Tag: Dariuz Bazley

OKC Thunder player grades: Aleksej Pokusevski plays great in 100-87 loss to Sixers

Three straight games now for Poku where he’s played great.

On the day following the NBA trade deadline, the Oklahoma City Thunder fall to the Philadelphia 76ers, 100-87.

To put it bluntly, the Thunder offense struggled and was never really to gain any rhythm until the fourth quarter. The Thunder scored 87 points, which is the fifth-lowest amount scored in a game this season. The Thunder also shot 39.3 percent from the field and went 6-of-35 (17.6 percent) from three. The defense did a good job at keeping the margin respectable and within reach most of the game, but a team has got to be able to hit its shots in order to have any serious chance of completing a comeback.

For the Sixers, MVP candidate Joel Embiid led the way as he finished with 25 points and 19 rebounds. Tobias Harris contributed with 17 points and Tyrese Maxey added 24 points.

Overall, this was a decent showing game for the shorthanded Thunder despite the team never really being able to produce quality offense and shot the ball coldly. Let’s take a look at player grades.

Thunder-Wizards halftime stats: Muscala scores 11, Bazley leads with 14

Mike Muscala returned from concussion protocol and started in place of the injured Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel. He helped the Thunder take a big halftime lead.

Mike Muscala returned from concussion protocol just in time for the time Oklahoma City Thunder needed him most.

With centers Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel out, Muscala was thrust into the starting lineup against the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternon.

He was a key part of a 10-0 run to start the game that propelled the Thunder to a 64-48 halftime lead.

Muscala had 11 points in the first half, one of three Thunder players to reach double-digits.

Forward Danilo Gallinari had 12 points. He and Muscala combined for every point in the 10-0 Oklahoma City run and made five total 3-pointers.

Off the bench, Darius Bazley led the way with 14 points in 12 minutes. He was 5-for-8 from the field with two 3-pointers.

The main reason for the Thunder’s lead, which is often the case, was Chris Paul. While Paul only had five points, he was a plus-22 in the half and there was a clear decline in play when he was off the court.

He checked out midway through the first quarter with a 13-point lead, and the Wizards promptly went on an 8-0 run.

He re-entered with about 30 seconds to go in the first and had a quick assist.

Paul had five assists, two steals and two blocks, and his only turnover came at the end of the half when he was trying to push it upcourt for one final basket at the buzzer.

As a team, the Thunder only had five turnovers in the half, and the Wizards did not score a point off any.

The Thunder had no issues with the Wizards in the first half. If they can keep the lead large, starters may be able to get a little rest in the second half before the second game of the back-to-back, which is against the Phoenix Suns on Monday afternoon.

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