20 Second Timeout

Thunder Dominate Nuggets as Both Teams Misfire From Beyond the Arc

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets tied for the best record in the Western Conference last season (57-25) with the Thunder obtaining the number one seed based on the head to head tiebreaker--but in the season debut for both teams on Thursday night the Thunder dominated the Nuggets in a sloppy game during which the teams combined to shoot 15-75 (.200) from three point range. Both teams hardly lit up the scoreboard from inside the arc, either, with the Thunder shooting 43-101 (.426) overall (including 8-36 from three point range) and the Nuggets shooting 35-99 (.354) overall (including (7-39 from three point range). This is not the vaunted "pace and space" loved by "stat gurus"; this steady stream of airballs and bricks is the type of sloppy basketball decried by traditionalists who argue that NBA teams shoot too many three pointers at the cost of abandoning higher percentage shots closer to the hoop.

The Nuggets jumped out to a 19-10 lead by the 5:47 mark of the first quarter before being outscored 92-68 the rest of the way as the Thunder rolled to a 102-87 win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 28 points on 11-24 field goal shooting while dishing for a team-high eight assists and snaring seven rebounds. Chet Holmgren dominated the paint with 25 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, and a game-high four blocked shots; he is so skinny that he looks like a stiff wind might sweep him away, but he plays with energy, force, and speed to counteract the strength advantage that many big men have over him. Aaron Wiggins contributed 15 points off of the bench on 7-9 field goal shooting.

Each of Denver's five starters scored between 12 and 16 points, with Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun leading the way with 16 points each. Jokic shot 6-13 from the field while logging a game-high 13 assists, and a team-high 12 rebounds. The Nuggets need more than 12 points on 4-14 shooting from Jamal Murray. The Thunder's bench outscored the Nuggets' bench, 25-16. Even without the injured Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, the Thunder have a deep roster. 

Both teams can shoot and play a lot better than they did in this game. It has become fashionable to write off the Nuggets as lacking the necessary depth to compete in the Western Conference, and this game will only add fuel to that criticism, but one should be cautious about making sweeping conclusions one game into an 82 game season.

The Nuggets signed former MVP and future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook to anchor their bench. Westbrook had six points, five rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots in his Denver debut, but he shot just 2-10 from the field and had a game-worst -24 plus/minus number. Westbrook played his usual high energy style, but six of his 10 field goal attempts were from three point range, and that is not optimal for him or the team; Westbrook is at his best when he attacks the hoop to create high percentage scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates, something that he did several times during this game in between the missed three pointers. I believe that Westbrook will provide a spark for the Nuggets' off of the bench, and that by the end of the season his signing will be considered one of the league's best offseason moves. He will fit in perfectly with the Nuggets, a team that takes a professional approach and is focused on winning/teamwork above everything else.

Labels: Chet Holmgren, Denver Nuggets, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

posted by David Friedman @ 2:38 AM

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