Thunder not as good as expected
The Houston Rockets beat the Thunder 122-112 Tuesday night in a game that discourages everyone in Loud City, because it boiled this season down to bedrock truth.
The Thunder just isn’t as good as we hoped it would be or as good as the players believe they are.
OKC is not a bad team. At times the Thunder can be really good. But at times, it can be mediocre. Which explains why the Thunder reaches the second week of March with a 37-29 record, good for seventh in the Western Conference.
OKC doesn’t have the shooting depth to keep up the West’s best teams. Golden State. Houston. Portland. Denver.
But that’s a death sentence. There are more ways to win basketball games. Starting with defense. If you can’t shoot as well, don’t let the other team shoot as well.
And that’s not happening anymore. Not since Andre Roberson’s Jan. 27 injury, a void that is stunning in its enormity. Who knew that Roberson kept this team afloat?
Thunder-Rockets was a perfect example. For all the discouraging elements to the game, the Thunder did a lot of things right.
Yes, Houston shot 53.5 percent from the field, but OKC shot 49.5 percent from the field. No one was a bricklayer. Russell Westbrook was 15 of 27 from the field. Paul George was 7 of 16. Carmelo Anthony 8 of
18. Steven Adams 7 of
9. Corey Brewer 4 of 10. Raymond Felton 3 of 8.
Yes, the Thunder committed 20 turnovers. But OKC played enough pressure defense that the Rockets committed 22 turnovers.
The Thunder invoked its strength, offensive rebounding, with 22 second-chance points. Houston had four.
But the game was decided on two lines. The Rockets made 29 of 34 foul shots; the Thunder made eight of 11.
The Rockets made 17 of 33 3-point shots; the Thunder made 12 of 34.
You can’t win getting outscored by 21 on the foul line and by 15 on the 3-point line. That’s a literal statement. You cannot win. That’s 36 points.
That’s 18 2-point field goals. You can’t make up that kind of discrepancy.
And the two landslides for the Rockets are related.
Houston can shoot. Seven Rockets made a 3-pointer Tuesday night. Five of them made multiple 3-pointers. James Harden wasn’t even one of them.
He made one of three. And sharpshooter Ryan Anderson didn’t even play.
The Thunder can’t shoot like that. Maybe once every 15 games or so. But no chance at anything consistent.
So the Thunder has to do its work defensively. The Thunder can’t let Houston shoot like that.
The Rockets in many ways toyed with the Thunder. The defense was atrocious most of the night. Houston whipped the ball around, turning down OK shots for good shots and good shots for great shots. Several times, the Rockets got wide-open layups. Many times, the Rockets got corner 3-pointers, the best shot in basketball.
The Thunder defense has been falling fast since Roberson’s departure. OKC has dropped to 19th in 3-point defense, .367, and the Thunder’s overall defense has fallen to 10th. OKC spent much of the season in the top five defensively, while its offense found a rhythm. The offense has improved (up to 12th; still not good enough) but the defensive slide means the Thunder has no chance.
Against the Rockets, OKC fouled too much. Trying to stop the drives that lead to the 3-pointers, the Thunder grabbed and pushed. That puts Houston at the foul line.
Lines are where the Rockets prosper. Threepoint line. Foul line. Layup line.
The Thunder earlier in the season was capable of putting up a defensive fight against such teams. No more.
So OKC resorts to getting into a shooting contest, which it can’t win.