Tag Archives: Steven Adams

Thunder @ Bucks preview (Game 7 of 82)

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okc logo @ bucks

  • When: Tuesday, 31 October 2017 at 7:00 pm CST
  • Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
  • TV: NBATV/FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -1.5 | O/U – 212.5

Consistency is something the Oklahoma City Thunder have been lacking this season. Play one great game and follow it up with a subpar game. And while a lot of that may have to do with the opponent (all the losses have come against teams that will likely be in the playoffs), the Thunder have got to start winning those games.

Tonight is no different. After obliterating the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, the Thunder face one of the up and coming teams in the East in the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing like a bonafide MVP candidate and the rest of the team is playing well in their roles.  Continue reading Thunder @ Bucks preview (Game 7 of 82) →

NTTB Rumblings – 31 Oct 2017 (Halloween edition)

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okc halloween

Erik Horne (NewsOK) on Paul George finding his rhythm: “Throughout the game we know Russ is going to push the tempo, really create all the mismatches with his aggressiveness and attacking the floor,” George said. “But yeah, if I get going early, especially being a shooter out there, it’ll only open up the game for all of us.” George has found a rhythm early in games for the Thunder so far, one which could be a boon for a Thunder team feeling out who shoots when this season.”

The NBA’s version of Cain and Abel featuring Jerami Grant and Jerian Grant.

Brett Dawson (NewsOK) on Giannis Antetokounmpo giving the Thunder their biggest defensive test yet: “I think the biggest thing with him is trying to take away that deep paint where he’s getting all the way to the rim, because then he’s a monster finishing,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “But he’s also a really good passer. He sprays the ball around really well and obviously, they’ve got good shooting on the perimeter. He’s an incredible player.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 31 Oct 2017 (Halloween edition) →

Thunder vs. Wolves preview (Game 5 of 82)

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twolves vs. okc logo

  • When: Friday, 27 October 2017 at 7:00 pm CST
  • Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
  • TV: NBATV/FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -1.5 | O/U – 218

A lot has been made about the Big 3 in Oklahoma City. And deservedly so. Anytime you combine a current MVP with two prolific wing scorers, it’s bound to draw a lot of attention. The results after four games can be summed up in three words: Work In Progress.

But lost in all the attention the Big 3 are garnering has been the play of fifth year center, Steven Adams. Four games in, Adams is averaging 13.8 points, 8.5 rebounds (5 on the offensive end!!!!), 2 steals, and 1.75 blocks per game. He’s starting to “call his own number” when he spots a mismatch on offense, and is anchoring a defense that ranks 5th in the league in defensive rating. If those defensive numbers continue, Adams may be in contention for defensive player of the year, a la Marc Gasol in 2013.  Continue reading Thunder vs. Wolves preview (Game 5 of 82) →

NTTB Rumblings – 26 October 2017

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Great win last night. Sure wish Oladipo could have consistently played like that for the Thunder last season.

Jeremy Lambert (Thunderous Intentions) would like to remind you the sky is not falling in regards to the Thunder: “We’re one week into the NBA season and the OKC Thunder sit at 2-2. Not a bad record, but given the firepower on the squad, most fans probably hoped for better. And it could be 3-1 if not for an Andrew Wiggins buzzer beater, so the sky isn’t exactly falling. That’s the theme for this column: the sky is not falling. Neither is Paul George’s shot, Russell Westbrook’s free throws or Andre Roberson’s anything.”

Royce Young (ESPN) on Paul George’s struggles against his former team: “George then fouled out with 6:15 left in the fourth, with only 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting in 19 minutes. “That hasn’t happened often in my career,” George said of winning the game despite his struggles. “Fortunate to have those guys carry me. They knew how big this game was for me, and they went out and got it for me.”

The Thunder opened up a new basketball court in Calumet.  Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 26 October 2017 →

NTTB Rumblings – 25 Oct 2017

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Kyle Wagner (FiveThirtyEight) on the Thunder’s sudden inability to rebound: “However, the George and Anthony moves do seem to have had an effect on another piece of the team’s core identity: For the first time in a decade, the Thunder are struggling to rebound. The Thunder have grabbed just 47.5 percent of available rebounds in their first three games — about 6 percentage points lower than last year and 24th in the league. As a team, the Thunder haven’t finished outside the top 10 since they moved to Oklahoma City.”

When the robots finally attack, they can point its genesis to the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Clifton Brown (Indy Star) on Paul George facing his old team for the first time: “There was no way to reconcile those conflicting emotions, as George prepared to play his first game against the Pacers on Wednesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena. George was smiling and had the aura of a man at peace after Tuesday’s practice at the Oklahoma City Thunder’s practice facility. But George admitted that the timing of his departure from the Pacers was awkward and that if he could do it again, he would have handled some things differently.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 25 Oct 2017 →

NTTB Rumblings – 23 Oct 2017

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Tough one last night. But we move on…

Royce Young (ESPN) on the crazy finish from last night’s game: “It was the perfect finish, the ideal answer to the first crunch time test for the new look Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook remained the clutch-time king, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the final five minutes. But in the biggest spot, after Karl-Anthony Towns put the Minnesota Timberwolves up two with 8.9 seconds remaining, Westbrook did what many within the team claimed he’d do, but many outside were skeptical of — he found the open man. He drove right at Carmelo Anthony’s defender, and dropped a pass off to an open Anthony, who splashed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left. Then, Andrew Wiggins went and messed it all up.”

