Official Game Thread: Hawks - Thunder

[lethalweapon3]

“SOON…”

Today, the surprising Georgia State Panthers go head-to-head with the Oklahoma State… sorry, I’ve got March Madness on the brain!

The Atlanta Hawks are licking their wounds after flopping on Wednesday night against Golden State, but hope to wrap up their West Coast road swing with a victory against Russell Westbrook, Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports Oklahoma) at Chesepeake Energy Arena. No, that’s not a misprint.

Reigning MVP Kevin Durant has missed a month after undergoing a procedure for his sore foot, and now he has been “removed from basketball activities” entirely, putting the balance of his NBA season into question. Meanwhile, reigning All-Defensive First-Team forward Serge Ibaka is out for the next 4-6 weeks following arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

OKC (38-30) has dealt with the loss of their star forwards by upgrading the minutes for trade-deadline-day acquisition Enes Kanter (20.2 PPG, 12.2 RPG last six games). But Kanter sprained his ankle during Wednesday’s win against Boston, and his status for today’s game is questionable. All of these injuries add up to “full-speed-ahead” for MVP candidate Westbrook.

Russ has done it all for this team, averaging 32.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 10.5 APG and 2.2 SPG since the All-Star Break. Those numbers haven’t flinched (33.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 10.1 APG, 2.9 SPG) since he suffered a dent in his cheekbone less than three weeks ago, missing just one game.

Every ounce of Westbrook’s production has been necessary, to this point, to fend off New Orleans (1.0 games behind OKC) and Phoenix (2.5 games back) for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. His rebounds have kept the league’s #1-rebounding team afloat despite the losses of KD and Ibaka. His assists have been vital on a team with few (okay, no… sorry, D.J. Augustin) other pass-oriented guard options.

One season removed from the Western Conference Finals, Thunder coach Scott Brooks’ job ought to be safe, especially considering the spate of injuries his team has sustained. But he knows to cement his position for next season, he’ll want to make sure OKC reaches the postseason for the sixth-consecutive season. Westbrook would love to garner as many MVP votes as he can away from Stephen Curry and James Harden, but to do that he must lug this team into the playoffs.

As for GM Sam Presti? Thunder management didn’t make a bunch of shakeup moves just to watch the playoffs from home. His Big Three are under contract together for just one more season, so as long as there’s a chance to make some noise with two or three of them healthy at some point, OKC will go for it.

But Presti also wants to pump the brakes just a little bit. In the deal that brought Dion Waiters to town in January was a 2015 first-round pick that’s Top-18 protected. After a little pinballing before the trade deadline, that pick wound its way into Philadelphia’s greedy hands. As it stands, the Thunder sits right at the sweet-spot at #18 in the 2015 draft order. While catching the top Western Conference teams is probably unlikely at this stage, Presti wants OKC to fend off Phoenix and New Orleans.

But going on a tear would zip the Thunder past some of the Eastern teams in the overall standings, giving up a first-rounder he could use to help rebuild the team if necessary in a couple years. So, it makes sense that he has zero desire to rush Ibaka or Durant back ahead of the postseason. He’s pulling for Thunder wins. But don’t get too crazy, guys.

Can Westbrook keep this club on his back and do enough to ensure they’ll be playing in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, and not just on NBA 2K15? Part of getting it done is continuing to come up big in home games, and OKC’s record at The Peake since Christmas (17-2) is tied for the best in the league.

One issue is cutting down on turnovers, as Westbrook has been threatening to earn the undesirable quadruple-double by averaging 7.5 turnovers in his last seven games. And another issue is to find someone on the team with the willpower to make stops. In the past 11 games, OKC’s opponents are averaging 110.8 PPG, turning over the ball just 12.8 times per game. The Thunder had won seven-straight before that stretch, and they’re just 6-5 since. Among the healthy options, Andre Roberson is about all Brooks has as far as defensive stoppers go, and that’s either with or without Kanter available.

Despite Westbrook’s best efforts against Boston on Wednesday (36 points, 10 assists, 5 steals), the Thunder defense made opposing point guard Marcus Smart (25 points, 7-for-12 3FGs, 9 rebounds) look like a Rookie of the Year candidate. The visiting Celtics’ thinned-out frontline (26-for-41 shooting among Brandon Bass, Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller and Jae Crowder) had no problem finding desirable shots.

