Thunder struggling with early deficits
DENVER – Thunder forward Paul George pulled up just before the Nuggets logo, almost as if it was the 3-point line. But of course, it was almost twice as far. Fans had already turned their attention from the court and the customary last-ditch heave that the buzzer at the end of a quarter often brings. But then the ball hit the backboard and fell through the hoop. Nuggets fans clapped, some even rising to their feet in appreciation for the unlikely shot. With that 45-foot make to close the third quarter, Thunder was following the same script as it had in its previous two games: fall behind and then claw back into contention late. OKC pulled off the comeback against Utah Friday, when George scored 17 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter. But on Wednesday, the half-court shot was one of just seven field goals George scored. Unlike that shot, the Thunder's last-ditch effort wasn't successful in a 121-112 loss at Denver. “Just be ready to go from the start,” Westbrook said of what the Thunder needs to do to bring the same intensity it had used to erase second-half deficits into the first half. In a back-and-forth game against Utah Friday, the Thunder trailed by as many at 10 points in the fourth quarter. Facing Sacramento the next night, OKC's largest deficit was 16. In Denver on Tuesday it was 18. Westbrook scored 40-plus points both Friday and
Saturday, in a win and a loss. But after getting used to three months of some of the best play in George's career, OKC came out of the All-Star break unable to win on nights when George's shots weren't falling. After scoring 45 points on 31 shots against Utah, George shot less than 30 percent from the floor in the Thunder's next two games. On Tuesday, his makes were few and far between, but George found a way to add 13 points in the fourth quarter, mostly by getting to the line. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Thunder caught a glimpse of what works even when George's shot isn't falling. The Thunder took a brief lead in the fourth with an 8-2 run. George scored a 3-pointer and a layup in that span, but impacted the game more with his rebounds and steals. About four minutes into the final period, Jokic bobbled the ball around the free throw line, and George took it out of his hands, heaving an arcing pass to Westbrook. Two passes later, Nerlens Noel drove baseline and kicked the ball out to Markieff Morris at the top of the arc. He swished a 3-pointer. On the Nuggets' next possession, George stole the ball from Jokic again, and this time he took it to the rack himself. Noel said the halftime talks over the past three games have centered around, “just picking it up on both ends.” “The leadership is at a high level,” he said. “From Steve (Adams) to Russ to PG it's at a high level, so we know what we've got to do.”