CLEVELAND – In the opening 10 minutes of the Thunder’s 107-91 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon, the Thunder managed to take 11 layups. That was the good news. The bad news was that only six of them went in, and what was a seven-point Thunder lead could have realistically been 15, a huge difference in the early stages of a game against the defending NBA Champions.
Those missed bunnies around the rim weren’t the sole reason the Thunder didn’t win on Sunday, but they contributed to giving Cleveland the life it needed late in the first quarter to change momentum. Russell Westbrook, who recorded 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his 24th triple-double of the season and 61st of his career, shot just 7-for-26 and both he and Head Coach Billy Donovan explained how those errant shots around the rim impacted the game.
“We missed some chippies around the basket that could have definitely helped us out a little bit,” Westbrook said. “Early in the game it’s key that we make those, especially on the road. We have to make easy baskets.”
“We have to make those plays,” Donovan said. “We had a couple possessions where we lost control or the ball got slapped out of our hands and some of those led to fast break points.”
Without Enes Kanter for the first time this season and playing against a Cavaliers team that spaces and spreads the floor, the Thunder went small in the second unit, playing Joffrey Lauvergne at center with Jerami Grant at the four along with Cameron Payne, Alex Abrines and Kyle Singler along the perimeter. It won’t be an easy process that happens overnight, but as the Thunder showed tonight, there will be some growing pains as the reserves develop their own rhythm.
In the first half, it didn’t go well. The Cavaliers ripped off a 14-2 run to end the first quarter and start the second, as the Thunder struggled to get offense initiated without its normal inside-out punch that features Kanter in the middle.
“We had three possessions in a row where we didn’t have enough ball movement or enough of a presence at the basket,” Donovan explained. “We settled for jump shots there.”
The game changing burst, however, came with the Thunder’s starters on the floor. An 18-4 Cavs burst to end the half turned a one-point Thunder advantage into a 13-point Cleveland lead at halftime. Things looked grim for Donovan’s club through the third quarter, as the teams practically played even basketball, but suddenly that new-look second unit gave the Thunder a spark. Lauvergne and rookie Domas Sabonis provided a boost in the paint all night long, but a flurry originated from the perimeter. A quick 8-0 run behind two threes from Victor Oladipo and Payne along with a Singler cutting layup made it 82-75 Cleveland with 8:40 to go.
“(The second unit) played well. They did a good job and brought us back. They did a great job of pulling together and figuring it out,” Westbrook praised. “It’s their first game so there are more games to come to figure it out.”
Unfortunately, some of the woes that reared their head earlier in the game again cropped up coming out of the Cleveland timeout. Westbrook missed a three-pointer, adding to a 6-for-26 shooting night for the Thunder from behind the arc. Payne missed a jumper and a layup, Singler missed a three and then Westbrook got the ball to Steven Adams twice under the rim, but the big Kiwi couldn’t convert, turning the ball over once, leading to a Cleveland layup, part of 23 points off 16 Thunder turnovers on the night.
“Just some mental mistakes,” Westbrook summarized of the team’s entire stretch.
Once the Cleveland lead was built back into double-digits the Thunder didn’t have enough time to claw back into it, leaving Donovan’s team with a flight out of snowy Ohio and down to Texas as the team wraps up this stretch of eight-of-nine on the road with a battle with the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.
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By the Numbers
5 – Offensive rebounds for Russell Westbrook as a part of a 20-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, his 24th of the year and 61st of his career
15-5 – The Thunder’s advantage in second chance points on the night thanks to 13 offensive rebounds
23 – Points allowed to the Cavaliers off of 16 Thunder turnovers on the night - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“We’re trying to get shots in the deep paint and get out in transition. We had some opportunities in the first half and in the second half where we didn’t convert around the rim at a high enough level that we needed to.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan