OKC ties 3-point record against Grizzlies
Two Grizzlies defenders converged on Paul George and he immediately recognized Steven Adams rolling to the rim.
Adams caught George’s quick pass and could have shot his patented floater, but he pivoted and fired a dart to Josh Huestis in the left corner for a 3-pointer.
“That was a big part of what we talked about,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “Can we keep the ball ahead of the defense by moving it and passing it?”
In the Thunder’s 110-92 win against the Grizzlies on Sunday, with Russell Westbrook out, Donovan put the ball in George’s hands.
The result was George setting the tone creatively, and the Thunder following suit with a barrage of 3-pointers.
Without Westbrook or Carmelo Anthony, the Thunder tied its franchise record for 16 made 3-pointers. The Thunder also made 16 on Jan. 29, 2014 at Miami.
The Thunder had 21 assists on 34 made baskets without Westbrook or Anthony, who missed their second consecutive game due to ankle sprains.
The Thunder had just 16 assists in their first game without Westbrook Thursday, when Donovan went with Alex Abrines as the second-unit ballhandler.
“It’s important to move the ball, and create opportunities to make our opportunities a lot easier,” Thunder forward Patrick Patterson said. “.. whether it’s setting (screens), moving, kicking and driving, relocating, trying to find the open man.
“Russ does so much for us out there, we all have to make up for a little bit of his energy, his aggressiveness and his activeness. It was very important. It got us open looks, great looks.”
Power forward by committee shines
Patterson shook off a rocky start defensively to score a season-high 14 points for the Thunder, adding six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.
Jerami Grant settled into an Enes Kanter-lite postup role in the second unit to post 14 points and five rebounds.
When Kanter was the go-to offensive weapon in the post for the Thunder second unit last season, Grant was often used to space the floor from 3-point range.
Now, Grant is getting more opportunities to drive and create shots from inside the 3-point line. The result Sunday was a power forward-by-committee that shot 8-of-13 against the Grizzlies.
Donovan liked Grant getting matchups against guards against the Lakers and Grizzlies, even if Grant missed 5-of-10 free throws.
“I thought he posted up well in that Laker game, and I thought in that second quarter it gave us some free throws, it gave us some post ups,” Donovan said.
“Jeremi, offensively, had a really good night but it could have been even better.”
Defense tightens in 1st
The Thunder’s defense didn’t look ready to play early. The Grizzlies started 5-of-8 from the field.
But Donovan inserted Grant for Patterson with 6:48 left in the first quarter, and the Thunder’s defense emerged. OKC outscored Memphis 25-8 from that point, with the Grizzlies shooting 3-of-12 the rest of first quarter.
Stat of the night
12: The Thunder hit 12 3-pointers before halftime, tying a team record for 3-pointers in a half. The Thunder was 12-of-15 from 3-point range before the break.
Next up
The Thunder faces the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday before heading to Memphis on Wednesday, the final two games before the All-Star break.