Tag: Danilo Gallinari

Oklahoma City ‘not going away’ as Thunder climbs power rankings

The Thunder climbed one spot in the Uproxx power rankings after going a perfect four-for-four in their games last week.

Oklahoma City has certainly been making moves over the last week or so.

The Thunder are over .500 for the first time this year. They’ve won four straight games, a season’s best. Three of those four victories were comebacks from at least 18 points down.

Dennis Schroder is in the midst of the best season of his career and is coming off a week in which he averaged 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. Good enough to earn him league honors for the Western Conference Player of the Week.

All in all, things are looking up for Oklahoma City, their spot in the Uproxx power rankings included.

This week, OKC moved up a spot to No. 13.

Billy Donovan’s team has nine wins in its last 12 games and, during that run, the Thunder have been a top-12 team in the NBA on both ends of the floor. Oklahoma City’s +4.7 net rating, even in a small sample, paints a favorable picture and the Thunder are now above the .500 mark at 15-14 and firmly in the playoff discussion in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City’s success, this most recent week, in particular, is due in part to outstanding guard play from Schroder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who set and then matched a career-high 32 this week, and Chris Paul.

Gilgeous-Alexander continues to look better and better, averaging 21.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game (on high-end efficiency) in the last nine games. He is flanked by an All-Star caliber contributor in Paul, even if his best days are behind him. The future Hall of Famer isn’t as prolific as he was in his prime, but Paul has a 61 percent true shooting and strong per-minute averages that remind the NBA world of just how good he is.

The Thunder look to have more wins coming, with Memphis and Charlotte on the schedule.

Long-term success will be a question of if Sam Presti decides to keep the team together. Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams are available to be traded, and there are teams that are reportedly interested in Adams.

But for the moment, Oklahoma City has done what most people believed they couldn’t prior to the start of the season – win.

Danilo Gallinari questionable against Clippers, Darius Bazley to start

Gallinari experienced soreness in his left ankle during pregame Sunday and was removed from the starting lineup. He is questionable to play.

Oklahoma City will be without one of their biggest offensive weapons on Sunday night when they host the Clippers.

Just prior to tip-off, it was announced that Danilo Gallinari is out of the starting lineup and questionable to play against Los Angeles.

Per Erik Horne of The Athletic, Gallinari experienced soreness in his left ankle during pregame, causing him to be scratched from the starting lineup.

Darius Bazley was announced as Galliari’s replacement in the Thunder’s starting five.

Gallinari is averaging 18.0 points per game while shooting 43.2% from the field. He’s also hitting on 39.5% of his three-point attempts.

If Gallinari does not play on Sunday, where his loss could be felt the most is at the free-throw line. Gallo is one of the best in the NBA, making 90.3% of his attempts at the charity stripe. The Thunder’s loss to the Clippers in November was by just two points, and a free throw here or there could end up making a difference in the outcome.

By comparison, Bazley is averaging just 3.8 points while shooting 36.2% from the field, playing just 16.4 minutes per game.

Sunday’s start against the Clippers is only the second of Bazley’s career.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made Thunder history in win over Suns

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Thunder history with his career night against the Suns.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a career game Friday against the Phoenix Suns, adding to a sophomore season that’s been filled with improvement.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 32 points and made Thunder history in OKC’s 126-108 win over the Suns. According to Stat Muse, Gilgeous-Alexander became the youngest Thunder player other than Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook to score 32 points.

A second-year guard out of Kentucky, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best young players in the league. As the Thunder’s leading scorer, he is averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game and shooting 35.0% from the 3-point line.

According to NBA.com, he ranks fourth in scoring among sophomores, and he’s ranked 11th in rebounds (5.1).

Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to OKC in the offseason as part of the deal that sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder were projected to be near the bottom of the Western Conference this season, but they’re currently 14-14 and are ranked seventh in the conference.

Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as players such as Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari, have helped the Thunder play better than expected this season.

Paul, with his veteran leadership, leads the team in assists. A good shooter throughout his career, Gallinari is second on the team in both scoring and 3-point field goal percentage.

The Thunder will play the Clippers in OKC on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.

