MEMPHIS – The Thunder has an ability to play at a high level in a number of different formats – in an up-tempo game, a slower half-court contest and anything in between. If it doesn’t execute well and doesn’t make shots, no style of play will matter, and the same can be said for any NBA team.
That frustrating storm of events all crashed together in Memphis on Thursday night as the Thunder struggled with turnovers in the first quarter, allowed a 15-1 second quarter run and then had a barrage of meaningless threes rained on them in the fourth quarter of a 114-80 loss to the Grizzlies. Head Coach Billy Donovan knows his team can play completely and utterly differently than it did, but also that Memphis played quite well on both ends of the floor.
“Leading up to this game we had been playing very good basketball. Give Memphis a lot of credit. They played very well,” Donovan said. “They did a terrific job defensively. They’ve been good defensively all year long. There were a lot of things we could have done a whole lot better.”
The game turned with 6:41 to go in the third quarter when Russell Westbrook was hit with two technical fouls back-to-back. There had been discussion between Westbrook and officials about whether the ball on the previous play had hit the rim or not, and the conversation spilled over into Memphis free throws that occurred on the continued Grizzlies possession. According to Westbrook himself, the frustration didn’t stem from that one play, but was a crescendo from prior events in this game and previous games.
“When he got the technical foul, he was surprised,” Donovan said. “He’s a really difficult guy to referee. He’s very fast, he’s very explosive and he’s in the lane.”
Even after Westbrook’s ejection the Thunder had a chance to make this one interesting down the stretch. Behind the 12 of Enes Kanter’s 19 points that came in the third quarter, the Thunder managed to wrangle a 20-point Memphis lead down to 14 just before the close of the third quarter, but Grizzlies guard Andrew Harrison knocked down a three-pointer to beat the quarter buzzer. Memphis continued that momentum into the fourth to create an 11-1 run, ending the game for good.
The Thunder shot just 33.8 percent from the field and 4-for-22 from the three-point line, but did go to the free throw line a season-best 38 times in what was an extremely physical game. Memphis shot 52.4 percent from the field and knocked down 13-of-22 three-point attempts, including 8-for-11 threes in the fourth quarter.
“We got fouled quite a bit and to the free throw line quite a bit. We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well in a lot of cases when we had opportunities,” Donovan explained. “They shot the basketball well. They made some plays and made shots when necessary. Daniels got extremely hot towards the end of the game in the fourth quarter, which extended the lead.”
In the NBA it’s easy to shrug off a loss like this one tonight. In fact, teams have no choice but to do so. On Saturday the Thunder will host the LA Clippers on New Year’s Eve, it’s ninth-straight “Opening Night” game to kick-off 2017. With just a day in between, then with that game Saturday before another three-game road trip, it’ll be incumbent upon the Thunder to bounce back, execute and play at a high level in order to return to the track of strong play it showed over the past week.
“That’s what the league is about,” Westbrook said. “You get an opportunity to play again and get ready for the next game.”
Highlights: Thunder at Grizzlies - Dec. 29, 2016
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By the Numbers
19 – Points for Enes Kanter on 7-for-11 shooting, including 12 points in the third quarter alone
33.8 – Shooting percentage for the Thunder on the night, including just a 4-for-22 mark from the three-point line
59.1 – Shooting percentage from the three-point line for the Grizzlies, including an 8-for-11 mark in the fourth quarter- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“It was disappointing the way we had played the last three or four games. It’ll be an opportunity after watching the film to take some things from it and hopefully apply it and get better.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan