunder are not pushovers. They have some really talented players and they shouldn’t be treated as a terrible team.
For the first time this season, both my fantasy team and Thunder fans rejoiced as SGA finally woke up. After a tough start to the year, Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, the catalyst for this comeback.
Rookie Josh Giddey had a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Darius Bazley and Lu Dort also had excellent games.
I like a lot of the pieces that OKC has. While they won’t be great, they are fun. They certainly can catch fire (just ask the Lakers) and I think that they’re not a team that’s going to just accept being bad. They don’t seem to have that attitude.
But the best part about this game was the Lakers. Russell Westbrook had a quadruple-double with 10 turnovers. Carmelo Anthony air-balled the potential game-tying 3-pointer late. Frank Vogel is an idiot and all Lebron could do was watch.
Two wins in a row doesn’t change the fact that I still don’t like you, LA.
Portland Trail Blazers
Good Game Tally: 2
Bad Game Tally: 2
After we beat the Suns, I thought that things would start to turn around. We then proceeded to turn the ball over 30 times against the Clippers and score just 86 points. So after dominating the Grizzlies today, I will not be overreacting. Just praying that these types of games happen more often.
The Blazers looked decent in the first half, their lack of rebounding being their main reason for trailing by 6. But that 2nd half was electric. The defense was forcing turnovers left, right, and center. Damian Lillard finally got going and we blew the game open, rather easily, I might add.
It was a great game overall, but, we’ve seen this before. The challenge is, can we do it again?
Portland Trail Blazers
Look, I think that this game was a lot closer than the final score shows. Did the Blazers deserve to win this game? Yes, absolutely. But the Grizzlies should have made the Blazers pay more in that 1st half, but they just missed open shot after open shot.
Like the Suns game, you’re looking for consistency. Can Portland play as they did in the 2nd half for the full 48 minutes and can they do it against more than one team? We’ll have to see.
2nd Half Domination
Grizzlies vs Blazers In The 2nd Half
Blazers: 65 points
Grizzlies: 39 points
Blazers: 52% FG
Grizzlies: 32% FG
Blazers: 7 Turnovers
Grizzlies: 16 Turnovers
Blazers: 22 Points Off Turnovers
Grizzlies: 8 Points Off Turnovers
Blazers: 28 Points In The Paint
Grizzlies: 12 Points In The Paint
You get the point. The Blazers dominated the 2nd half. They forced turnovers, got stops, and just took advantage. After Jaren Jackson Jr. got his 4th foul early on in that 3rd quarter, the whole tone of the game changed. I loved what I saw from everybody in the 2nd half, but I just have to see it more often.
Bench Production
Bench Production is something that I and all Blazers fans have been pleading for over the years. When we get good minutes from the bench, you have seen the results.
In the first half, with the offense needing a spark, we got that from Anfernee Simons. Simons and his new tattoo sleeve had 14 points in the first half. He hit shots from all over the floor and kept us in the game when we were dead offensively.
The 2nd half is where the big man combo of Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller excelled. This is perhaps the Blazers’ best frontcourt behind Nurkic. Both of these guys are great rebounders, they can run the floor, and they aren’t Enes Kanter-level defenders, which is great.
In the 2nd half, Nance and Zeller grabbed 9 rebounds in total, 5 of which were offensive rebounds. Zeller had a plus/minus of +12 in 14 minutes of action and Nance was a +18 in 9 minutes of action. Both were effective and filled their roles perfectly.
If Jusuf Nurkic doesn’t get hurt like he usually does, these two will be great backup options. I would like to see Chauncey use Nance more as a small-ball center, but you can’t argue with the results that these two produced last night.
The Blazers season has been very, very weird. We’ve dominated two playoff teams in our two wins, but then looked awful in our two losses. I get that gets us back to square one?
We play the Clippers (again) on Friday, so it’ll be interesting to see how we adjust to that game after getting completely blown out by them last time out. LA scored just 79 points against the Cavaliers last night, so it will be an interesting game all-around.
I am just hoping that we don’t get blown out again.
What Are Your Thoughts From Yesterday’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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