Heavy Hearted Thunder Fall to Mavericks 107-97
There is no doubt the Thunder was out of sorts on Monday when the Mavericks came to the Peake. Chris Paul was out for personal reasons, and the rest of the team was still reeling from the shock of Kobe Bryant's tragic death. But, as Billy Donovan pointed out in his post-game press conference, "This is everybody's job, and we feel very, very blessed and fortunate to be part of a game we've all been a part of since we were little kids." With that in mind, the Thunder when to work and came out on the wrong end of a 107-97 final score.
While Donovan would not let Paul's absence be an excuse for the Loss, his 112 association leading clutch points have helped Oklahoma City overcome quite a few late-game deficits. The Mavericks would lead by as much as 16. The Thunder were able to cut that lead to five (82-77) with 1:41 left in the third quarter after a Deonte Burton layup. Dallas would push that lead to 11 by the end of the quarter, and The Thunder would only get as close as ten before the final buzzer.
It was an all-around horrific shooting night for Oklahoma City going just 39.5 percent from the field, but where this game was lost was on the boards. The Mavericks outrebounded the Thunder 56-48, including 12 offensive boards. Donovan says the long rebounds that Dallas came up with were leading to second-chance points the Mavericks had 18-second chance points on Monday to the Thunder's four. Nerlens Noel and Steven Adams combined for 13 rebounds, and Noel grabbed four on the offensive end.
Noel was returning after surgery on his left zygomatic arch, while Adams was playing in his second game after sitting out against Orlando and Atlanta with a left ankle sprain. After the game, Adams had a noticeable limp as he was leaving the locker room.
The game started with both teams paying tribute to Bryant. The Mavericks who one the tip took an eight-second violation turning the ball over to the Thunder. On the ensuing possession, Dennis Schroder dribbled the ball for the entire 24 seconds of the shot clock.
Schroder says, "I'll take that turnover for sure, anytime."..."It's just to honor him, what he did for basketball, for the NBA."..."As I said, it's just big, it's not a problem for me, and it felt good."
The Thunder are 1-1 vs. the Mavericks and won't see them again till April 15th. Oklahoma City travels to Sacramento on Wednesday to face Buddy Hield and the Kings. Tipoff is at 9 pm on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
