Tag: Mike Muscala

Bucknell to honor Mike Muscala, will retire his No. 31 jersey

Muscala played for the Bison from 2009-13 and graduated as Bucknell’s all-time leading scorer, netting 2,036 points across four seasons.

Mike Muscala is going to be honored by his alma mater.

According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, Muscala’s No. 31 jersey will be retired by Bucknell during halftime of their home game against American on Saturday afternoon.

Muscala played for Bucknell from 2009-13, averaging 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game for the Bison.

Per Mussatto, Muscala graduated as Bucknell’s all-time leading scorer, netting 2,036 points across four seasons. He also noted that Muscala is the only player in Patriot League history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

In the four years that Muscala spent in Lewisburg, Pa., the Bison went 92-42, twice winning Patriot League tournament championships in 2011 and 2013. Muscala was named the MVP both times.

The seventh-year veteran is in his first season in Oklahoma City.

He’s played sparingly as of late thanks to the return of Terrance Ferguson after an eight-game absence and fully healthy big men, Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel.

However, more minutes may be on the horizon as the rotation could change in the wake of Darius Bazley’s knee injury during Sunday’s loss to the Boston Celtics.

He’s seen action in 35 games this season, averaging 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per contest.

The Thunder wrap up their four-game homestand on Tuesday night when they host the San Antonio Spurs.

Fully healthy roster creating rotation issues for Oklahoma City

Hamidou Diallo, Mike Muscala, and Deonte Burton have not played in the two games since Terrance Ferguson returned to practice on Feb. 3.

After a January in which multiple different players were sidelined with a variety of injuries, the Thunder started the month of February with a fully healthy roster (minus, of course, Andre Roberson). Which should be a good thing.

In theory.

The reality is a little bit more complicated because a fully healthy roster means a logjam for minutes.

Lu Dort made the most of his time playing in place of Terrance Ferguson. He played so well that he’s stayed in the starting lineup despite Ferguson returning to practice on Feb. 3 after missing eight straight games.

Ferguson has since been relegated to the bench. He played 14 minutes in Friday’s 108-101 win over the Pistons.

But those minutes have to come from someone else.

As noted by Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Hamidou Diallo, Mike Muscala, and Deonte Burton have not played in either game since Ferguson came back. Billy Donovan told Lee that 11 or 12 guys are just too many to rotate.

“In those situations,” Donovan said of the team’s January injuries, “we had a lot of different guys step up during those moments in time to really help us get through the month and have a pretty successful month. Now, as your team gets, you know, healthier, you’ve got to, you can’t play 11 or 12 people, just too many guys, but you also have to keep everybody engaged.”

It will be interesting to see how the rotation will play out as the second half of the season goes on.

Dort is on a two-way contract, meaning he can only spend 45 total days with the Thunder.

To help extend Dort’s stay in the NBA, Lee pointed out that Dort, while starting in games, is not practicing with the team.

Diallo has been dealing with injury issues of his own this season, having missed 17 games earlier in the year with a hyperextended right elbow.

Report: Andre Roberson could be on the move

According to Erik Gee of Sports Illustrated, Roberson is one of the players to keep an eye on as the Feb. 6 trade deadline gets closer.

There may still be moves to make for Oklahoma City ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

While names like Danilo Gallinari and Steven Adams have already been mentioned in conjunction with multiple teams, there are a couple of new news that have popped up as potential trades.

Per Erik Gee of Sports Illustrated, the name that is the most “intriguing” is Andre Roberson.

The thought behind trading Roberson is someone might be willing to take him off (Sam) Presti’s hands because of his expiring contract if the Thunder were willing to part with a first-round pick. Not having to pay the rest of Roberson’s 10.7 million dollar contract could allow the Thunder to be buyers at the trade deadline.

Roberson has been sidelined since suffering a ruptured left patellar tendon on Jan. 27, 2018 and is coming up on two full years without playing competitively in a game.

While Billy Donovan had indicated at the start of training camp that Roberson could be back sometime this season, Roberson moved his rehab to Los Angeles in December and appears to be no closer to a return.

As noted by Gee, ESPN’s Bobby Marks also suggested that Mike Muscala could be on the trading block. Muscala has shot the ball extremely well lately, making four or more 3-pointers in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

Oklahoma City made their first trade of the season on Friday when they sent Justin Patton and cash to the Mavericks in a deal for rookie forward Isaiah Roby. According to Marks, the trade is conditional upon Roby reporting and passing a physical.

The Thunder play in the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday night when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves.

