Tag: Steven Adams

Three takeaways from OKC’s 107-104 win over New Orleans

Against New Orleans Sunday, the Thunder got a strong start from Steven Adams, had a solid third quarter, and had a balanced scoring attack.

After a three-game stretch in November where Oklahoma City lost three games by a combined 10 points, the Thunder looked to have turned the corner when it comes to close games, pulling off two wins over the New Orleans Pelicans in the span of three days by a total of eight points.

Three takeaways from Sunday’s 107-104 victory:

Steven Adams set the tone inside for Oklahoma City

In Friday’s 109-104 win, Pelicans rookie Jaxson Hayes draw the defensive assignment against Adams, in which Adams had a clear advantage. Not wanting a repeat performance Sunday, New Orleans announced prior to tip-off that Jhalil Okafor was going to take Hayes’ spot in the starting lineup. It didn’t matter.

Adams again got off to a hot start, scoring the Thunder’s first four points, and six of his 17 in the first quarter.

As solid as his start was, his late-game play was even more important. Adams hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to keep OKC out in front and ultimately, seal the victory.

 

The Thunder finally had a good third quarter

It’s no secret that OKC has struggled in the third quarter of games this year. In fact, as pointed out by The Oklahoman, they’re downright one of the worst.

But Sunday against the Pelicans, Maddie Lee noted that Oklahoma City “weathered a four-minute scoring drought with solid defense and finished the quarter on a, 11-3 run”.

The Thunder outscored New Orleans 26-22 in the third, setting themselves up nicely for a final push in the fourth quarter.

 

Balanced scoring a key for victory

It’s always good to have a guy that can give you 20-plus points night in and night out. It’s even better if it’s not always the same guy.

In Friday’s win, it was Dennis Schröder coming off the bench to score 25 en route to a 109-104 victory. On Sunday, it was Danilo Gallinari that led the team with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Schröder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Steven Adams all scored 17 apiece, while Chris Paul added 16.

A lot of people wondered what Billy Donovan’s three-guard offense was going to look like, and it looks a lot like this. A lineup that can produce multiple leading scorers on any given night, and guys up and down the roster that can be counted on for significant point production.

Oklahoma City has advantage inside with Steven Adams against Pelicans

Matched up against rookie Jaxson Hayes on Friday, Adams scored the Thunder’s first three baskets and started the game 5-of-5 from the floor.

There is an obvious benefit to playing the same team twice within a span of three days.

What the Thunder learned from their win over New Orleans Friday night can be directly applied to Oklahoma City’s game against the Pelicans on Sunday afternoon.

One of the biggest takeaways from Friday’s victory is that New Orleans doesn’t have the personnel inside to match up with Steven Adams.

Without Zion Williamson, who is not expected to return until later in December following his October surgery to address a torn right lateral meniscus, and Derrick Favors, the Pelicans were forced to use rookie Jaxson Hayes on Adams.

As noted by Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, Adams has a “45-pound advantage over Hayes and exploited it right away”.

Adams scored Oklahoma City’s first three baskets in their 109-104 win on Friday. He started 5-of-5 from the field but cooled down considerably after the first quarter, finishing the night 7-of-11 for 14 points en route to a double-double as he also grabbed 12 boards.

Adams should have the same advantage on Sunday. Favors is questionable to play, meaning that it will likely be Hayes and Jhalil Okafor splitting time down low.

Look for Oklahoma City to go to the Kiwi early and often to try and establish an interior presence that could subsequently free up some of the Thunder’s perimeter shooters.

OKC will try and complete the home-and-home sweep when they tip-off against the Pelicans inside the Smoothie King Center Sunday at 4 p.m. CT.

Hamidou Diallo and Steven Adams in ‘full-contact practice’ Thursday

Diallo and Adams have both been hampered by left knee issues, but Billy Donovan said both Thunder players participated in practice Thursday.

Good news for the Thunder – both Hamidou Diallo and Steven Adams practiced on Thursday.

Both Diallo and Adams have been dealing with left knee issues.

Diallo has missed the last three games for Oklahoma City while Adams, who initially injured his left knee in a loss against the Rockets at the end of October, has been closely monitored in terms of minutes since his return against the Pacers on November 12.

Billy Donovan said on Thursday that both Diallo and Adams participated in “full-contact practice”, according to Erik Horne of The Athletic.

How much of it is because of his knee issue is unknown, but Adams’ production has dropped this season from a year ago. Through 11 games, his minutes (33.4 to 26.3), scoring (13.9 points to 7.8) and field-goal percentage (59.5% to 50.6%) have all seen a significant slide.

The Thunder could’ve used Diallo’s presence against the Lakers on Tuesday to help contain LeBron on defense while providing a more difficult defensive matchup for James.

Oklahoma City will host the Lakers Friday, tip-off is at 7 p.m. CT.

Oklahoma City Thunder top draft picks through the years

From Russell Westbrook and James Harden to Steven Adams and Terrance Ferguson, OKC Thunder Wire recalls the team’s top selections since 2008.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has missed the NBA playoffs just once in the past decade.

Unfortunately for the team’s fans, that run of success might be coming to an end, as the franchise retools its roster for the future. But there are plenty of reasons for optimism down the road. By trading stars Paul George and Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets, respectively, the Thunder acquired seven first-round draft choices.

The team also landed a conditional first-round pick when it traded forward Jerami Grant to the Denver Nuggets. In addition to Oklahoma City’s own picks, that means the Thunder could have 15 first-round draft picks between 2020 and 2026.

So while the immediate future of the team on the court is uncertain, the long-term prospects of the franchise are promising.

With all that in mind, let’s look back at how general manager Sam Presti has utilized the team’s top draft picks through the years.

