Broadcast Information
- Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. CT
- Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
- Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
SAN ANTONIO -- In an 82-game season, pragmatism is the only possible approach that can be taken to each upcoming competitive contest. Too emotionally charged one night and amped on the glory of victory and a let-down is inevitable. Conversely, to paraphrase an old aphorism, a team that thinks it is beaten is already lost.
That’s why despite dropping four of its past five games, the Thunder is not in a position of pressure or panic. Instead, the focus is on the actual work and what needs to be done on Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs to play the best the team possibly can to put itself in a position to win. Coming out of the past two losses, games dropped to Denver and Philadelphia in somewhat similar fashion, the Thunder has recognized slippage in some of its defensive continuity, particularly in allowing some wide open three-point shooters to get uncontested looks.
“We have to do a better job of communicating in those situations,” said Head Coach Billy Donovan.
“It’s definitely things that we can fix and that we will fix,” added forward Jerami Grant.
While the three-point line is a major concern for the Thunder’s defense every single night, the Spurs present quite the paradox. Despite shooting the best percentage in the NBA from behind the arc at 40.2 percent, the Gregg Popovich-led San Antonio squad attempts just 24.9 attempts from behind the arc. Years ago that would have been plenty. This year, it’s the fewest in the entire NBA.
That conundrum is what the Thunder will face on the road against the Spurs, the first meeting in San Antonio since the double-overtime barnburner on Jan. 10. Much has changed for both teams since that meeting, including the addition of Markieff Morris for the Thunder, and heading into Saturday’s game, the uncertainty about Paul George’s sore right shoulder. Against Philadelphia, the Thunder started Morris in George’s place in the first half and point guard Dennis Schröder in the second half, so if George is unable to go again, Donovan believes that the experience on Thursday will be a valuable one moving forward.
“Everybody was probably out of sorts a little bit in terms of rotations, minutes, role, responsibility,” said Donovan after the loss to the 76ers. “That was challenging, but listen, you’re not going to always be healthy and this can be a game that we can learn and grow from.”
Against a Spurs team with potent wings in DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay, the Thunder will need as much positive play from Morris and forward Jerami Grant as possible, as well as good minutes from Abdel Nader off the bench. In these types of matchups, having players who are flexible enough to guard multiple positions on the floor can be incredibly beneficial, particularly in trying to turn San Antonio into an isolation-heavy offense rather than its typical drive-and-kick orchestration.
“We need guys like that, especially for the playoffs,” said Morris. “We need guys that are smaller to play the five or the four and being more versatile so the more the better.”
Offensively, the Thunder will also have to produce more like it did in the month of January than it has so far after the All-Star Break. Through strong ball movement, some dead-eye shooting and a commitment to pushing tempo in transition, the Thunder can get to its desired identity against a mostly veteran Spurs squad. Despite the recent skid, the Thunder has confidence that its defense-to-offense style is within reach if it can put everything together at the same time. The team knows it must put in the work – both mentally and physically – but the power of positive belief is strong in OKC.
“When we play the right way, nobody can beat us - that is how we come in every day. It is not cockiness. It is just how we believe in ourselves,” explained Schröder. “I think we just got to do that. Go out there compete and play together and we will be good.”
SHOOTAROUND NOTES
- UPDATE: Paul George will be out tonight against the Spurs as he continues to recover from right shoulder soreness.
- Three-point line, deep paint, rebounding and fouling are the four most important parts of the Thunder’s defense each night to try to win on the margins. Going against the San Antonio Spurs who foul the fewest times per game in the NBA, the Thunder will have to be extra vigilant to not give away points and possessions by fouling too much. Particularly off the ball with grabs and holds, the Thunder needs to avoid putting the NBA’s best free throw shooting team on the line as well.
- “There’s gonna be fouls that are just normally going to occur, but the ones that have hurt us are the non-shooting fouls,” said Donovan.
- “When you’re playing a good team, you’re fighting for inches,” added Donovan. “You’re fighting for a rebound, you’re fighting to rebound, you[re fighting to not foul, you’re fighting to create and generate a good shot, you’re fighting to get back in transition, you’re fighting to matchup. You’re fighting for those little possessions, the small gains.”
- One way the Thunder can try to minimize fouls and slow down the Spurs’ offensive attack is to be disciplined in its help-side positioning. Oftentimes teams get into situations where they are over-helping in an attempt to have a teammate’s back but put themselves in a vulnerable position in defending their own assignment. Against a pass-happy team like the Spurs, the Thunder has to be sharp with its positioning.
- “We want to be a help-conscious team and you want to be able to provide help when it’s necessary,” Donovan said. “If it’s going towards the rim and a guy has a point-blank layup then we’ve gotta come over and help but if a guy has him under control and it’s going to be a really hard, difficult shot, we need to move back to our men and not get sucked in.”
NEWS & NOTES
- If George is unable to play against the Spurs, expect another heavy dose of Grant, who Donovan styled as a “Swiss Army Knife” on Thursday night when he scored 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Grant has played small forward, power forward and center for the Thunder this season, scoring in a variety of ways and defending anyone put in front of him. This season, Grant is averaging career-bests in points (13.4), rebounds (5.1) and steals (0.9) while also shooting a career-best 38.7 percent from three-point range.
- “I feel comfortable because Jerami’s played some of those positions since he’s been here and he’s really smart and he’s bright,” said Donovan.
- “[I’m] Just trying to play the game. Whatever the game gives me, however my teammates kind of set me up, that’s what I do,” shrugged Grant.
- In the loss to Philadelphia the Thunder attempted 27 three-point shots, below its season average, which was understandable considering its most prolific shooter from behind the arc in George was missing. That bucked the trend though from most of February, when the Thunder launched 37.0 three-pointers per game, making 13.5 per contest for an average of 36.4 percent. That number dipped considerably from the team’s 40.2 percent mark in the month of January, but the Thunder must continue taking catch-and-shoot threes when they are open in order to open up other parts of the floor.
- “We have to take (three-pointers) because I think teams are really trying to keep us out of the paint and really trying to take away any rolls for Steven [Adams], any penetration from Russell,” said Donovan. “So at some point you have to keep the defense honest.”