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OKC overcomes 24-point deficit behind Schroder’s 31, defeat Grizzlies 126-122

Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the Thunder are the first team in the last 20 seasons to overcome a 24-point deficit in back-to-back games.

For a three-minute stretch at the beginning of the third quarter, it looked like Oklahoma City’s fate against the Grizzlies was already decided.

Down 89-65 with 7:10 left in the frame, the Thunder caught fire, closing out the quarter by outscoring Memphis 28-11 to cut the deficit to 100-93 heading into the fourth.

Like they did Monday against the Bulls, the Thunder took back the lead in the final frame, a Dennis Schroder jumper with just over eight minutes to play.

Chris Paul put OKC out in front 122-120 with a minute left to play and it was Schroder on Wednesday night that iced the win, making all four of his free-throw attempts down the stretch.

Per Elias Sports Bureau, the Thunder are the first team in the last 20 seasons to overcome a 24-point deficit in back-to-back games. They are the second team in the last 20 seasons to overcome a 20-point deficit in back-to-back games, joining the Pacers on Jan. 11 and Jan. 13, 2010.

After the game, Billy Donovan gave his team credit for grinding it out despite a tough first half.

“We got a lot of contributions from a lot of different guys. Certainly, the bench was a major factor in us being able to put ourselves in a position to get back in the game. I thought we closed the game well. I thought we got good shots and did some good things down the stretch.”

Oklahoma City’s bench outscored the Grizzlies’ 52-49, with 31 of those bench points for OKC coming from Schroder.

Five other players for the Thunder were in double-digits, Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both had 20, Chris Paul scored 18, and Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel added 13 and 10 respectively.

With the win, Oklahoma City improves to 13-14 on the year and 9-5 at home.

The Thunder are back in action on Friday when they host the Phoenix Suns.

Why trading Danilo Gallinari for Myles Turner makes sense for OKC

The Oklahoma City Thunder could benefit by trading Danilo Gallinari to the Indiana Pacers in return for Myles Turner.

It’s time to put up or shut up for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Sunday, December 15 marks the start of when any player that signed a free-agent deal over the summer can finally be traded.

Since the Thunder have several players that fall into that category, it’s time for Sam Presti and company to decide if Oklahoma City is going to stay at the cusp of a postseason spot and hope they can play their way into the playoffs, or if OKC is going to go full rebuild, knowing that there’s a stable full of draft picks that can likely help in the future.

Oklahoma City has already let it be known that they are looking to trade Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams, as reports are out there that the Thunder “made them available”.

While the consensus around the league remains that Chris Paul’s contract may prevent him from being traded, Gallinari remains an intriguing option for many teams.

One team that Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey believes would benefit by trading for Gallinari is the Indiana Pacers.

Calling him “one of this season’s most intriguing trade candidates”, Bailey suggests that the Pacers should send Myles Turner to Oklahoma City for Gallinari as Indiana “might have a higher ceiling with (Domantas) Sabonis playing alongside a playmaking 4”.

Danilo Gallinari is averaging 18.3 points with a 62.4 true shooting percentage in only 30.4 minutes per game. There are only 11 players in NBA history who have at least 500 three-point attempts and match his career marks for points per 75 possessions (19.2) and true shooting percentage (59.0). He’s in the top 100 all-time in career offensive box plus/minus.

Although Turner has gotten off to a less than ideal start, Bailey argues that Turner’s age and contract are what makes him an intriguing prospect for the Thunder.

The Pacers center is off to a slow start this season, posting a career low in win shares per 48 minutes, but he’s only 23 years old. He’s also on a reasonable contract ($18 million per year) through 2023. There could be much worse starts to a reboot than a core of Turner and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

On its face, the deal makes sense for the Thunder. Gallinari is in the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Thunder could trade him now, and get a young player that fits their long-term timeline or wait and risk losing him after the season and getting nothing in return.

Lu Dort providing OKC with valuable defensive minutes during roadtrip

With Terrance Ferguson sidelined due to injury, Thunder rookie Lu Dort has stepped up to play the role of defensive stopper.

Oklahoma City is down to Dort.