Kent Youngblood (Star Tribune) gives a recap of the game from the other side: “Andrew Wiggins did not call glass. After the game was over, surrounded by reporters, taking all sorts of abuse from his teammates, Wiggins admitted that much. “No,” Wiggins said, smiling. “I did not.” A few lockers down, Karl-Anthony Towns laughed. “He called ‘game,’ ” Towns said.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 23 Oct 2017 →

Thunder lose on a Wiggins game winner, 115-113

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BOX SCORE

Why does it always have to end like this? Whether it’s Anthony Davis double clutching one in at the buzzer or Stephen Curry shooting it from Gotebo, the Oklahoma City Thunder always seem to succumb to buzzer beaters that should count as 4-pointers.

This time it was Andrew Wiggins unleashing a 35-foot running banker that had MidFirst Bank wondering whether they should give him a $20,000 check or not. It was a shame too, because the Thunder finally started looking like Thunder after a 7-quarter slumber. Between the Utah game and the first three quarters of this game, the Thunder did not look anything like a team that featured three 20-point scorers. Instead they looked like a team that was completely unsure of how it should play with it’s plethora of talent.

But with the Thunder down by 13 heading into the 4th quarter, the light kind of started to turn on over the Thunder’s collective heads. It started with (duh!) getting stops on the defensive end. The Thunder went on a 12-2 run in the first three and a half minutes of the fourth. Once the Thunder brought it down to about 5, it became a game again. Continue reading Thunder lose on a Wiggins game winner, 115-113 →

NTTB Podcast (Episode 18) – Growing Pains

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IMG_4109On Episode 18 of the NTTB podcast,we discuss the following topics:

  • Knicks game recap
  • Jazz game recap
  • Preview the Timberwolves game
  • Worrisome trends
  • What’s up with Westbrook
  • Inconsistent refs
  • NBA news

Intro/Outro music provided by OSC Productions

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

Thunder vs. Jazz preview (Game 2 of 82)

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utah jazz vs. okc logo

  • When: Saturday, 21 October 2017 at 8:00 pm CST
  • Where: Vivent Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
  • TV: FSOK
  • Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
  • Line: OKC -4.5 | O/U – 200

There was a point in the Thunder vs. Knicks game with around four minutes left in the 2nd quarter where the score was tied at 40. You could tell there was a nervousness in the arena, wondering if this Big 3 experiment was going to work. Then, the Thunder finally woke up and went on a 22-6 run that essentially put the game away.

It was eye-opening because there are going to be a lot of nights like this for the Thunder. The Knicks are not a top-tier team at all and will likely have one of the worst defenses in the league this season. But seeing the team turn it on and nitrous boost their way past the Knicks in an 8 minutes span was positive in many ways.  Continue reading Thunder vs. Jazz preview (Game 2 of 82) →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 20 Oct 2017

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Great start to the season. Let’s keep it rolling. 

Royce Young (ESPN) says Carmelo Anthony is ready to move on from the Knicks after his Thunder debut: “I was actually surprised the first shot was that wide open,” Anthony said. “Just happy it went in, got that first shot out of the way and was able to focus on the rest of the game.” Then he missed his next seven shots. But like the rest of the Thunder, it was a slow burn as Anthony revved up in the second quarter and into the third, scoring 22 on 8-of-20 shooting in a 105-84 win over the New York Knicks on opening night.”

Ben Rohrbach (Yahoo) looks at Russell Westbrook debuting with what else? A triple double: “Following an MVP campaign in which he set the record for triple-doubles and became the second player to average one for a full season, Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook began 2017-18 with another one, collecting 21 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds in a 105-84 victory against the Knicks.”

Brett Dawson (NewsOK) on Enes Kanter’s return to OKC: “Kanter got a long, loud ovation when he was announced among the Knicks starters. And he didn’t get the hard elbow he’d been promised from Adams, his former teammate and Stache Bro. “He was just kind pushing me and elbowing me a little,” Kanter said. “It wasn’t really nothing hard.”

Berry Tramel (NewsOK) on if Westbrook can lead the league in assists this season: “Could the Thunder buy itself insurance against any kind of disconnect by telling Westbrook to lead the league in assists? Why not? Westbrook is a why-not kind of guy, perhaps you’ve heard, and any hint of Westbrook not being able to accomplish some achievement is usually followed by Westbrook scaling that exact mountain. Can’t be an NBA point guard? Can’t lead the league in scoring? Can’t average a triple double? Can’t possibly stay in Oklahoma City without Kevin Durant? Westbrook is East bound and down, loaded up and truckin’. He’s going to do what they said can’t be done.”