It’s been a terrible two games for Oklahoma City. There isn’t another way to put it. A disappointment looked plausible following a thrilling victory over the Boston Celtics that captured the attention of the NBA community. The Thunder had eliminated three contenders and won eight of their previous nine games. Everyone was curious as to when the team will return to Earth. A road loss to the Hawks on a back-to-back following an emotional game against the Celtics was tolerable. But the Thunder’s loss was unacceptable the way it happened.
It is reasonable to anticipate that the short turnaround will lead to offensive weariness and chaos. But for the Thunder, it was just an effort issue. In regulation, the squad surrendered 141 points and 15 offensive rebounds. Despite Oklahoma City’s offensive prowess—138 points, 50% from 3-point range, and 54.9% from the field—they were nonetheless defeated. If it weren’t for a stunning comeback in the dying seconds, the Thunder would have lost the game despite being outrebounded 49 to 37.
The Thunder then made their way to Brooklyn on Friday in an attempt to recover. Regretfully, nothing much changed. Absence of intensity and lack of effort on the glass. Oklahoma City was outrebounded 51–36 total and gave up 20 offensive rebounds. It’s really not surprising that Nic Claxton took down 13 boards. Dennis Smith Jr. pulling down 12 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench is an unacceptable statistic, though. For the season, the 6-foot-3 guard has averaged 3.3 rebounds.
Of course, Oklahoma City could use a large wing or backup big man to help Chet Holmgren get back on track. However, the main problem in the last two games has been effort. It’s never going to be a winning formula to give up 35 offensive rebounds in two games while being outrebounded 100 to 73.
Team rebounding must take precedence if Oklahoma City doesn’t make a deal soon. Holmgren cannot be the only one to bounce back. The fact that Smith Jr. pulled down 12 rebounds shows how important it is for the guards to figure out how to blockout too.
