Tag: Mike Muscala

Thunder focusing on style, identity in first days of group workouts

With an almost entirely new group of players, the Oklahoma City Thunder is focusing on style, terminology and identity in training camp.

After months away from the team and then only solo activities over the first five days of training camp, the Oklahoma City Thunder started group workouts on Monday.

“I’ve been doing so much one-one-one workouts all these months, it’s been great to play with the guys,” third-year guard Hamidou Diallo said. “I haven’t competed since the bubble pretty much so it’s been great.”

With a group of brand new players, head coach Mark Daigneault is starting with basics of the organizational philosophy and identity.

“The emphasis was on style of play on both ends of the floor. Identity on both ends of the floor,” Daigneault said. “Getting our base system established, getting our terminology communicated and making sure that we’re all starting with a very clear baseline of how we want to play on both ends of the floor.”

In almost every year of Thunder existence, the play style, hierarchy and organizational structure and has been established before the season even began. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook helped form an identity for the team, and they were the two leads for the better part of a decade. When Durant left, the identity was Westbrook, with complementary players — and, in the case of Paul George, a fellow star — surrounding him. There was no question about who or what the team was.

Last year, even though there were questions about how good the team would be, the order of operations was still clear. Chris Paul and Steven Adams were leaders on and off the court. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was an exciting young player Oklahoma City felt comfortable enough in to put him in the starting lineup. Dennis Schroder was content as a sixth man.

Now, with an almost entirely new cast, even the players need to learn what the team is and stands for.

“This is an organization that has high standards for the team. When we laid out our high standards that’s been met with excitement from these guys,” Daigneault said Monday.

“Everybody had a good day today. It comes down to your ability to sustain it tomorrow, and the next day after and into the dead of February and March. To this point, the approach from the players, the engagement from the players has been outstanding.”

Much of the system is going to be the same from last season. For a normal offseason, that would mean a relatively simple training program, but with so many new players, most of the team doesn’t know last year’s style and intricacies.

“We’re keeping a decent amount of concepts from last year but obviously with a lot of new faces, it’s important that we take the time to teach what those concepts are,” veteran forward Mike Muscala said Monday. “A lot of time was spent doing that today.”

Of course, they played too. It wasn’t just lecturing. Back on the court after months off, they finally have a more organized setting for group play.

“It was really fun,” Muscala said. “Felt good to get up and down, started working on defensive concepts, and just to be out there playing with the guys … It felt good.”

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Report: Mike Muscala opts into $2.3 million 2020-21 deal with Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder big Mike Muscala has exercised his player option, according to Adrian Wojnarwoski.

Oklahoma City Thunder big Mike Muscala has opted into his contract for the 2020-21 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Muscala, 29, played in 47 games for the Thunder last season. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.

His role in the league comes from his ability to stretch the floor. Muscala hit 37.8% of his 3-point attempts last season, a touch above his 36.8% career mark.

Yet outside of his shooting, there isn’t a ton the 6-foot-11 player offers, which has limited his value in the league. This option is for $2.3 million, just slightly over the minimum salary for a player who has been in the league for seven years.

Muscala exercising the player option does not come as a surprise, as there have been reports around the league this offseason that projected he would.

It’s unclear what role will be available for him on Oklahoma City, in large part because the current roster construction is not the finished product.

The Thunder have both Steven Adams and Al Horford at center and Darius Bazley and James Johnson at power forward locked into contracts for next season, and Muscala would be behind all four on the depth chart.

Over his career, Muscala has averaged 5.6 points and 3.1 assists in 15.4 minutes per game.

What Billy Donovan said about 11-man rotation after Thunder loss to Rockets

The Oklahoma City Thunder played 11 players in important moments of Game One. That’s likely not able to continue against the Houston Rockets.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan gave a little hint to his rotation plans going forward in the series against the Houston Rockets.

After the 123-108 loss in Game One of the series, the Thunder likely can’t play 11-men deep again.

