Thunder needs defensive details to continue

Utah’s Ricky Rubio took a probing behindthe-back dribble as Derrick Favors came to set a screen at the 3-point line. Carmelo Anthony was up in pick-and-roll coverage and as good as dead.

Rubio easily slipped a bounce pass to Favors between Anthony and Russell Westbrook. Steven Adams had no choice but to help, an easy read for Favors to dump to Rudy Gobert for a dunk. Less than two minutes later, it happened again.

But after the Thunder took a timeout down 16-4 in Game 1 Sunday, this wasn’t the same team or

the same Anthony. He’d seen enough and asked for an adjustment.

For a team that’s lacked consistent defensive focus even before Andre Roberson’s season-ending injury in January, continued attention to defensive detail has to happen for the Thunder to get out of the first round.

“At some point, adversity is going to hit, momentum is going to change, and you’ve got to be able to shut that off,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “And generally the way you do it is when you’re connected and communicated as a team.”

Anthony didn’t think the Thunder lacked communication early in the season, but it’s been different as the playoffs have approached. The Thunder has overcome double-digit deficits three times in the past two weeks — on the road at Houston and Miami and Sunday against Utah.

“Now there’s no holding back,” Anthony said. “Using your instincts, talking more communicating

more. If there’s something that isn’t there, you make the proper adjustments.”

Anthony didn’t go into detail about what he said during the timeout with 6:46 left in the first quarter, but Donovan told the story. The Thunder coach has been less effusive with his praise in recent days, stressing numerous times after OKC’s 116-108 Game 1 win that the team had to be better.

Better at transition defense (the Thunder was gouged for 21 fast-break points — nine in the first 5:14 of the first quarter — by a team which averaged 10.2 a game in the regular season), better at keeping defenders from penetrating, better at pick-and-roll defense.

Relative to Donovan’s usual bright-side look at the Thunder’s problem areas, he was giving his team a dose of reality through the media after what looked like an impressive rally.

Then, he took the blame for Anthony. At 33, Anthony isn’t the mover he used to be athletically, so to have him in space — hedging up on the guard in pick-and-roll with little chance to get back to his assignment (Favors) should he break to the basket — wasn’t best for him, Adams, or the Thunder’s defense.

Anthony said so in the huddle.

“I think part of problem was probably more on me,” Donovan said of the sluggish start. “I think he mentioned that if he could adjust and maybe back up, he could maybe take away some of those passes into Favors where he was finding Gobert on the baseline.”

Utah’s Donovan Mitchell scored eight of his 27 points in transition, including six in that scrambled Thunder start in which he didn’t miss a shot. When the Thunder’s halfcourt defense was able to get set, however, it kept Mitchell to 7-of-18 shooting (38.9 percent). Mitchell gave Corey Brewer 14 of those 27 points, according to Second Spectrum data. Considering Brewer (right knee sprain) said he was playing at “80 percent” and has practiced against contact once in the last week, his effort and focus was there, especially since Paul George was assigned to smother Joe Ingles.

On Monday, Jazz coach Quin Snyder attributed Utah’s offensive issues to

spacing. It’s hard to space when George limits Ingles’ touches as a shooter or passer. It’s also tough when Brewer and various Thunder defenders follow the game plan.

Brewer properly went under screens on the light-shooting Rubio, who missed all seven of his shots from 16 feet or longer, and challenged Mitchell even if his body wouldn’t fully allow him.

“Once we settled down, started running our stuff, and defensively started getting into their bodies and making it tough on them, we got the game in hand,” Brewer said.

Even then, Donovan wasn’t giving out many pats on the back to his team, at least publicly.

But aside from its early struggles and slippage in the final three minutes, the Thunder found a defensive focus that can give the Jazz problems.

“With those transition points, we dug ourselves a hole,” Donovan said. “I think coming out of that timeout, those guys refocused and regrouped.

“When everybody’s on the same page coming out and ‘OK, this is what we’ve got to do,’ that’s generally when it’s better.”