 

2008: Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA

Russell Westbrook UCLA 2008
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Round 1, No. 4 overall

Technically, Westbrook was drafted when the franchise still was known as the Seattle SuperSonics, although the team would relocate to Oklahoma City by the start of the ensuing season. All Westbrook did in the following 11 seasons was play more minutes, score more points, record more assists, grab more rebounds and make more steals than anyone to ever wear a Thunder uniform. He helped lead the team to the 2012 NBA Finals, won the 2016-17 NBA MVP award and represented the Thunder in eight NBA All-Star Games before being traded to the Houston Rockets in July.

Notable: Oklahoma City selected big man Serge Ibaka with the No. 24 pick in 2008. He would set a franchise record with 1,300 blocked shots over his seven seasons with the Thunder.

2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019

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Steven Adams still dealing with left knee injury

Billy Donovan said Wednesday that the Thunder are keeping a close eye on his minutes. Adams first suffered a left knee contusion in October.

Hamidou Diallo isn’t the only player on the Thunder dealing with a left knee issue.

Steven Adams, who has been hampered by his left knee since late last month, is still dealing with a nagging injury.

Adams missed three games after suffering a left knee contusion in a loss against the Rockets on Oct. 28.

He returned to the starting lineup against the Pacers on Nov. 12, but played just 24 minutes against the Lakers Tuesday night, down a little from his season average of 26.3.

Adams was not on the floor in the closing minutes of the Thunder’s five-point loss, and head coach Billy Donovan told The Oklahoman that Oklahoma City is keeping a close eye on Adams’ court time.

“Obviously we’re dealing with Steven’s knee still,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said of the decision. “I don’t want to say he’s on a minutes restriction, but we’re trying to be mindful and keep him in a range.”

Adams is an integral part of the Thunder, and Oklahoma City desperately needs his production, which has declined in comparison to last season.

As noted by Joe Mussatto, Adams’ 26.3 minutes per game are “down from 33.4 minutes last season. His scoring has dropped from 13.9 points per game to 7.8 points per game. Adams, a career 58.6 percent shooter, is shooting 50.6 percent from the floor this season.”

Diallo is also dealing with left knee soreness and has been held out of Oklahoma City’s last three games.

The Thunder will have two days off to recover before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers Friday at 7 p.m. CT.

Rapid reax: Three takeaway’s from OKC’s 111-85 loss to the Pacers

The Thunder struggled offensively against Indiana, had some personnel issues that allowed Devon Hall to see his first NBA action, and shot well from the free-throw line.

There aren’t a ton of positives to come out of the Thunder’s first lopsided loss of the 2019-20 season, a 111-85 drubbing at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.

But here are three rapid reactions.

Oklahoma City’s shooting wasn’t just cold, it was downright frigid.

When Steven Adams missed a six-footer to start the game, it should’ve been a sign that the Thunder were in for a long night. OKC missed their first five shots from the floor and never recovered.

Their only lead came at 12-10 with 6:30 to play in the first quarter.

As noted by The Oklahoman‘s Joe Mussatto, OKC’s three-guard lineup of Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schröder that has been so effective at times this year, combined to shoot only 8-of-28 from the floor. The trio accounted for 27 of the team’s 85 points.

Even Danilo Gallinari, who led the team with 14, had a quiet night and missed all of his three-point attempts.

Devon Hall made his NBA debut.

Hall saw limited time in Tuesday night’s loss, but it’s still good experience for the guard out of Virginia that the Thunder signed to a two-way contract.

He played for seven minutes and took only one shot, which he made, a layup with 5:55 left to play in the game.

Hey, the free throw shooting was good.

Usually, the free throwing shooting is something that stands out as a glaring negative on the post-game stat sheet.

Tuesday, it was one of the best things about the box score.

Oklahoma City shot 87.5% from the charity stripe, making 21-of-24. Gallinari was a perfect 8-for-8, Gilgeous-Alexander a perfect 4-for-4 and Abdel Nader and Dennis Schröder hit both of their attempts.

The biggest issue with the free throw shooting was that both Chris Paul and Hamidou Diallo, guards that need to be taking to the basket and getting fouled, didn’t take any free throw attempts.

Sluggish start dooms Thunder against Indiana as OKC falls 111-85

Oklahoma City missed their first five shots from the field and hit on only 6-of-25 three-point attempts Tuesday night.

It was a cold night in Indianapolis, both outside and inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Oklahoma City dropped their second consecutive game Tuesday, a 111-85 loss to the Pacers.

The Thunder struggled from the get-go, missing their first five shot attempts from the field. It didn’t get much better from there.

OKC shot just 35.8% from the floor and struggled mightily from the three-point line. At the half, the Thunder were just 1-for-10 from the beyond the arc. They finished the night just 6-of-25.

Indiana had a lopsided advantage in points in the paint, where the Pacers outscored the Thunder 54-36.

At one point, the Pacers were up by as many as 31. Conversely, the Thunder’s largest lead was 2.

Oklahoma City was short-handed Tuesday. Terrance Ferguson did not make the trip to Indianapolis for personal reasons, per a tweet from The Oklahoman’s Maddie Lee.

Four Thunder players were in double-digits, led by Danilo Gallinari with 14.

Deonte Burton scored 13 off the bench. He shot 5-of-12 from the field and 50% from three in 18 minutes.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Steven Adams scored 11 and 10, respectively.

Adams returned to the starting lineup Tuesday, making five of his eight attempts and pulling down five boards.

Former Oklahoma City big man, Domantas Sabonis had a solid night against his old team, putting up a double-double. In 29 minutes he scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to go along with two assists and a block.

The Thunder fall to 4-7 on the season. Oklahoma City returns to action Friday when they host the 76ers.

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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