SALT LAKE CITY – The Thunder made the first punch, but when the Utah Jazz made a counter-punch, it was too much to overcome.
On Tuesday night Head Coach Scott Brooks’ team fell 98-81 to the Jazz in a contest that was seemingly two different ball games. Strong play in the first quarter helped the Thunder build a nine-point advantage that eventually swelled to 17 points in the second quarter.
With about six minutes remaining in the first half, however, the Thunder offense stagnated. The Jazz went on a 20-5 run to end the half, then burst for 32 points in the third quarter, outscoring the Thunder by 15 in the frame. That led to what ended up being a 37 point turnaround and a 20-point Utah advantage, a deficit the Thunder couldn’t overcome.
Jeremy Lamb led the Thunder with 19 points, Reggie Jackson had seven assists and Steven Adams added 11 points, while the Thunder’s bench unit led by Anthony Morrow and Kendrick Perkins combined to outscore Utah’s reserves 29-22.
The general problems on the offensive end were clear to Thunder coaches and players after the game. Over-dribbling, lack of movement and low percentage shots created turnovers, long rebounds and eventually run-outs for the Jazz. Fortunately those are correctable issues, but ones the Thunder has to rein in moving forward.
“The end of the second quarter was bad offense,” Brooks said. “We were looking for ‘our shot’ instead of ‘a shot’. In the third quarter, we were missing shots and our defense didn’t come to play in that third quarter.”
“Anytime you take bad shots or shot clock shots, that’s like a turnover,” Morrow said. “They’re out. They’re gone. It’s at least a three-on-two or four-on-two every time. It fed their offense.”
Keys to the Hot Start
It wasn’t that everything the Thunder threw at the rim in the first quarter just happened to go in, or that Brooks’ club caught lightning in a bottle. There were tangible reasons why the Thunder had success in the first 18 minutes of the game and built that 17 point lead.
Offensive sets were being run crisply, every man on the floor was seemingly touching the ball on each possession and decisions to pass, shoot or drive were obvious. When the Thunder has its spacing and tempo right, it can make a major difference in how easy its shots become.
“That first quarter was as good of execution on both ends that we’ve had in the last two weeks,” Brooks said. “At about the six minute mark of the second quarter, we were taking some tough shots. Then we were defending with our hands and they got 15 free throws in that second quarter.”
“We were just moving the ball and being very physical defensively,” Morrow explained. “We were being physical offensively too, cutting hard. We got them in the penalty, got them fouling us by cutting hard and playing hard. We were executing and getting easy shots.”
Offense Impacts Defense
On a mental and even emotional level, the Thunder tries to make sure that how it is shooting the ball or how things are going on the offensive end doesn’t affect the way it plays defense. For almost the entire year, the Thunder has accomplished that goal as it has touted one of the stingiest defenses in the league.
Some defensive struggles are unavoidable, however, when the five-man unit doesn’t have time to set up in its shell to protect the paint and the rim. On Tuesday, the Thunder’s poor offensive possessions didn’t necessarily always result in a live-ball turnover or fast break points for Utah, but it ensured the Jazz didn’t have to pull the ball out of the net, in-bound it and allow the Thunder’s defense to get organized. Moving forward, the Thunder knows that creating a high percentage shot within the flow of strong offense can not only help get a bucket, but also pay dividends on the other end of the floor.
“When you get good shots, whether they go in or not, you still have time to set your defense,” Morrow said.
“If we don’t get good shots, we stop scoring, the offense gets stagnant and it puts a lot of pressure on your defense,” Lamb explained.
Stats of the Night
23-14 – The Thunder’s lead after one quarter, en-route to building a 17-point lead
37 – The point swing that occurred throughout the game, as the Jazz built a 20-point lead after the Thunder created a 17-point lead early in the contest
43.2 – Shooting percentage for the Jazz on the night as the Thunder forced 13 turnovers
The Final Word
“(We have to) be aggressive, but play for each other.” – Thunder guard Jeremy Lamb