Sometimes it seems there may be no rhyme or reason to it, but the NBA schedule is like a piece of music – one that the Thunder must stay in tune with in order to succeed. After a week on the road to play in Minneapolis, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Oakland, the Thunder is getting ready to embark on four more days away from Oklahoma City – to Salt Lake City and New Orleans.
But first the team gets a stretch of four straight days without a game. After arriving at 5 a.m. on Thursday, the Thunder took a well-deserved day off to shake off the jet lag before assembling for practice today at the INTEGRIS Thunder Development Center. Although the team won’t get to play in front of its home fans until next week, this weekend will be a wonderful chance to regroup.
“It’s good to get back home, get an opportunity to get some practice in, which is good for us especially with the road trip ahead,” point guard Russell Westbrook said.
“It’s mainly getting back home, getting together, discussing what we need to focus on coming up in these next two games, and just practicing,” fellow guard Anthony Morrow added. “Getting practice time around this time of the season is very critical. You don’t get too much of it, especially on road trips, being on the road as much as we are this month.”
Thunder Talk: Russell Westbrook
With some time at home to rest and recuperate, the Thunder can also do a better job of tapping into its identity as a physical team that imposes its will on the game, rather than the other way around. On the road trip, Thunder leaders like Westbrook, Morrow and Head Coach Billy Donovan noted that there were some opportunities for the team to show more of that tenaciousness on the floor.
“We have to be a team that looks out for each other and takes care of each other,” Donovan explained succinctly.
- Thunder center Steven Adams was seen at practice today, but didn’t participate while still recovering from the concussion he suffered in Sacramento against the Kings. The injury kept him out of games against the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to lace them up for Monday night’s contest against the Utah Jazz.
- Here’s Donovan’s prognosis: “He’s progressing. He’s getting better each day. Because he’s in the concussion protocol it’s tough for me to sit there and stay where his progress is because there are so many steps he has to pass before he can get out there and have contact and play. They’ll do more testing tomorrow and we’ll have more of an update. He’s better today than when we were out west and I imagine tomorrow he’ll be better but is he going to be able to play against Utah? I don’t know that.”