Part of that this game was because Nerlens Noel got into early foul trouble. Part was because Donovan wanted to see Andre Roberson early.

From the way Donovan talked, it sounds like four bench guys will be favored: Dennis Schroder, Hamidou Diallo, Darius Bazley and Nerlens Noel.

Those four, along with the starting lineup that includes Terrance Ferguson in place of Lu Dort, would give Oklahoma City a nine-man rotation.

Where does that leave the other players who have gotten time during the season and bubble? Roberson, Mike Muscala, and Abdel Nader, who was available after a neck and elbow sensation held him out of the final bubble game, did not play Tuesday.

“We played Dennis off the bench, and we played Hami off the bench, we played Bazley off the bench and we played Nerlens off the bench,” Donovan said.

“The other two guys, Mike was in there because there was some foul issues with Nerlens, and other one was, I wanted to take a look at Andre, to see what it would be like guarding James Harden. He certainly has a history of playing against him and knows him very well. I think it was important sooner than later to find out what that would look like.”

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While Donovan said Roberson had “a good defensive stance,” he could not have been pleased about the foul Roberson committed on Harden on a 3-point shot. The star guard also drove by Roberson with apparent ease at one point. Roberson was a minus-6 in three minutes of play.

Muscala hit the only shot he took, a 3-pointer, but only had two rebounds in 13 minutes and might not move well enough defensively to defend the 5-out Rockets.

“One guy I didn’t play that I’ll continue to look at is Abdel Nader,” Donovan said.

Nader had two minutes of garbage time.

Going off what Donovan said, it sounds like the nine-man rotation moving forward will be point guards Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Schroder; wings Ferguson, Diallo and Bazley; power forward Danilo Gallinari, who, like Bazley, can get time as center; and Steven Adams and Noel.

Lu Dort has no timetable on his return, but he has not been ruled out of Game Two as Donovan says the guard continues to progress.

Donovan said he’ll watch film on Roberson; if Donovan only needed to see three minutes of action before removing him from Game One, though, there may be more focus on the other nine players moving forward.

It sounds like Muscala will only get time when foul trouble dictates.

Houston cut its bench down to just three guys to play an eight-man rotation. It worked masterfully, as Jeff Green had 22 points and was plus-28, Ben McLemore had 14 points and was plus-27 and Austin Rivers had four points but was plus-11.

The Oklahoma City bench will have to be that productive to counter the Rockets moving forward.

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Thunder bench leads the way in comeback win over Miami Heat

Darius Bazley and Mike Muscala hit the game-winner as the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 22-point deficit to beat the Miami Heat.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan didn’t plan on sitting his starters most of the second half.

But when the Miami Heat started the third quarter with Jimmy Butler on the bench, and Bam Adebayo on the bench, and Duncan Robinson on the bench, Donovan too decided to let his depth get more playing time.

“If Miami would have maybe kept more of their guys in there to start the third quarter that could have been maybe a possibility, but I think with the way the game was going, it was clear that both teams were going to play and give to give some opportunities to some of the younger guys or second unit guys,” Donovan said to media over Zoom after the game.

So with halfway through the third quarter, with the Heat up 84-72, Darius Bazley came in for Danilo Gallinari and Nerlens Noel for Steven Adams.

A minute later, Hamidou Diallo came in for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With 3:46 to go, Devon Hall entered for Chris Paul.

That was it for the starters. Trailing 87-77, it was the bench’s job to get Oklahoma City back in the game.

They did it. The Thunder won 116-115 and locked up a playoff series against the Houston Rockets.

Initially, it looked like that would not happen as the Thunder went down 104-82 with 10:21 to go in the game.

But then Andre Roberson hit a 3. Bazley followed with a 2, and not long after hit a 3 of his own. On the next possession, Bazley made another 3.

It took two minutes before either team scored another basket. Diallo, who finished with 11, hit a 2.

Then Bazley hit one of his not-yet-patented-but-he’s-getting-there 3-pointers.

Suddenly, with five minutes to go, it was an eight-point game.