The lax defense compelled Westbrook (7 TOs, 1-for-6 3FGs) to force the action, 19 of his 36 points coming from 22 attempts at the charity stripe. The Hawks can neutralize Westbrook’s production by avoiding chippy fouls and keeping him off the free throw line.

Westbrook is going to do all he can to be the best guy on the floor wearing uniform number 0. Jeff Teague was largely disappointing (12 points, 2 assists, 6 turnovers) in his last game, trying to out-do Stephen Curry at his own game rather than playing to his own strengths while running the Hawks offense. Teague will do himself no favors trying to go tit-for-tat with Westbrook tonight.

Westbrook filled up the boxscore nicely (22 points, 11 assists) during the December 30 matchup in Atlanta, but it wasn’t enough to keep OKC in contention beyond the first quarter, where Russ had 13-and-4, as the Hawks effectively clamped down on his teammates.

Teague, Dennis Schröder (1-for-12 FGs), and Kent Bazemore (1-for-6 FGs) played to Golden State’s strengths on Wednesday, driving the ball right into the teeth of their collapsing interior defense and forcing shots instead of finding open shooters. Schröder and Bazemore continued to fall for the goading by Warrior opponents all night.

They’ll find the confines of the paint much more comfy without Ibaka and Durant around. But as Steven “The Stache” Adams and Nick Collison close off the lanes, the Hawk guards need to look for shooters who will be much more open around the perimeter. That should include Paul Millsap (team-high 16 points and 12 rebounds @ GSW on Wednesday) and DeMarre Carroll, who combined for 5-for-8 3FGs during both the Warriors’ blowout win and the Hawks’ win over the Thunder in December.

The guy who needed to bang away inside against the Warriors was Al Horford, the mea culpa center who walked off the Golden State floor without a single foul shot in over 31 minutes, his 4-for-18 FG performance looking better in the boxscores than it actually was. When his mid-range shots aren’t falling early, Horford (14 points and 12 boards vs. OKC in December) needs to go find other arrows in his quiver, calling for lobs and demanding his ballhandlers find him around the low block.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

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[lethalweapon3]

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~lw3

[Diesel]

Tonight we play against triple double mania with no Ibaka or Durant.

I think we can get this one.  I don't think that we can stop tripledouble but let's stop who he passes to.  I think he will try to get 50 anyway.  I've been noticing him raising his game to match the beard.  Let him get his 50 and they lose by 20...

 

GO HAWKS!!

 

[Dnice]

Still looking a step behind.

[atlhawks1]

ive said this over and over. we NEED a rim protector. every game goes the same way: we have to stay in games with our jump shooting, while the other team just gets easy buckets in the paint on us. this cause us to collapse in the paint, and opens up THEIR jump shots. pero is playing good tonight, but like i said, horford needs more of a rim protector behind him or beside him in certain situations.

[Kadienuss]

Great game pero!!!

[Dnice]

Nice lil run but they have a red carpet to the rim.

[Guest]

We actually seem to be getting some "respect" no calls going our way.  Wow!

[DrReality]

Nice comeback. Now put it to them

[TheTruth]

This is the game where Pero woke up today and decided to say "Eff You" to his detractors by having the game of his life. As one of those detractors, I am glad he has turned into an assassin today. Just please, please play half this well on a normal basis.

[Ebert]

Pero has already tied his career-high points and we are at halftime... great.

 

Now let's watch a bit of the B***** N*** at the half...

[Dnice]

Good to see this with yawners from al and Jeff.

[Dnice]

Nm. slow.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Dnice

[TheTruth]

Antić and Schröder are killing it!

[Dnice]

Not good in defending threes.

[Dnice]

Damm Dennis

[Dnice]

They are folding.

[DocWilkins]

Looks like we left the defense in February...who the F is guarding Morrow? Or should I say not guarding Morrow....

[mtnbayou]

looks like Teague has decided to quit playing this season.

[Jody23]

That one hurt. On to the next one.