Broadcast Information
- Tip-off: 4:00 p.m. CT
- Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
- Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
With a well-deserved day off following a tough back-to-back and then one practice before tonight’s tilt against the Phoenix Suns, there wasn’t a ton of time for the Thunder to put in work on the floor, but it did spend time analyzing its own play, and how to best perform against its upcoming foe.
The first matchup between the Thunder and the Suns game in just the third game of the season, the Thunder battled all night and into overtime before Russell Westbrook and his compatriots took care of business and earned a tough victory. In its assessment of Phoenix’s play and its own strengths and weaknesses, the Thunder pointed out that transition defense and defensive rebounding will be two of the biggest keys.
Thunder Talk: Enes Kanter</strong
“(Tonight) is going to be big in transition defense,” center Enes Kanter said. “The most important part right now is to focus on the defense and try to do your best.”
“Everybody has to do their job to keep their man in front of them,” Kanter added. “We need to do a better job of boxing people out. We’re doing well defensively, then at the last second we’re giving up offensive rebounds. Everybody has to do a good job of boxing guys out. Everybody has to work on it and get better every day.”
In some of the situations on offense, the Thunder can make better decisions but are mostly getting the types of shots that it wants – at the rim and from the corners. When it turns the ball over or has bad possessions, sometimes that can have ramifications on the defensive end. With Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight attacking the paint in pick and rolls, the Thunder will be aware to not get hurt when the ball gets thrown in lobs to Tyson Chandler or kicked back out to shooters like TJ Warren.
“That always comes down to reading situations,” Donovan explained. “The first part is one on one defense. How is your ball containment? Who is getting beat off the dribble? The second part would be, where is your help coming from? Is your help getting there in time? The other part of it is, what are you doing in pick and roll coverage?”
Thunder Talk: Coach Donovan</strong
Typically NBA teams play their games at 7 p.m. or later – outside of Sunday night games that typically start at 6 p.m. Tonight’s contest will be at 4 p.m., a unique start-time that will require both teams to get into their game day flow. Adjusting to different conditions is a crucial aspect that the Thunder organization takes on as a whole, in order to best serve the players and put them in positions to succeed.
“The one thing you want to be able to do is keep the guys’ routine and rhythm of what they do personally to get ready for the game pretty much the same,” Donovan noted.
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Remembering Craig Sager
The passing of Craig Sager, the longtime NBA broadcaster, was felt throughout the league on Thursday evening. Sager’s charming personality, enthusiasm for the game and zest for life was inspirational to those who came in contact with him, and watched the games on television. On Friday, members of the Thunder reacted to the news of his death.
Nick Collison: “He was an incredible ambassador for our league. If you look at how popular the league is now and where it came from, he was a part of all of that. He was in everybody’s living room’s at home. The league exists because of the fans and he was that guy giving the fans so much insight and became a character that all the fans loved. Players around the league loved him, coaches loved him…These last couple years when he was sick, he made an impact on a lot of people. He made an impact on myself when I saw how positive he was in his outlook on life and making the most of his life and the most of your time… It’s very sad that he’s gone but I think everybody is celebrating his life and what a great guy he was.
Enes Kanter: “Obviously he was a legend. It was a really sad day. He taught us how to fight through the hardest times. He was always a good person, always smiled and was hardworking.”
Billy Donovan: “He’s a great guy and obviously was great for the game. I have a great amount of affection for him and appreciation for what he’s meant for the NBA. He’s been great.”