Thunder Up! Rebuild in OKC [NBA 2k22]

[R1zzo23]

Holmgren, Thunder Reject Memphis’ Chance at Taking 3-1 Lead





With the Thunder trying anything to make Ja Morant’s(36 pts, 5 ast, 1 stl) life difficult on the offensive end, OKC went to a zone defense for the first time in over two full seasons of play. They first attempted to play a 2-3 zone with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 pts, 5 reb, 12 ast) and Josh Giddey (11 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) playing at the top with their one and only task being to keep Ja out of the lane. While they were successful doing just that, Morant opened the game banging two triples from the top of the key.

The Thunder then swung Mikal Bridges (21 pts, 4 ast, 1 stl) to the wing and employed a 3-2 zone…only to see Morant hit a third three in just five minutes of play. The zone defense would not be seen again for the rest of the game.



While SGA has struggled with his scoring output throughout the series, Mikal Bridges has been red hot and absolutely torturing Desmon Bane (7 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl). Bane is a terrific on-ball defender but struggles to maneuver his wide, massive frame around screens on the run, allowing Bridges to get open looks on the wings which he has made count time and time again.



Manning the 2nd unit, Giddey’s assist totals really struggled as the shooters off the bench haven’t been able to find their groove on offense in this one. One bench player did come ready to play and that was trigger-happy Max Christie (8 pts, 1 ast) who is thinking shoot as soon as the ball touches his fingers. After coming off a baseline screen from Chet Holmgren (28 pts, 20 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk), Giddey fires a one-handed lefty pass on a rope for Christie to tickle the twine! This triple was brought to you by Sour Patch Kids!



Even at an advanced age, Andre Drummond (10 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) continues to play his role to perfection as he has finished effectively at the rim and defended it just as well on the other end.



In a funk, this pull-up three on the break over Caleb Love (5 pts, 4 ast) from Tre Mann (7 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk) gave the microwave scorer a little hop in his step to get back into the series. While his shot struggled (3-9 FG, 1-7 3PT), he was able to add a little of everything on the floor.



Scoreless in the first half, the Grizzlies made sure to get the rock to Jaren Jackson Jr. (23 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk) in the 2nd half and he delivered with 23 points over the last 24 minutes of the game. He got the scoring going with a beautiful post spin on Aleksej Pokusevski (2 reb, 1 blk) for a loud reverse jam.



Holmgren used his athleticism and agility to abuse Drummond and Steven Adams (2 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk), but he caught Triple-J off guard, getting by the defensive stalwart and completing the old-fashioned three-point play.



After blowing a 14-point halftime lead to go into the 4th quarter down three, the teams traded blows over the final 12 minutes. Down the stretch, it was seemingly a three-point barrage on both ends with Ja Morant and Zaire Williams drilling threes for Memphis while SGA and Bridges doing the same for OKC. Late in the game, the Thunder went back to the well and got Bane chasing Bridges off the move. SGA had dominated scoring down the stretch but played the part of willing passer to find Bridges for the back-breaking three, his fifth of the game, to seal the 112-105 win, tying the series at two games each.

[Knickerbocker91]

Nice win, looks like building an early lead to survive Memphis' 3rd quarter lineup might be the way to go. Looks like JJJ not doing squat in the first half could be something to focus on, he definitely went off in the 2nd half.

Not gonna lie, so funny to see Memphis immediately forced OKC out of the zone defense

[studbucket]

Quote:

The zone defense would not be seen again for the rest of the game.

Hahaha, makes sense.


Great win

[R1zzo23]

Quote: Originally Posted by Knickerbocker91

Nice win, looks like building an early lead to survive Memphis' 3rd quarter lineup might be the way to go. Looks like JJJ not doing squat in the first half could be something to focus on, he definitely went off in the 2nd half. Not gonna lie, so funny to see Memphis immediately forced OKC out of the zone defense

JJJ is a monster on defense and when they feed him on offense, we struggle mightily to stop him.

Quote: Originally Posted by studbucket

Hahaha, makes sense. Great win

Man, the Zone was so0o0o0o bad that it made me think we screwed ourselves out of any chance at winning.

[R1zzo23]

[R1zzo23]

Morant, Grizz Slam Home Comeback Win to Take 3-2 Series Lead





To open the game, Mikal Bridges (20 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) came out firing from deep and hitting his first three of the game. Unfortunately, he would cool off considerably and miss ten of his 14 three-point attempts on the night.



The battle on the inside continues to rage as Chet Holmgren (23 pts, 12 reb) brings length and skill while Andre Drummond (14 pts, 14 reb, 1 stl) brings strength and athleticism. Both have played their roles quite well in the series but if Holmgren doesn’t dominate this matchup, the Thunder will struggle to win.



Speaking of position battles, the war that is being waged at point guard between Ja Morant (32 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk) is as intense as ever. While Ja continues to put up better scoring totals, he’s taking nearly twice as many shots in the game as the Grizz expect him to be their top scoring option on nearly every play.



Speaking of athleticism,Ja Morant shows off his hops on this impressive putback dunk on an offensive rebound that had the crowd in a frenzy!



Bridges, Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren all scored 20+ points and the fourth member of the Thunder’s 20+ point club on the night was Josh Giddey (24 pts, 12 reb, 13 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk) as he was aggressive throughout the game attacking Ziaire Williams (15 pts, 4 ast, 3 stl) and routinely scoring around or over the lumbering bigs in the paint.



Though he didn’t have the big offensive explosion that he did last game, Jaren Jackson Jr. (4 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) was a defensive monster and swatted Holmgren’s weak finger roll layup.



Quiet in the first four games, Desmond Bane (15 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl) showed up and gave the game some scoring punch including this acrobatic mid-air finish around Holmgren’s outstretched arms.



While Shai was getting to the rim at will, he reminded the Grizzlies to respect his jumper as he bangs down a big three from the left wing to give the Thunder a 3-point lead going into the 4th quarter.



Not only did the Grizzlies tie the game immediately, they took a quick 7-point lead on this embarrassing dunk by Morant over both SGA and Holmgren. The 10-0 run took all of two minutes of the fourth quarter and saw OKC scrambling to find a way to stay effective on offense while figuring out how to get stops on defense.



Every time the Thunder made a run, the Grizz had an answer including this triple from the corner by Desmond Bane over Max Christie (5 pts, 3 reb). Memphis was able to hit the same amount of threes on the game (7) on ten less attempts.



After breaking down Ja, SGA slithered into the lane for what looked like a wide open layup…until JJJ came out of nowhere and swatted his shot into the first row for a shot clock violation. The bucket would have given the Thunder a one-point lead but, instead, saw the Grizz come down and hit another three to take a 4-point lead.



In his bag, Josh Giddey put a little sauce on this underhand pass to a rolling Holmgren for his 10th assist on the game and securing a triple-double. The 2nd year wing finished the night tied for a team-high 24 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and a game-high 13 assists. Easily his best performance as a pro, it still wasn’t enough as the Grizz secured a three-point win and a 3-2 series lead.

[R1zzo23]

[studbucket]

What a game! Wish I could have watched it live.

FYI - box score and stats don't match up. One has you winning, other has Memphis winning. I assume the headline is correct and Grizz won?