Dennis Schroder’s big second half leads OKC past Magic

Schroder scored 20 of his game-high 31 in the second half as the Thunder held off Orlando to move to a season-high seven games over .500.

Dennis Schroder scored 20 points in the second half as Oklahoma City held off the Orlando Magic 120-114 on Wednesday night.

The Thunder have now won four in a row on the road and are a season-high seven games over .500.

It took a balanced scoring attack to take down the Magic.

Six players were in double-digits for the Thunder, led by Schroder who tied his season-high with a game-high 31. Schroder was efficient in 33 minutes, going 13-of-18 from the field, including hitting three of his four attempts from beyond the arc. He also dished out nine assists.

As a team, Oklahoma City shot 60.5% from the field and 47.4% beyond the arc.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 18 as part of a double-double to go along with 12 rebounds.

Chris Paul, Nerlens Noel, Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari were all also in double figures.

In his return to the lineup, Noel played 30 minutes of game time, scoring 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds. Noel was in the starting lineup against the Magic due to the absence of Steven Adams, who missed Wednesday’s game due to a left ankle sprain.

While the Thunder have been the best team in the clutch this year, they almost let one get away from them against Orlando.

After taking a nine-point lead in the half, the Magic outscored OKC 38-32 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to three headed into the fourth.

Though the Thunder opened the final frame on a 10-2 run, a 3-pointer by Aaron Gordon with 4:58 remaining capped a 15-5 run by Orlando to get it to 107-106.

But the Magic couldn’t quite overtake OKC.

With the win, Oklahoma City improves to 26-19 and 12-10 on the road. The Thunder return home to host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

Steven Adams, Nerlens Noel questionable vs. Magic

Both Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel are dealing with left ankle issues and are questionable to play Wednesday night against the Magic.

It would be a big boost for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night against the Magic. More specifically, a big men boost.

According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, both Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel are questionable for the Thunder’s game in Orlando.

Both have been dealing with left ankle issues.

Adams is still dealing with the left ankle sprain that he suffered during the first quarter of OKC’s win over the Rockets.

Having just recently returned from a right knee contusion, Adams played all of two minutes Monday. He left the game after being undercut by Clint Capela while attempting to rebound a missed three-pointer by Danilo Gallinari. Capela was called for a flagrant foul, but Adams had to leave the game. He did not return.

Noel was unavailable for Oklahoma City in place of Adams on Monday as he was out with left ankle soreness.

He missed six games with a left ankle sprain before returning on Friday against the Miami Heat. He also played 19 minutes on Saturday against the Trail Blazers and scored 15 points.

The initial injury occurred during the third quarter of OKC’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 4.

Tip-off between the Thunder and the Magic in Orlando is at 6 p.m. CT.

Steven Adams, Nerlens Noel to be re-evaluated on Friday

Noel has missed six games with a left ankle sprain while Adams suffered a right knee contusion in OKC’s loss to Toronto on Wednesday.

Oklahoma City is hoping to have a bolstered middle when they host the Miami Heat on Friday night.

According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, both Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel will be re-evaluated prior to Friday night’s tip-off inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.

A video tweeted out by Maddie Lee showed Noel getting in some post-practice work.

Noel has missed the last six games with a left ankle sprain. He suffered in the injury in the third quarter of Oklahoma City’s win over the Cavaliers on Jan. 4 when he stepped on the foot of Tristan Thompson while chasing a ball out of bounds.

Billy Donovan told The Oklahoman that Noel has been progressing, saying of his Thursday practice, “obviously he was able to do a lot more today, running around and stuff.”

Adams was injured during the first half of the Thunder’s loss to Toronto on Wednesday night and was ruled out at halftime with a right knee contusion.

Donovan said he was “sore” but the Thunder head coach was unsure of where “Adams is physically” ahead of Friday’s game.

Though Mike Muscala played well against the Raptors on Wednesday, without the presence of Adams or Noel, Toronto dominated the points in the paint, 62-48.

Friday’s game will be the first this season between Oklahoma City and the Heat.

Three takeaways from OKC’s 130-121 loss to Toronto

Steven Adams’ absence hurt the Thunder inside, OKC was fantastic from the free-throw line, and Dennis Schroder scored a game-high 25 points.

Oklahoma City made an attempt at another second-half comeback on Wednesday night, trailing the Raptors by 30 in the second quarter. Although OKC was able to close the gap, Toronto closed the game on an 8-2 run to escape with a 130-121 victory.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

 

The absence of Steven Adams hurt the Thunder in the paint

 Adams played only seven minutes on Wednesday night, scoring just two points and grabbing two rebounds. He was ruled out at halftime with a right knee contusion, although no additional information about how the injury occurred was given.