“We have a real special group. Real cohesiveness,” Nader said. “It was fun to be able to compete like that with the guys that might not be in the game during the stretch like that.”

He was an important part in chopping the lead down further. Nader scored five points over the next minute and a half to cut the deficit to 108-107.

Bazley had another 3-pointer in him. He finished with 21 points, extending his 20-point streak to three games. He also had nine rebounds and four assists.

Mike Muscala, who was scoreless, drained a 3 with about 35 second left to tie the game, but Solomon Hill gave the Heat a 2-point lead.

The ball was in Bazley’s hands. This time, he didn’t shoot.

He drove, and as a double-team approached, kicked it out to Muscala. Money.

Terrance Ferguson, who started the second half in place of the injured Lu Dort, then locked down Tyler Herro on the other end to clinch the win.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity for some of our guys coming off the bench to play,” Donovan said.

It was not only a good opportunity to learn — it ended up being an opportunity for the Thunder to win.

“With the young team that we have, those minutes are precious,” Paul said.

“Those guys getting to play in those types of situations with the game on the line, Muscy to hit a big shot like that, we’re just trying to get better.”

The bench players got experience. The starters got some rest. The Thunder locked up a fourth- or fifth-seed spot in the playoffs, where they’ll play the Rockets.

Good win for the present, good win moving forward.

“All of our guys are competitive guys, they want to be out there, they want to play, but at the same point too, you’re looking in terms of long-term perspective, long-term view, of getting ready to play again on Friday and then going into the playoffs,” Donovan said.

The Thunder have one more regular-season game, which will be against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Then, the playoffs can begin.

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VIDEO: Mike Muscala hits game-winning 3 to cap Thunder comeback over Heat

The Thunder overcame a 22-point comeback to beat the Heat as Mike Muscala hit a game-winner and Terrance Ferguson had excellent defense.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Oklahoma City Thunder had a comeback win.

After trailing by 22 points with 10:21 to go in the game, the Thunder bench marched the team forward to beat the Miami Heat 116-115.

Mike Muscala hit the game-winning 3-pointer off an assist from Darius Bazley, who was double-teamed as he started to drive inside.

This basket, then Terrance Ferguson defense to halt the red-hot Tyler Herro, capped a 34-15 fourth-quarter performance, get the win, and lock up either the fourth or fifth seed, which means a first-round playoff date with the Houston Rockets.

Muscala only made two shots, but there was no better time for him to come up clutch as he drained the game-winner:

Muscala finished with six points and five rebounds in 10 minutes.

Darius Bazley led the way off the bench with 21 points, his third game in a row with 20-plus.

Ferguson only had 3 points, but his defense on the final play of the game prevented Herro, who had 30 points, from making a buzzer-beater for the Heat.

Nobody in the Thunder starting lineup played more than 25 minutes.

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Thunder beat Heat which means 76ers keep their 2020 first round pick

With the Oklahoma City Thunder win over the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers now have a first-round draft pick in 2020.

The Philadelphia 76ers received some help from the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night in terms of their draft status for 2020.

Heading into this NBA restart, the one concern other than playoff positioning was the status of their draft pick which depended on the Thunder winning enough games to stay away from the top 20. If Oklahoma City lost too many games, then the Sixers would have lost that pick which is top 20 protected.

On Wednesday night, the pick officially became Philadelphia’s to own as former Sixer Mike Muscala drilled a 3-pointer late to lift the Thunder over the Miami Heat 116-115. The win guaranteed that Oklahoma City would stay out of the top 20 and the first-round pick would belong to the Sixers.

Now that the Sixers know they will have a first-round pick in the draft come October, they can add another nice piece to their arsenal. One would think they would target a shooter.

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Mike Muscala shines as starter after replacing injured Steven Adams

Despite the absence of Steven Adams, the Thunder scored a dominant win on Sunday. Mike Muscala was a major reason why.

On Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounded from Friday’s loss against the Memphis Grizzlies with a dominant 121-103 victory over the Washington Wizards.

