OKLAHOMA CITY — After spending the earlier seven video games looking for options in opposition to the Denver Nuggets’ number of zone defenses, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder did not make a easy transition in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ bodily man-to-man schemes within the Western Convention finals opener.
However no workforce within the NBA presents extra defensive issues than the top-seeded Thunder, a pattern that continued in Tuesday’s Sport 1, permitting Oklahoma Metropolis to beat a hideous offensive first half.
The Thunder, fueled by changing the Timberwolves’ 19 turnovers into 31 factors, pulled away for a 114-88 win.
“We attempt to play to our identification,” mentioned Oklahoma Metropolis famous person Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who completed with 31 factors regardless of going 2 of 13 from the ground within the first half. “We did job of that on protection. Our protection positively gave us life early within the recreation and saved us in it.”
Oklahoma Metropolis trailed by solely 4 factors at halftime regardless of scoring solely 44 factors, 18 of which had been off of turnovers.
“I simply thought it took us a second to calibrate to the opponent, however our protection allowed us the margin to do this,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault mentioned.
Oklahoma Metropolis’s shotmaking tends to ebb and gradual, significantly throughout the postseason, however the Thunder have constantly been the NBA’s most dominant defensive workforce. Oklahoma Metropolis had the league’s top-rated protection throughout the common season by a major margin — permitting 106.6 factors per 100 possessions, 2.5 fewer than every other workforce — and has cranked that as much as one other stage within the playoffs.
The Thunder have allowed solely 100.7 factors per 100 possessions in 12 playoff video games. The Timberwolves have the second-stingiest protection this postseason, permitting 107.8 factors per 100 possessions.
However Oklahoma Metropolis’s protection would not simply get stops. It is one of many Thunder’s finest methods to generate offense, too.
The Thunder are averaging 25.3 factors off of turnovers throughout the playoffs, essentially the most by any workforce in a postseason throughout the play-by-play period that started in 1997, in line with ESPN Analysis. Oklahoma Metropolis, which had 37 factors off of turnovers in its Sport 7 rout of the Nuggets, joined the 2017 Golden State Warriors as the one groups up to now 25 years to transform turnovers into at the very least 30 factors in consecutive playoff video games.
“We simply acquired an exceptional defensive workforce,” Thunder reserve Alex Caruso mentioned. “It is a assortment of nice particular person defenders that additionally play nice workforce protection. After which as soon as we get on the break, younger legs, all these dudes are operating [and] dunking.”
Oklahoma Metropolis is forcing an NBA-high 18.3 turnovers per recreation within the playoffs, a rise from the league-leading 17.0 it pressured throughout the common season.
“The turnovers are by no means what we speak about,” Daigneault mentioned. “We speak crowding across the ball. We speak about being aggressive in our assist, trusting our assist, trusting our scheme, trusting our teammates. And that tends to yield turnovers whenever you actually have that going. But it surely additionally yields robust pictures, out-of-rhythm pictures. So that is what we’re making an attempt to do. However the guys did an incredible job of drumming that up actually from the soar.”
After capturing solely 37.5% from the ground within the first half, Oklahoma Metropolis discovered its groove offensively. The Thunder scored 70 factors on 61.9% capturing within the second half.
Oklahoma Metropolis took command within the third quarter, when Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams outscored the Timberwolves by themselves. The Thunder’s All-Star duo mixed to shoot solely 4 of 21 from the ground within the first half, however Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams mixed for 21 factors on 9-of-15 capturing within the third quarter, which ended with Oklahoma Metropolis main by double digits.
Except for energy ahead Julius Randle, who scored 20 of his 28 factors within the first half, the Timberwolves by no means established any form of offensive rhythm.
The Thunder held the Timberwolves to 34.9% capturing from the ground, together with 15 of 51 (29.4%) from 3-point vary. Minnesota scored solely 20 factors within the paint, the franchise’s fewest in a playoff recreation since Sport 1 of the 2004 West finals in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“There’s two sides to the basketball recreation,” Thunder energy ahead/middle Chet Holmgren mentioned. “If you wish to play just one facet, you bought to play actually good and you do not wish to depend on that, particularly within the playoffs. Particularly in opposition to workforce and good gamers like they’ve on the opposite facet. You’ve got actually acquired to attempt to give your self an opportunity at each ends, and if issues aren’t going nicely on one finish, you’ve got actually acquired to hunker down on the opposite.”
