Clippers Best Thunder

The results are in this Super Tuesday, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are good, but they are not elite, not yet. Coming off Friday's 47 point drubbing by the Bucks, Billy Donovan wanted the Thunder to be more physical.

Donovan thought his team accomplished the first part of their mission, but a lousy night free-throw shooting, coupled with an even worse night from beyond the arc, helped Oklahoma City to a 109-94 loss.

Can't leave him open 💦#ThunderUp | 🔗https://t.co/N7jpYVhOS1 pic.twitter.com/3Y0DBhrNnb
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 4, 2020

The Thunder were within one at 42-43 with 5:57 left to go in the second quarter. The Clippers would blow the game open, going on a 17-0 run forcing Oklahoma City into a pit they couldn't conquer.

Steven Adams says, "We just couldn't really get em under control." Adams pointed out that he needed to see the film to understand what went wrong, but he didn't feel the Thunder were connected offensively. If you're looking for the silver lining after these last two losses, Adams is confident that any issues the Thunder are having will get fixed.

Oklahoma City's offensive output looks more like the Thunder from early November than more recent vintage. Donovan was asked what is causing his team to struggle on that end of the ball.

Like the Flash ⚡#ThunderUp | 📺@FOXSportsOK pic.twitter.com/VX8XeXdiXr
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 4, 2020

"We've got to be prepared to go deep in the clock.'..."There's times where we can create penetration with our guards and get downhill."..."Then when the ball comes back out, we gotta kind of keep staying with it."..."When you're playing against top-five offenses, it's really, really hard against a set defense to get shots or quality shots on the first side."

Donovan went on to say that the Bucks and Clippers size "swallowed up" the Thunder, but these kinds of games can be valuable in showing Oklahoma City just how much pace and ball movement they need to compete with the NBA's elite.

Thunder Strikes:

There wasn't a whole lot of positive to come of Tuesday's loss, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was 7 of 12 with 15 points in 33 minutes, and Lou Dort was plus 11. Dort was the only starter to finish with a positive plus-minus.

Up Next:

The Thunder are taking a plane to Detriot as we type for a date with the Pistons on Wednesday. The Pistons are 2-8 in their last 10. When the Pistons and Thunder met at the Peake in early February, Chris Paul dropped 22 in a 108-101 win for Oklahoma City.

What Do You Think?

Will the Thunder turn things around against Detroit and the Knicks? Just click the comment box below to join the conversation.