BOX SCORES

at PHOENIX SUNS (L 114-100):

32 MINS | 18 PTS (9/11 FG, 0/2 FT) | 5 REB | 1 AST | 3 BLK | 1 PF

vs PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (L 117-106):

32 MINS | 16 PTS (6/8 FG, 4/4 FT) | 6 REB | 1 AST | 2 TO | 2 PF

at MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (L 104-88):

34 MINS | 8 PTS (2/5 FG, 4/7 FT) | 8 REB | 2 STL | 3 TO | 3 PF

NEXT WEEK

at CHARLOTTE HORNETS on Sunday at 11.00am (NZT)

vs SACRAMENTO KINGS on Tuesday at 2.00pm (NZT)

vs LOS ANGELES LAKERS on Thursday at 2.00pm (NZT)

at PHOENIX SUNS

Been feeling good about the Thunder lately? Enjoyed the resurgence, enjoyed everyone seeming to accept and adapt to their roles on this team? Fancied the way they’d won eight of their last ten before this week, surging into the middle of the Western Conference playoff spots? Well then it must be about time for a slump and, right on time, here it was.

As usual, they started alright away to the Suns. Paul George hit a three to open the scoring and Adams added a couple in close for a 7-2 lead. Adams added another with a typical Russell Westbrook alley-oop, he’d drop 8 points in the first quarter, and they were up 22-16 with a little over four minutes left in the first. Phoenix then went on a 14-1 run and, believe it or not against a young team with only 15 wins prior to this game, the Thunder never again led.

Maybe that’s what Steve was thinking about when he unwisely ignored a fist pump from the team captain and inspirational totem…

TJ Warren started off nicely for Phoenix, with rookie Josh Jackson soon taking the baton. OKC kept at them and got within one thanks to a Carmelo Anthony triple, then again as Russ tipped one in. That made it 49-50… when again they choked up a bad end to a quarter. It was 62-53 at the half, a 12-4 run sparked largely by Devin Booker.

The Thunder were actually getting very decent games from their starters though, at least offensively. Russ was shooting well, Adams was getting plenty of shots up and George and Melo were in good touch too. But with no Andre Roberson their defence was looking kinda trash. Dragan Bender came out and hit 5/6 from deep in the second half. With five mins left in the third OKC had once again surged back to trail by just one point, Westbrook going halfsies at the line to cap a 15-2 run and then the Bender show really heated up.

Oooh, matey, that’s one banger of a bucket right there, though.

By the time Adams came back in for the fourth, with a little under eight mins remaining, they were down by 16 points. They ended up losing by 14. The Suns made 17 of 39 three-point attempts, they moved the ball with slickness and the Thunder were without their best defensive guard. They just couldn’t keep up.

Got some good stuff from Kiwi Steve, at least. His 18 points from 9/11 shooting was tied-most he’s scored since dropping 23 on the Pacers in mid-December and his 11 shots also the most since that night. Plus he had three blocks, the fourth time this season he’s had three of them in a game. Although without Dre it meant Steve was getting caught switched out on the edges way more than would’ve been comfortable, watching a few too many shots fly over his closeouts (and a few too many rebounds for a loosened Tyson Chandler inside). Not that he had much of a choice in the matter.

Billy Donovan: “I just always evaluate Steven just trying to make the effort to go. There’s times he can keep balls alive. There’s times he can go grab some of those rebounds. And there’s times he can’t. Sometimes, the ball doesn’t bounce in the right area of the floor. Sometimes, he doesn’t have great position. My biggest thing is his mind or his intentions to go offensive rebound. That’s what you want him to be. And he’s done a really good job of that.”

26 points for Devin Booker, 23 for TJ Warren. Jackson added 17p/10r/5a off the bench, aDragan Bender bagged 20p/6r/4a, also off the bench. That Suns bench outscored the Thunder one 48-21. Triple Double for Russ, he had 26p/10r/11a. Paul George added 19 points and Melo ended with 14. An otherwise solid night from Anthony spoiled by his 1/5 from deep.