That the club was able to do so without the services of Steven Adams further demonstrates one of its biggest strengths — its depth.

Like Darius Bazley, Mike Muscala took full advantage of the playing time he got, as the Thunder were also playing without reserve big man Nerlens Noel.

Musala got the start in place of Adams and ended the night with 14 points and three rebounds. More importantly, though, was the fact that Muscala was able to provide effective floor-spacing for the club, something that Steven Adams isn’t equipped to do.

By the time the game had ended, Muscala hot connected on four of his eight three-point attempts. After missing each of the team’s last two games due to a concussion, he clearly hadn’t skipped a beat.

According to the big man, the key is staying ready.

“It always feels good to make shots, but shout out to the whole team,” Muscala said to reporters when asked how it felt to see his shots go down.

“I think everyone does their part to put the work in in practice. We were playing 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 yesterday in practice, just trying to stay ready, everybody down the line.”

The term “down the line” is one that the club has used quite a bit this season. No strangers to injuries and extended absences, the club has leaned on a different set of contributions across the entire season. It’s one of the factors that has the team feeling pretty good about itself as it heads toward the playoffs.

“It’s a total team effort,” Muscala said of the Thunder’s success.

“Coaches involved, everybody, and we’re just taking things one game at a time, it’s been fun so far.”

With Sunday’s win, the Thunder improved to 3-2 in Orlando and will square off against the Phoenix Suns in their lone back-to-back set of the resumption. The action will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.

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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Thunder injury report: 3 OKC players out; Steven Adams expected to play

Dennis Schroder remains at home after his wife gave birth, but Steven Adams is expected to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The same three Oklahoma City Thunder players who missed the game against the Los Angeles Lakers will also be unavailable against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, the Thunder game notes Thursday evening said.

Wing Terrance Ferguson, center Mike Muscala and guard Dennis Schroder will all be unavailable.

Ferguson will miss another game with lower right leg injury. He did not play in either of the last two games and only managed four minutes against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

Muscala is still in concussion protocol after getting injured against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

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Schroder remains at home. His wife gave birth Wednesday, the ESPN game broadcast said, and head coach Billy Donovan said Thursday that there is no timetable for his return.

Center Steven Adams was not listed on the injury report, but after taking a fall and briefly coming out of the game Wednesday for his lower leg to be evaluated, Donovan was asked about the center’s health Thursday.

Donovan said he expects Adams to play Friday.

He should be fine to play tomorrow, I don’t anticipate there being any problems there,” Donovan said. “There’s always some bumps and bruises but I think he’s in a good place physically.”

Memphs will be without Jaren Jackson Jr., (left knee meniscus tear), Tyus Jones (right knee soreness) and Justise Winslow (left hip displacement).

The Thunder-Grizzlies game tips off at 3 p.m. on Friday.

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Thunder injury report: Ferguson, Muscala, Schroder out against Lakers

The Oklahoma City Thunder said Terrance Ferguson, Mike Muscala and Dennis Schroder will be unavailable against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Three Oklahoma City Thunder players remain out against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, the team announced in its game notes.

Wing Terrance Ferguson, center Mike Muscala and guard Dennis Schroder will all be unavailable.

Ferguson continues to miss time due to the bruised lower leg that has limited his action in Orlando.

He missed the game against the Denver Nuggets on Monday and played just four minutes against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. He also missed the final scrimmage game and only played 15 total minutes over the first two.

Muscala will be unavailable after suffering a concussion against the Denver Nuggets on Monday. There is no timetable for his return.

Schroder left the bubble Monday for the birth of his child and will miss the second game in a row.

As for the Lakers, stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James appeared on the injury report, but both were probable as of Tuesday afternoon. Davis was listed with a sprained right ankle and James with a sore right groin.

Tipoff will be at 5:30 p.m. Oklahoma City hopes to rebound from its last game, an overtime loss to the Nuggets, against the Laker team that clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on Monday.

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