Broadcast Information
- Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. CT
- Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
- Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
There was nothing gentle about the schedule to begin with – an 8:30 p.m. game on Friday night followed by Saturday’s 7:00 p.m. showdown with the Sacramento Kings, both at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The basketball gods added a degree of difficulty in the fourth quarter and overtimes on Friday, however, as the Thunder played 58 minutes of tenacious basketball against the Utah Jazz while Sacramento waited in their hotel rooms and got a full night sleep.
What mattered on Friday, and what will be crucial on Saturday is not just whether the Thunder wins, but how it plays. Over the course of the season, fans have seen the Thunder’s offense take major steps forward in terms of productivity in addition to full on trust. No greater sequence could personify it than Abdel Nader’s corner three-pointer in overtime of the Thunder’s 148-147 win over the Utah Jazz less than 24 hours ago as the Thunder gutted out a victory.
“Those are the ones that show you how cohesive a group is, that we all stay together and get the job done,” said Nader.
The 48: Last-Second Showstopper
Nader also happens to be describing the type of effort that will be required against a hungry, feisty Kings team that is scratching to make the postseason for the first time since the 2005-06 season. In order to get the job done, the Thunder will need to rely on guys who didn’t just play 50 minutes like George did against Utah. Instead, getting significant contributions from role players will be vital to matching Sacramento’s energy.
“When those guys (role players) make the shots [and] make the plays, they just can’t trap [and] they can’t double team anymore,” forward Paul George explained. “Going into the playoffs, we need guys to make big plays regardless of who’s out there for us and who’s on that floor.”
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The vast majority of the times that role players like Nader get straightforward scoring opportunities come from moments when George and Russell Westbrook are commanding the attention of at least two or even three defenders. This happens often. In fact, on Friday night, Westbrook and George both recorded over 40 points, making it just six times that teammates have scored 40-plus in the same game over the last 25 years. It just so happens that Westbrook was involved in four of the six total occasions. Against this Kings team, the Thunder can be extra dangerous when putting Westbrook and George in some pick and rolls together.
“I mean it’s just tough action with me and Russ in it. Nobody can stay in front of Russ and I can shoot over if they switch,” explained George “So, it puts a lot of teams in a confusion of whether they should switch, whether they should stay home, whether they should show, so it’s good action for me and Russ.”
The matchup against the Kings will give George yet another opportunity to build an MVP narrative, even when his motivation is clearly set on winning and not on personal accolades. Friday marked George’s third game-winning basket of the season, a 9-foot floater that somehow escaped Rudy Gobert’s outstretched arms.
Against the Kings, George will again be called upon to produce offensively but will also have to help curtail one of the NBA’s most up-tempo offenses. Whether he guards newcomer Harrison Barnes or former University of Oklahoma standout Buddy Hield, George will do what he always does – play with focus and precision for every minute and on every possession that he’s out there.
“I would be hard pressed to find a guy that plays both ends of the floor the way he does. I don’t think people truly understand how hard it is for a player to do what he does offensively and then exert the energy he exerts on defense,” said Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan. “When you look at a player like that as MVP caliber, I don’t know if there are many guys, or if any, at the level that he is at on both sides of the ball.”
George has been a defensive inspiration for this Thunder group, but lately the team hasn’t been as stingy on that end as it had been earlier in the season. Getting back to that defensive identity is going to be a part of the habits that must be honed and incorporated within in the team for these next two months of regular season action leading up to the postseason. The Kings are going to try to push the pace, attack the rim, kick out for three-pointers and charge in for offensive rebounds. The Thunder’s job is to curtail as much of that as possible.
“When we defend the three at a high level and then rebound at a high level; that’s it for us,” said Donovan. “It requires us guarding the ball.”
NEWS & NOTES
- An interesting wrinkle that Donovan employed on Friday night, and one to expect moving forward is that in late game situations he allowed the Thunder to grab the ball and go off of missed shots or missed free throws. Off of a made basket or free throw with just seconds remaining, Donovan will likely call a timeout to be able to advance the ball, but on misses, he likes getting players like George and Westbrook in the open floor.
- “I want to let those guys be able to play in that kind of space,” said Donovan.
- In his first game with the Thunder, Markieff Morris played 17 minutes and took just 1 field goal but made two assists, made a steal and fouled twice. After having not played in an NBA game since late December and coming into a new environment it was inevitable that Morris will need some time to get completely acclimated, but everyone in the locker room is confident that the versatile power forward will continue to improve with each game under his belt.
- “It’s going to be game-by-game, I’m going to get better,” said Morris. “The fans were unbelievable. You know a team is a brotherhood, and I’ve said it before, you can see that on the outside looking in. We showed that tonight, we went down but we stuck together. The bench came in and did a great job. They started of course the MVP and Russ did a good job.”
- “Markieff was fine for a guy that hasn’t played since December. He will get better and better. I was happy we could get him out there and get him some minutes,” said Donovan. “As he plays with these guys and gets more familiar with them and play calls on the offensive end, he will be fine. He has been a great addition and done a really, really good job.”