“Oh, one more thing you can do…” Thunder veteran forward Nick Collison remarked to rookie point guard Cameron Payne while the duo maneuvered around the basketball court. It was a crash course from one of the best forwards in the league at playing the two-man game along the perimeter, as Collison pivoted at the elbow with the ball and worked with Payne on his various options to get the ball back in an attacking area.
Every day, the Thunder works on the fine details of the game like Collison and Payne did on Saturday. In reflecting on its 113-93 victory on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Thunder recognized some areas where its work paid dividends, but also where it must continue to concentrate.
On defense, the Thunder set the tone from the very start, holding Minnesota scoreless for the first 4:22 of the game. In recent weeks, conversation stemming from Head Coach Billy Donovan has revolved around the negative effects of allowing opponents to get into a flow early in the night because it often leads to hot shooting later in the game. On Friday, the Thunder was able to negate any chance of that.
“We came out with a mindset to play better,” forward Serge Ibaka said.
“When we were able to get consecutive stops after consecutive stops, more than anything, it put us out in transition,” Donovan explained.
Watch Coach Donovan, Serge Ibaka speak to the media after Saturday's practice:
As Donovan described, the stops the Thunder got on defense resulted in fast break chances for the offense, which effectively doubles down on the team’s chances to break open a lead. Forcing opponents into low percentage shots and sealing possessions off with rebounds gives the Thunder a chance to play in the open floor, where it can be deadly.
Once in the half court, the Thunder did a nice job as well, turning the ball over a season-low six times while racking up 31 assists. The Thunder’s ability to get off a shot on nearly every offensive possession makes such a huge difference in the potency and production of the team, and it also negates any chance of run outs and open floor scores for the opposition.
While it was encouraging to see the Thunder protect the ball the way it did on Friday, Donovan knows that controlling certain areas of the game can be difficult throughout the course of the season. Maintaining a firm grip requires constant attention to detail, entering every game with a purpose and having the discipline to execute on team goals.
“It’s positive, but there have been times we’ve been inconsistent with that,” Donovan said. “Just because you have a good game, it doesn’t mean that any of the issues are necessarily fixed. You have to be intentional about being focused on doing those things.”