Tag: Oklahoma City Thunder

Report: Steven Adams available for Thunder’s game against Pacers

Steven Adams is available and could return for the Thunder’s game against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder will likely have their leading big man return to the floor Tuesday night.

Steven Adams is available for the Thunder’s road game against the Indiana Pacers, per Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman.  Per Lee, coach Billy Donovan will release the starters near game time, which is set for 7 p.m. EST.

Adams was out for Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a left knee contusion.  Per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, Adams missed two games a little over a week ago because of the same injury.

If Adams plays Tuesday, he would bring his ability to work around the rim well and grab rebounds. Adams is the Thunder’s top rebounder, and he ranks 15th in the NBA for rebounds per game (10.1). He would be going up against another top-tier rebounder in Domantas Sabonis, who ranks sixth in the league for rebounds (13.0).

Along with his rebounding, Adams also contributes in moving the ball. The Thunder average 21.8 assists a game, and Adams ranks fourth on the team in assists; he’s averaging a career-high 2.0 assists in seven games.

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NBA Rumors: Could Portland be interested in trade for Danilo Gallinari?

Gallinari has shown himself to be a capable stretch four, which is what the Trail Blazers need to complement their explosive back court.

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Surprise, surprise. Danilo Gallinari’s name has come up in trade rumors again.

Every since Gallo came to Oklahoma City as part of the blockbuster deal for Paul George in July, his tenure with the Thunder has had an expected expiration date.

It’s not really surprising, to be honest. The better he plays during the early part of the season, the more his name is going to get tossed around as a potential player on the move.

And Gallinari has been really good as of late.

He’s second on the team in scoring at 18.6 points per game. His three-point play has been a huge boost to a Thunder team that hasn’t shot three’s well in recent years. Gallinari is hitting 43.7% of his shots from the perimeter, which is sixth-best in the NBA.

Which makes it reasonable to believe that the Portland Trailblazers would be interested in acquiring him.

Per The Ringer’s Paolo Uggetti, Portland may be on the lookout for a big man they can bring in after suffering roster turnovers and inconvenient injuries. Gallo could be the perfect fit.

“Danilo Gallinari is another trade candidate who could fit in well with this team. He would be the perfect stretch 4 to play with Portland’s deadly backcourt. And while it’s unclear what Oklahoma City’s ultimate goals are for this season, Gallinari and his expiring contract could be a tasty asset for Sam Presti to try to swap for another first-round pick.”

Inquisitor’s JB Baruelo likewise believes that Portland could be a good landing spot for Gallinari, should the Thunder still be committed to an overhaul.

“Gallinari would be an incredible addition to the Trail Blazers, giving them an All-Star-caliber power forward who could serve as their third-best scoring option behind Lillard and McCollum. Having a floor-spacing big man like Gallinari would further improve the Trail Blazers’ offensive efficiency, which currently ranks 10th in the league.”

The question is, would a first-round pick being enough to entice Presti to move a guy that has been so integral so far this season. It might have to be.

As Baruelo points out, ‘trading him for future draft assets before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline would be their best option, rather than letting him walk away in the 2020 NBA free agency as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything in return.”

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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