Assist distribution a big positive for OKC
SAN ANTONIO – At the top of the key, Thunder center
Steven Adams took one dribble toward the right side of the court and tossed a pass to
Danilo Gallinari, who was arching across the other way.
Gallinari drove toward the rim and then threw a pass back to Dennis Schroder. The point guard drained the catch-andshoot 3-pointer.
It was with that kind of ball movement that the Thunder recorded 15 assists in the first half of its game against the Spurs on Thursday. But what jumped off the page wasn't the sheer number of assists, or even that OKC took a 57-56 lead over San Antonio at halftime. The distribution of assists was the real eyecatching statistic.
At halftime, six Thunder players had already recorded assists. Schroder led the pack with six, but Adams (3), Shai
Gilgeous-Alexander ( 2) and Chris Paul (2) also had multiple
helpers.
The ball movement came with its bloopers, mostly caused by miscommunication. The Thunder's six first-half turnovers included a bounce pass that Adams wasn't expecting and a no-look pass from Gallinari to Nerlens Noel that flew out of bounds.
But there were other times that the offense worked just as it was supposed to. Midway through the second quarter, Schroder motioned to guard
Hamidou Diallo, calling for a screen. Diallo complied, and they switched places, Schroder taking the ball out to the left wing and Diallo popping out to the top of the arc.
There, Schroder passed to Diallo, who drove to the rim. He missed the shot, but Noel was there for the tip-in.
Italian connection
Gallinari and the Spurs' Marco Belinelli were Italy's leading scorers in the FIBA World Cup just two months ago. On Thursday, they faced each other for the first time this season.
In Italy's five World Cup games this year, OKC's Gallinari led Italy with 17.2 points per game, and San Antonio's Belinelli ranked just behind him with 15.
Gallinari and Belinelli also both participated in Basketball Without Borders as teenagers, Gallinari in 2003 and Belinelli the year after.
For the sixth straight season, NBA opening night rosters featured more than 100 international players. Of the 108 international players in the league this season, a total of 10 are on the Thunder and Spurs. The two teams are tied with five others for No. 3, with five international players each.
Getting out the Vote
Paul wants you to vote.
On Twitter Thursday, the Thunder point guard announced his continued commitment as a co-chair of When We All Vote, a non-profit organization he joined last year, when former First Lady Michelle
Obama launched it leading up to the midterm elections.
When We All Vote is a nonpartisan initiative to increase participation, and close the race and age voting gaps, in elections. It organizes voter registration events and encourages voter turnout.