From Thunderous Intentions on Fansided

The OKC Thunder drop a close one at home to Minnesota. Three key takeaways offer the details of the highly entertaining back and forth match.

Coming off two straight road wins and boasting a four-game win streak, the OKC Thunder hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night. OKC hoped to extend their win streak and continue their winning tone into their Christmas day matchup with the Houston Rockets.

Unfortunately for the Thunder, Andrew Wiggins and the Timberwolves had other plans. Minnesota delivered a lump of coal in this holiday matchup, ending Oklahoma City’s win streak in a tightly contested 114-112 contest.  The win for Minnesota marked their first road win against a western conference opponent.

The Timberwolves have endured a tumultuous season thus far in 2018, from the much publicized Jimmy Butler exit to a lackluster 14-18 start. There has not been much to be thankful for as the year comes to a close for Minnesota. But a failure by the Thunder to hit clutch shots in the closing seconds of Sunday night’s matchup would prove a timely holiday gift to the visitors from up North. A game that had seen several massive swings would eventually be decided by two points.

Andrew Wiggins was brilliant for the Timberwolves, banking 30 points on an efficient 11-20 shooting.  Paul George was equally brilliant for the Thunder, scoring 31 on three of six from the perimeter and was perfect from the free throw line (6 of 6).  Russell Westbrookchipped in 23 in route to his 113th career triple-double.

But, ultimately, the Thunder would fall prey to a familiar foe, failing to connect on two potential game winners. Unfortunately, the most accurate Thunder 3-point shooters (Paul George, Alex Abrines) couldn’t connect from deep in the closing seconds of Sunday night’s matchup.

On a night when the OKC Thunder outperformed their opponent in most statistical categories, the game came down to a couple of crucial shots that simply would not fall.  Although there are no moral victories, there are several positives the Thunder can derive from this divisional loss.  Let’s take a look at some of the high points.

Adams the All-Star?

Steven Adams didn’t necessarily light it up on the stat sheet on Sunday night, but his presence through his physicality and offensive efficiency versus young all-star Karl Anthony Towns was palpable during the course of play.  Adams is proving to be an increasingly reliable offensive asset, adding options to this OKC assault.  Take a look at Adams footwork as he maneuvers his way to the rim for points against the All-Star.

Oklahoma City has increasingly gone to their big man to set the offensive tone early in contests.  Adams has delivered, producing career high scoring numbers, averaging 16.1 points per game.  In addition to providing key offensive contributions, Adams continues to provide the OKC Thunder with extra possessions through grit and hustle making e a convincing argument for All-Star consideration.

Adams is typically the first man to the floor when possessions are up for grabs.  The Thunder will continue to benefit from the hustle Adams brings to the floor in the form of extra possessions.

Although suffering the loss in Sunday night’s contest, Adams’ consistent dedication to making hustle plays will prove significant as the season wears along and the Thunder eye a deep playoff run.

Rookie shining:

Hamidou Diallo continues to put his fingerprint on this OKC Thunder team through his consistent contributions off the bench.  In just over seventeen minutes of play in Sunday night’s game, Hamidou Diallo contributed 7 points on a couple of tempo-pushing buckets and ensuing free throws, but also chipped in 2 blocked shots. The youngster is developing at a pace few second rounders do and, even in a loss, the Thunder have reason to find a silver lining in the play of their athletic, young forward.

As Diallo continues to mature, he should fit well into the OKC Thunder mold of long, athletic, defensive-minded players who generate offense as a result of active hands and forced turnovers.  In this play, Diallo shows his defense to offense capabilities, getting the block on one end of the floor and quickly turning it into points on the other…

The rookie is getting significant minutes in key rotations most second round players don’t see in their first season in the league. Diallo’s growth in limited minutes is a feather in Sam Presti’s already decorated hat. Yet, the potential payoff Diallo provides is another playable option for Billy Donovan who already seems to be enjoying a swiss army knife roster.

Consistency eludes Abrines:

Alex Abrines is an adequate three point shooter.  He has provided Thunder fans with a few instances of fireworks this season, however, he has not truly come into his own as a long range sniper in the NBA.  Although his average is down this season from seasons past, the Spaniard has shown moments of brilliance this year;  unfortunately, he has not developed to a level where game winners can or should fall under his purview.

Tasked with the go ahead shot for a second time in a month, Abrines would come up short on an absolutely wide open attempt from the wing.   Credit to Billy Donovan for trusting his role players to provide his team with the necessary points to come out the victor in game clinching scenarios.  But, Abrines has not yet displayed the consistency to be entrusted with shots in make or break situations.

Here Westbrook draws all defensive attention to the lane leaving Abrines wide open for the go-ahead trey, however, Abrines is unable to connect.

Unfortunately for the Thunder, although coming out with the advantage in most statistical categories on Sunday night, missed opportunities proved too much to overcome in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  There are positives that can be taken away from this game, however.

• Steven Adams is continuing his dominant performance in the post this season while maintaining a legitimate All-Star bid.
• Hamidou Diallo is dazzling in his limited minutes as a second round rookie.
• Paul George is maintaining high caliber numbers throughout his tear in December.
• Russell Westbrook is making uncharacteristic decisions, deferring to role players in crunch time to deliver the game clincher.

Although it did not result in a Thunder win on this outing, the habits the Thunder are forming in the early parts of this season should serve them well as players develop and shots start to fall.