Thunderous Intentions Player Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (B)

“Steven Adams plays every game extremely hard, but when he’s not getting cooperation from his teammates it leads to games like we saw tonight. Adams was simply too busy helping on the perimeter to focus on his main assignment (Tyson Chandler, the paint). The Big Kiwi did a great job finishing from the field, yet like his teammates, also struggled at the free throw line by missing both of his attempts.”

vs PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

Home against a fringe playoff team missing their star (Damian Lillard), you’d have thought that OKC had a prime opportunity to hit straight back here. But things are never so simple with this team. Terrance Ferguson started in place of the injured Andre Roberson again… and went scoreless. Shabazz Napier started in place of Lillard and scored 21. Maybe that was the difference?

One thing here is that Steven Adams, for whatever reason, always seems to struggle against Jusuf Nurkic. Last time OKC played Portland he scored a season-low 4 points with only 4 rebounds. Doctor’s orders in a case like that? Make sure you drop one of these bad boys nice and early.

OKC were up 26-24 after 1Q, able to ride through almost six full minutes in which their only field goals came from Steven Adams. Three of them, that alley-oop being the first. Already he’d scored more than he did against Portland last time. With 2:50 to go in the second, Adams assisted on a Russ mid-ranger to make it 48-43. Then Portland closed on an 11-2 run, bloody Nurkic having a fair bit to do with that.

A fired up bunch of Thunder players then came out and immediately took that lead back, scoring six straight points after Evan Turner’s opening six-footer, Adams with the third of those three buckets. He made it 10 points for the night early in the third with this persistent balling, really stacking those offensive rebound stats (if not the FG%). In the words of Neil Young: Don’t Be Denied.

Adams had six rebounds against the Blazers, five of them were at the offensive end. He usually feasts on those suckers, although to be fair three of them came on that one play. And something must’ve happened elsewhere because as soon as that one finally dropped CJ McCollum woke up for real. The Trail Blazers scored the next 12 points on their way to a 21-6 scoring run. Offensive boards are nice… but made field goals are nicer. Jusuf Nurkic had eight of those on the way to 20 points. Adams still scored 16 and was perfect from the field other than the two rebounded misses on that 3Q play. Both big fellas were able to get theirs but Nurkic got a few more, surely a stab in the side for a defensive perfectionist like Funaki.

Daily Thunder: “16: The number of points scored by Steven Adams, who did his thing offensively but managed only 6 rebounds and looked lethargic on the defensive end.”

You don’t even need to know about the fourth quarter, just understand that it didn’t get any closer. The Blazers outscored the Thunder 64-50 in the middle two quarters and that was where this game was won. 27 points for McCollum, 21 for Napier and 20 for Nurkic. OKC got 22 from Russ but he shot 7/20 (still had 12 assists and 9 rebounds though) while George was 8/18 for his 22 points, making five triples, and Anthony 8/17 for 19 points. Not a lot of positives to take from a defeat like that.

Thunderous Intentions Player Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (C+)

“It was an okay performance from the Big Kiwi tonight. He seems to struggle against Jusuf Nurkic – that was apparent once again tonight as Nurkic scored 20 points. Adams is this team’s anchor and he needs to be just a little bit better on defense for this team to be a real threat. It just wasn’t there for him this evening.”

at MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Aaaand then again with the Wolves. The Thunder and Wolves are probably fighting for the fourth seed in the West, although OKC had better go on another run of wins if they want people to believe they can get there. Still, they’ve had some belters head to head already. That last second triple (with the uncalled illegal screen) from Andrew Wiggins, for example. Just like OK City, Minnesota has been on a mean run of form lately… but unlike them they haven’t slumped since.

Steven Adams, our noble knight, did not help himself here. First possession of the game he missed what should’ve been an easy finish with a soft layup attempt and then he did the same thing a few minutes later, flipping one up when he could’ve gone up tougher and tried to dunk it – where he’d at least have probably gotten the foul. Credit to him for getting feisty on the rebound and tying Karl-Anthony Towns up for a jump ball but still not a great start. Chuck in some team turnovers and pretty soon the Wolves were up 12-2, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson getting buckets.

