The Thunder came into this game against the San Antonio Spurs following a tough loss against Boston. Oklahoma City was looking to bounce back and get into the winning column again against the 22-31 Spurs Tuesday night. The game started as a nightmare for the Thunder as it seemed as though they weren’t able to hit anything inside or outside. You can tell they tried to establish themselves in the paint early with Steven Adams but besides that gameplan it was tough. It wasn’t like the Spurs were defending the Thunder at a high level it was OKC beating themselves. The Thunder were missing shots that they usually hit and struggled to make some of the easy baskets that they’ve come accustom to making. Chris Paul was the player that was consistent all night for the Thunder as he finished with 31 points on the night. The Spurs had no answer for CP3 and his willingness to attack the paint and create. Chris Paul was able to take advantage of the opposing point guards with his wisdom and pump fakes. Chris Paul was able to outsmart Derrick White and Dejounte Murray on a couple of plays on his way to his 31 points. The problem with Chris doing that was the fact that Murray and the Spurs got the last laugh.
The OKC Thunder had 5 players in double figures tonight but it seemed as though a lot of the points were in the second half while they were in comeback mode. Tonight Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 17 points on the night and didn’t have his usual game. A lot of the calls that Shai would get on a nightly basis weren’t there tonight against the Spurs. Sometimes the Spurs forced Shai into passing the ball out to other teammates because of the double teams on the perimeter. The Spurs played Shai differently and the second-year man will bounce back and adjust to the way that teams play him. Shai has been one of the leaders of this team and has shown that he can handle the heavy load given to him. Shai only took 11 shots on the night and wasn’t able to get into a true groove. Shai always continues to get better and he usually makes his teammates better as well as always. Tonight wasn’t Danilo Gallinari’s night as he struggled from the field as well shooting 4/16 from the field. When Gallinari struggles from the field it’s tough for the Thunder to get anything going on the offensive end. The Spurs were forcing Gallinari to put the ball on the floor and he rushed a lot of shots. The shots weren’t falling for the Thunder and by the time they got it within a close margin, it was a foul game. The 6th Man of the Year candidate Dennis Schröder only had 14 points on the night and wasn’t able to give that spark that he usually plays with tonight. The Spurs defended the perimeter very well and they also had some size on Dennis that didn’t help him during the game. This Thunder team has played above expectations and there will be some games like this but look for them to bounce back before the All-Star Break in New Orleans.
The Spurs had the lead for pretty much the whole night against the Thunder as LaMarcus Aldridge was hitting shots that only he can make. Those shots included stepbacks, fadeaways, and off the dribble moves that looked unguardable. Aldridge has always been one of those players that has great games against the Thunder in his career and that didn’t change. Tonight Aldridge had 25 points and was able to get his shot off no matter who was guarding him. The Thunder had Adams, Noel, and Muscala on Aldridge tonight and it worked defensively throughout the game until it mattered in the clutch. When you have that height and skill mixed together it’s always tough to make the adjustments to succeed throughout the game. We all knew that Aldridge would step up and play lights out but his running mate tonight was Dejounte Murray. Tonight Murray was able to attack the paint and he was able to use his mid-range game to his advantage. It seemed like Murray was the quickest guard on the court tonight and his first step was unguardable. Murray showed off the improvement on his mid-range jumper and finished the game with 25 points as well. The Thunder had no answer for Murray down the stretch as he was able to take over the game with his jumper and his willingness on the defensive end. Murray has come a long way since his injury and he put that on full display tonight in OKC. The Spurs had 4 players that were in double figures tonight and were making shot after shot with a hand in their faces. Sometimes the ball goes in and sometimes it doesn’t but tonight was San Antonio’s night.
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