The Thunder rookie provided OKC with valuable minutes during the team’s 104-90 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday. With Terrance Ferguson still sidelined with hip soreness, Dort played the role of defensive stopper against the Jazz and guard Donovan Mitchell.

Monday’s game was just the third appearance for the Thunder by the two-way player. Dort did spend the preseason with Oklahoma City but has spent the majority of his time since October in the NBA’s G-League with the OKC Blue.

As such, there isn’t a lot of film available for teams to study, and as Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman pointed out when Dort was matched up against Mitchell, the Jazz guard didn’t seem to know what to do.

The third-year point guard suddenly lunged forward, shifting side to side. Dort backpedaled with deliberate steps.

Mitchell crossed to his left and drove to the basket. Dort shuffled in lockstep. Until they reached the free throw line. Mitchell raised his right forearm and knocked Dort to the ground. Dort didn’t get the offensive foul call, but an off-balance Mitchell air-balled the scoop shot.

Billy Donovan has gone to Dort out of necessity. As previously mentioned, Ferguson on with the team on the road trip but has not played, Hamidou Diallo is out with an elbow sprain, and on Monday night, Danilo Gallinari couldn’t go due to an ankle injury.

Dort has scored much in either of the last two games, scoring just two against Portland and nine against Utah while picking up six and four personal fouls, respectively. But he’s drawn tough defensive assignments, and his teammates have seen the value that Dort has been able to bring.

“I mean, Dort,” Thunder guard Dennis Schröder said, “he did a great job just pursuing, making him (Mitchell) uncomfortable. It was a great team effort as well, but Lu, he deserved that one. And he scored as well.”

Oklahoma City continues their road trip on Wednesday night when Dort and the Thunder take on the Kings in Sacramento. Tip-off is at 9 p.m. CT.

Danilo Gallinari expected to play against Sacramento

After missing Monday’s win over Utah with a sprained ankle, the Thunder have listed Gallinari as available against the Kings.

It appears as if Danilo Gallinari’s injured ankle didn’t keep him out long.

After missing Monday’s 104-90 win over the Utah Jazz with an ankle sprain, Gallinari is expected back in the lineup on Wednesday night against the Kings.

Per Erik Horne of The Athletic, the “Thunder listed Gallinari is available”, however, guard Terrance Ferguson remains out with hip soreness.

Darius Bazley got his first-career start in place of the injured Gallinari on Monday. Bazley played 26 against Utah, scoring his only two points of the game from the free-throw line. He also tallied seven rebounds and a block.

Gallinari will be a welcome addition back to the Thunder’s lineup on Wednesday. He’s averaging 18.3 points per game, and he also provides a consistent outside threat, knocking shots down from beyond the arc at just over a 40% clip.

The Sacramento Kings come into the matchup averaging 105.7 points per game, failing to score more than 100 points just twice this season. Those games were a 99-97 loss to the Lakers and a 97-91 loss to Philadelphia.

Tip-off is at 9 p.m. CT.

The HoopsHype Daily: After a very long dry spell, trade rumors are starting to heat up around the Association

On Dec. 15, players signed this past summer become eligible to get traded and trade rumors are starting to heat up around the league.

TRADE SZN HEATING UP: On Dec. 15, pretty much every player signed this past summer becomes eligible to be traded. As such, after a slow spell of trade rumors for the past few months, talks are about to heat up around the Association. In fact, scuttle around the league is already picking up, as The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor released an article discussing what he’s hearing from league executives as trade season approaches.

🚀 For starter’s, according to KOC, the Rockets have interest in Timberwolves swingman Robert Covington, a defensive expert shooting 36.9 percent from three this season. Covington would be a great fit there, as Houston could use a 3-and-D expert to put around James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

😲 Furthermore, per O’Connor, despite Portland adding Carmelo Anthony recently, the Blazers are also looking into acquiring Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari, who is averaging 18.3 points and shooting 40.3 percent from three this season. Gallinari’s addition, surrounding Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, would make Portland’s offense legitimately scary.

