When asked about the Oklahoma City Thunder giving up more than 120 points in each of the last five games, head coach Mark Daigneault quickly brought up how they’ve given up at least 112 points in the last eight games.
During that stretch, the Thunder are 28th in defensive rating, giving up 116.7 points per 100 possessions.
The suddenly strong Thunder offense has helped masked the defensive issues. During that same stretch, the Thunder are sixth in offensive rating at 115.4 points scored per 100 possessions.
“Our offense over that time has improved,” said Daigneault. “We’re playing a little faster, especially on made baskets, but I think (we have) to loosen this up a little bit and we’ve got to find a balance there.”
Against the New York Knicks on Monday night, they gave up 129 points on 51-of-97 (52.6%) shooting in a 10-point loss. The Knicks led for most of the way with a lead as large as 17 points.
Whenever the Thunder threatened the Knicks lead, they would answer back with a run of their own and keep a healthy distance on the scoreboard throughout the four quarters.
The Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson, who scored 34 points on 14-of-20 shooting. Julius Randle also recorded a 25-point and 11-rebound double-double. RJ Barrett finished with 25 points as well.
“(Brunson, Randle and Barrett) are the top-line guys on the scouting report and they all went for 25-plus tonight,” said Daigneault.
The main message from Daigneault and players after the game was the team’s defense needs to improve, and it needs to return to how it played earlier this season.
Continuously giving up 120-plus points is not a recipe for long-term success and the Thunder know that. If they want to make significant strides, the Thunder need to put a stop to the defensive leakage that’s grown larger over time.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.