Russell Westbrook then scored 11 of OKC’s next 13 points to bring them all the way back and Terrance Ferguson, freshly subbed in for Kiwi Steve, hit a three on a Russ assist for an 18-17 lead. It was 23-all after the first quarter.

Steve was much more effective when he checked back in, connecting on a hook shot for his first points of the night while continuing to rebound. Defensively things were a little tougher though. Towns and Butler were working hard and dragging the OKC defence around. Adams fouled Butler for a couple before Andrew Wiggins and Westbrook traded some hoops. Adams also drew the and-one, which he converted, from old mate with the winning smile Taj Gibson, getting to the line later on from a Gibson foul as well where he split his FTs. The half then ended on a glorious slicing dunk from Melo and we were tied up at 47-all.

Shame about the third quarter then. Tom Thibodeau was hired by Minny to perk up that defence and in recent times it’s starting to show. It for damn sure showed in the third as OKC shot 6/21 for the frame, getting chopped 29-18 over those 12 minutes. Adams did some things with a couple steals in there and some free throws but not much else and the Wolves were able to grind out that big lead. Then they expanded it in the fourth.

Associated Press: “In the first three meetings, Thunder C Steven Adams was 27 of 33 from the field for a combined 64 points. He scored eight on 2-of-5 shooting on Wednesday.”

Strange to see Adams so limited in a game against a team he’s done well against in the past. He scored 17 and 20 in their two other defeats against Minnesota, then had that career-high 27 points (11/11 FG) when they beat them in December. So… how to explain him being held to 8 points on five shots here? Umm, well, Russ going on a solo mission tends not to mean much for the inside shooters. But also he did get fed early on and couldn’t capitalise, leading to the Thunder going to different options. And you can guarantee that Stevie himself is way more gutted about not being able to limit Towns, even if he did get Taj Gibson in foul trouble. Plus he missed a pair of free throws in the fourth, so he could’ve still got to double figures. But also we’re talking about a Wolves team that hasn’t given up 100 points for eight games straight now. They’re better than they were even a month ago. And he definitely impressed one dude out there…

Make that two…

Modern country musical tastes aside, Jimmy Butler was all quality converting 11/12 of his free throws on the way to 26 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Towns also had 19 points and 12 boards and Wiggins scored 19. Westbrook was a man on a mission for his 38 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 15/23, but Anthony and George shot a combined 10/33. In fact, Russ was 15/23, the entire rest of the team was 17/56.

Thunderous Intentions Player Grades: STEVEN ADAMS (B-)

“Adams had a better game than he did last night, but it still wasn’t good enough. He finished the night with 8 points and 8 rebounds. His defense on Karl Anthony-Towns was admirable but it still could have been improved. I miss the monster Steven Adams from December – let’s bring that guy back please.”

SLAM DUNKS

Paolo Uggetti/The Ringer: ““[Adams] was put into a role last year that was a lot different for him,” Donovan said. “This year, he’s playing more to how he played when I first got here than a year ago. He’s rolling to the basket, he’s catching the ball in the pocket, making some passes, making his floater, he’s running the floor, and he’s getting some deep seals.”

It won’t show up in the box score like Westbrook’s triple-doubles, but Adams does the dirty work for OKC, like setting screens. Adams credits the team’s recent improvement to simple execution, but also the extra time they’ve played together. As far as the changes in the system go, Adams doesn’t think much about them.

“If you can’t adjust to a different system,” he told me, “then you shouldn’t be in this league.””

NewsOK: “Roberson has made a habit of blowing up pick-and-roll plays by himself, sniffing out a screen early, slipping over it and getting tight with a ball handler before a decision can be made. That spilt second of Adams and Huestis side-by-side instead of Adams being able to drop into the paint allowed for Tyson Chandler to catch a lob pass over both of them and go running down the lane.

“We 100 percent need the guy because of that reason,” Adams said. “And it's just the small things that just start snowballing. He makes that extra one step that'll stop that player and that possession. He'll just cut off that whole play. Stuff like that that really kind of pays off and makes everyone else's job easier.””

STEVEN ADAMS ON ESPN RADIO

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