🏠 Finally, O’Connor reported that Kevin Love, who has sprung up a lot in trade rumors recently, would prefer a trade to Portland over anything else. Adding Love would move Anthony to bench, but could help the Blazers turn things around this season and begin a true playoff push.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: An embarrassing preemptive declaration and multiple sharpshooting performances headlined last night’s of NBA action.

😬 With under a minute remaining in Atlanta’s game against Miami, Trae Young found Alex Len open for a dunk to put the Hawks up by six. Young then decided it was good time to talk trash to the crowd, emphatically declaring the game over. Lo and behold, the game wasn’t quite over, as two threes helped the Heat tie game, forcing overtime, in which Miami then went on to score the first 16 points. The Heat eventually won the game 135-121. Jimmy Butler couldn’t resist needling Young on social media after the contest. Petty wars, indeed. For what it’s worth, Young was a good sport about it after the game, too.

🔥 Wizards forward Davis Bertans was on fire last night, scoring a career-high 32 points and shooting 8-for-12 from three in a 114-107 Washington loss against the Hornets. Bertans wasn’t the only sharpshooter to go off last night, either, as Heat swingman Duncan Robinson made 10-of-14 triples for Miami. Good night for the sharpshooting wings last night.

A DIFFERENT OUTCOME: According to a report from SNY, Carmelo Anthony’s last few years could have gone much differently if one Knicks official got his way. That unnamed official supposedly tried to get Anthony to rescind his trade request before he got shipped to the Thunder, but ultimately failed.

🤔 Another interesting tidbit from that article: Anthony had a couple of unreported suitors this offseason – the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers. Melo would have been an interesting fit on both teams, who both reside near the top of their conferences at the moment.

MASAI ON THE MOVE? According to SportsNet’s Michael Grange, the Raptors did not, contrary to reports, offer Masai Ujiri a contract extension this past summer, which could have subdued some of the recent noise about the elite executive having eyes for the Knicks. That could come back to bite them in the you-know-what.

PERFECT FIT: Pat Riley gives rare public comments, discussing his recruitment of Jimmy Butler, as well as why he thinks the four-time All-Star is such a good fit with the Heat. Also some interesting quotes from Butler in there.

FIXING WHAT WAS BROKEN: ESPN goes in-depth on how the Pelicans and Lonzo Ball are fixing his jump shot. Ball is shooting a career-high 34 percent from three this season.

LONG ARMS: We rank the players with the freakiest wingspan-to-height ratios. It should come as no surprise that Magic big man Mo Bamba checked in at No. 1.

LOYAL SUPERSTAR: Damian Lillard pens a wonderful piece for The Players’ Tribune talking about his childhood as well as his time in college, and how those two times in his life helped shape him into the loyal superstar he is now.

LAVINE DETERMINED: Despite some late-game flubs recently, Zach LaVine is determined to establish himself as a superstar, not a No. 2 or No. 3 option. An admirable mindset, but maybe if LaVine were more willing to do the dirty work of a secondary or tertiary option, he’d be a more impactful NBA player.

FIRST ROUNDER HEADED TO G LEAGUE: The Warriors are finally, mercifully, sending 2019’s No. 28 overall pick Jordan Poole down to the G League. 

😱 He’s been one of the worst, if not the worst, big-minute players in the league this season, averaging 7.9 points in 24 minutes nightly in 2019-20, on horrific 25.8/24.6/85.7 shooting splits.

MOVE THE CAMERAMEN BACK: After being injured by falling into one, Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant wants the league to consider moving the under-the-basket cameramen back a few feet. Seems like a reasonable request, especially since Morant says their presence is affecting the way he attacks the basket. He can’t be the only player who feels that way, either.

LESS PHONE TIME: The Wizards are doing some interesting things with their young team in an attempt to get them to be on their phones less. Probably something all of us should consider doing, to be honest.

BUSINESSMAN KD: Kevin Durant and his manager Rich Kleiman talk to Forbes about KD’s business ventures and how life in Brooklyn is going.

BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP: Robert Covington and a young cancer survivor named Gio Toribio have formed a wonderful bond over the years, and The Undefeated interviewed both of them for this uplifting article.