Mike Muscala played well in extended minutes, scoring 17 points and pulling down four boards, but without Adams or Nerlens Noel, who is still sidelined with an ankle sprain, the Raptors dominated the points in the paint, 62-48.

Oklahoma City was excellent from the free-throw line

 The Thunder are one of the best in the league from the charity stripe, but on Wednesday they were the best, hitting a league-high 95% of their free-throw attempts.

For the season, OKC is fifth in free-throw percentage, making 79.8% of their attempts from the line.

 

Dennis Schroder continues to make case for Sixth Man of the Year

Dennis Schroder once again came off the bench to score a game-high 25. He hit 10-of-17 from the floor and five of his 10 attempts from beyond the three-point line. He also pulled down three rebounds, dished out six assists, and created two of OKC’s league-best 14 steals on Wednesday night.

Mike Muscala’s reaction to Joel Embiid’s dislocated finger is all of us

Embiid suffered a gruesome finger dislocation during the first quarter of the 76ers game against Oklahoma City on Monday night.

Joel Embiid is known almost as much for being injured as he is for his play.

The 76ers center missed the first two seasons of his NBA career with a broken bone in his foot and sat out an additional 88 games prior to the start of this year.

It’s not the most serious injury he’s ever had, but it’s a nasty looking one, as Embiid suffered a gruesome finger dislocation during Monday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The injury happened late in the first quarter. Embiid was guarding Steven Adams when he slid over to help defend a drive by Darius Bazley.

It’s unclear exactly how his dislocated his finger, but Embiid immediately walked towards the sideline as play continued, eventually resulting in an Adams putback slam.

As the camera panned to Embiid, it showed his ring finger on his left hand was bent at an awkward angle back across his pinky.

Mike Muscala was understandably horrified.

Warning: The video is graphic.

Embiid was immediately taken back to the locker room.

Per Serena Winters, the Sixers reporter for NBCPhiladelphia, Embiid was treated, taped up and put back in the game.

Embiid is averaging a double-double this season, going for 23.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.

A look at the Thunder’s quality 3-point shooting to begin the season

The Thunder are ranked seventh in the league for 3-point percentage to begin this season.

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It may have taken starting a rebuild for the Oklahoma City Thunder to be a good 3-point shooting team.

And yet with the Thunder at 4-6 to start the season, they’re one of the best shooting teams in the NBA.

The Thunder made a season-high 17 3-pointers in their 121-119 loss Sunday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Mike Muscala and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each had a team-high four 3-pointers, and Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder each had three.

Through 10 games this season, the Thunder rank seventh in the league for 3-point percentage, shooting at a 37.5% clip. As a team, the Thunder make 11.5 3-pointers a game, and five players account for a good portion of those makes.

Paul, Gilgeous-Alexander, Terrance Ferguson, Danilo Gallinari and Darius Bazley combine for 8.7 of the Thunder’s 3-pointers per game. Each player has shot at least 38% from 3-point range.

Despite being two games under .500, the Thunder’s quality shooting has helped them remain competitive.

They’ve only shot below 36% from the 3-point line in two games. Both of those were losses, and in both games, they lost by 12 or fewer points. In games where they have shot 36% or better from deep, they’re 4-4. In each of the four losses, the Thunder have lost by single digits.

Having new players such as Paul, Gallinari and Gilgeous-Alexander has helped the Thunder improve their shooting.

Paul and Gallinari have both shot at least 37% from 3-point range in their careers. A rookie last season, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 36.7% with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Ferguson has also improved his shooting steadily over his career. He’s shooting 38.1% from three on 2.1 attempts. Bazley, a rookie, has shot 40.0% on 2.5 attempts. He ranks seventh among rookies for 3-point percentage, according to NBA.com.

In the past three seasons, the Thunder have been in the bottom half of the league for 3-point percentage. The last time they were in the top half was in the 2013-14 season, when they ranked 14th.

Their top two shooters last season were Jerami Grant and Paul George, but both players were traded this offseason to the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. Ferguson was the team’s third-best 3-point shooter last season, hitting at a 36.6% clip.

The Thunder are rebuilding, but they have a budding young player in Gilgeous-Alexander. Paul and Gallinari are proven talents, so their leadership helps. Though the Thunder might not make the playoffs, their shooting ability gives them a chance to compete against most teams.

OKC will play the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

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