Thunder/Heat Live Blog, Game Notes
According to Thunder head coach Billy Donovan, Dennis Schroder has been back in the bubble for two days. During his pre-game media availability on Wednesday, Donovan said that Schroder returned to Orlando on August the 10th.
This news is Important because the NBA has a mandatory four-day quarantine for any player who leaves the Disney campus then comes back. Conceivably Schroder could play in Friday's game against the Clippers were the league were to declare him eligible.
The Thunder still has a chance to take over the fourth seed in the West by winning their next two games and Houston losing their finale to the 76ers. Oklahoma City got some help from the Pacers on Wednesday afternoon when they beat the Rockets 108-104.
The Thunder are 2-2 without Schroder and are missing not only his 19 points a game, but his absence is forcing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort to play point guard when Chris Paul is off the floor.
While both have done an admirable job, Gilgeous-Alexander (One of Oklahoma City's leading scorers) struggled from the field against the Lakers and Grizzlies. Other than Schroder, everybody is good to go for tonight's matchup with the Heat.
Steven Adams missed the Thunder's last three games with a leg contusion, while Nerlens Noel was on the shelf for the against the Wizards and Suns and an ankle sprain. Both will be needed tonight to face 6-9 255 pound Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo hit the Thunder for 21 points and five rebounds when the two teams met in February. Tip-off is set for 7:00 on Fox Sports Oklahoma and 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.
First Quarter
Thunder is doing an excellent job of attacking the paint here in the first couple of minutes. Dort drawing the first foul on Bam.
Heat can't miss right now, shooting 60 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three. Very cool to see Chris Paul giving Langston some love today. Jae Crowder is walking off the floor, Lu Dort still down, holding his leg. Dort is up and walking off the court, but the key was there is walking, not limping.
Nader, Diallo, and Noel in for Oklahoma City. Nader lost control going for the block, Gallinari sits, and Bazley comes in. All reserves except SGA on the floor for Oklahoma City.
Heat is 76 percent from the field! No issue with Bazley taking a wide-open three, but there isn't a ton of ball movement from the Thunder. Ok, that was a pretty possession, Nader gets the three and makes a big play on defense to close out the quarter.
42-29 Miami at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
Thunder 14/14 from the free-throw line. Luguentz Dort will NOT return (right knee). WIth Dort out, for the game, it will be interesting to see how much time Ferguson and Roberson get in this game.
Do you get the feeling Paul was aiming for Ducan Robinson's head when he threw that ball off his shoulder? Paul is always intense, the Thunder need to feed off that the next two games.
The Thunder were down by as many as 18 have cut the Heat lead down to four at the half.
66-62 Miami
Third Quarter:
Ferguson starts for Dort, Heat going with reserves, Thunder down by nine. You wonder if the night is over for the Miami starters considering the seeds in the East are set.
Why does it feel like every time the Thunder gets this game within two possessions, the Heat always makes that shot to keep them at arm's length? Hopefully, that shot will give Ferguson some confidence for the rest of the game.
100-82 Heat end of three.
Fourth Quarter:
I would have like to have seen more Andre Roberson tonight with Lu Dort being out since the first quarter. Him not playing over Ferguson has to be a question of conditioning.
The reserves have been good all restart. Diallo and Bazley are putting this team on their back!
The Heat have been outscored in the fourth 18-8.
Abdel Nader makes it a one-point game, the Thunder showing some grit. 108-107.
Tyler Hero makes it 111-107. We'll have a video wrap up after the game on inside the Thunder.