INJURY STATUS: Otto Porter is out at least another month for the Bulls due to a foot injury. That won’t help one of this season’s most disappointing teams turn things around.

BUTLER REMEMBERED: Friends, trainers, coaches and players remember Rasual Butler, the 13-year NBA veteran who tragically passed away early last year.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

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How would Danilo Gallinari fit in Portland?

Following a disappointing start, the Portland Trail Blazers have been linked in rumors to Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari.

Following a disappointing start, the Portland Trail Blazers have been linked in rumors to Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari.

After a trip to the Western Conference Finals last season, Portland now has a losing record (.400) and are two games back of the playoff picture this year. It has been a tough time for Portland, though they seem more likely to add trade assets like Gallinari rather than ship off bigger pieces like CJ McCollum.

Based on recent reporting from Kevin O’Connor, all of the veterans on the Thunder, including Gallinari, are available in trade talks (via The Ringer):

“OKC remains a playoff contender even after trading Westbrook and Paul George last offseason. The Thunder are just 11-12, but that’s good enough today for the 7-seed in the West. Despite their moderate success, plans haven’t changed; Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams and other veterans are all available, according to league sources … Portland is expected to pursue Oklahoma City’s Danilo Gallinari, according to league sources. The Blazers have options to help save their season following the Carmelo Anthony Band-Aid.”

Gallinari has produced 1.14 points per possession for the Thunder this season, via Synergy Sports, which ranks in the 91st percentile among all NBA players. He has been one of the best shooters in the league on non-corner attempts.

When identifying the market for Gallinari, however, one of the traits to look for is teams’ tempo. According to Synergy, Gallinari ranks in the 93rd percentile in a set offense but just in the 18th percentile in a transition offense.

Perhaps the main reason why this would be a good fit for Portland is that only one team (the Cleveland Cavaliers) finishes possessions in transitions less often than the Trail Blazers.

Similarly, the most commonly-used five-man lineup for Portland has played at one of the slowest paces in the league. That pace (99.6) is nearly identical to what Gallinari has averaged (99.9) for Oklahoma City.

However, he would also provide an offensive weapon that they are desperately missing after the devastating injury to Rodney Hood. Before he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles, Hood was the most prolific spot-up shooter for Portland.

As such, the Trail Blazers need another catch-and-shoot option waiting on the perimeter. Gallinari has averaged 7.4 points per game off the catch for Oklahoma City, which ranks fifth-best in the NBA. Portland has scored the second-fewest points per game on catch-and-shoot opportunities, which is where Gallinari can provide immediate relief.

Portland is also shooting just 58.7 percent at the rim, per Cleaning the Glass, which currently ranks as the fifth-worst in the NBA. Gallinari, meanwhile, is shooting a career-best 68 percent in this zone.

For a team that will need immediate scoring relief without Hood available, the Trail Blazers would have plenty of use for Gallinari. The question would only be what they could offer but his fit is there without question.

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Danilo Gallinari out against Jazz with sprained ankle

Gallinari is averaging 18.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game this year, shooting 44.6% from the floor and 40.3% from three.

The Thunder will be without one of their leading scorers on Monday night when they take on Utah.

Billy Donovan announced Monday evening that Danilo Gallinari would miss OKC’s game against the Jazz with a sprained ankle.

The team did not provide additional details about how Gallinari suffered the injury.

As tweeted out by Erik Horne of The Athletic, Donovan told reporters prior to tip-off that whoever plays in Gallo’s place, likely won’t be ‘as efficient and effective’ as he is.

“We’ve got to create ball, player movement, generate good shots. I don’t care who else is out there, they’re probably not going to be as efficiently effective as Gallo is. That’s what he is and that’s what he does exceptionally well.”

Gallinari is averaging 18.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game this year. He’s shooting 44.6% from the floor and 40.3% from beyond the arc.

Oklahoma City will also be without Terrance Ferguson, who missed Sunday’s win over the Trail Blazers due to hip soreness.

Darius Bazley will start the start against the Jazz in place of Gallinari, it’ll be the first start of his NBA career.

In 22 games, Bazley is averaging 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds, attempting just 3.8 shots per contest.