Oklahoma City Thunder entered the second half of the Game 5 against the Utah Jazz 15 points behind, and it looked like their playoff hope will be crushed before the eyes of their own fans. OKC Thunder trailed 1-3 in the series and was facing elimination. Then, the third quarter started, and Jazz drained 10 more quick points, getting the lead up to 25 points.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan called for a time-out with less than nine minutes left in the third quarter, but it looked like there isn’t much he could do. Still, there was one man who could.

Russell Westbrook decided to take over the game (as he often does), and finally show why he is one of the best basketball players in the world. He drilled back-to-back three-pointers and then started to wreak havoc with layups, and mid-range shots. Paul George followed his example and by the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game was tied. Just like that.

OKC Thunder gained momentum while Jazz crumbled under pressure, unable to close out the game they thought it has been already won. The Thunder ended up with a hard-fought 107-99 win, managing to avoid early elimination. It is important to notice that Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors had foul troubles the entire second half, which played an important part in OKC Thunder’s comeback.

Russell Westbrook ended the game with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. He also ended up playing the entire second half, without taking his usual rest.

“It was one of those nights where obviously our bench, our crowd, everyone here in Oklahoma was behind us,” – said Westbrook after the game. “We needed every bit of it tonight and our guys stepped up.“

Paul George embraced his “Playoff P” persona and delivered 34 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He also spent the entire second half in the game.

“We never quit,” – said George. “I can’t pinpoint one thing we did wrong. I think we never got down on ourselves. Regardless of the lead they built and the shots they were making, we felt we could surge back, and we did.“

Game 6 of the series is scheduled for Friday night in Salt Lake City.

The post OKC Thunder Erases 25-Points Deficit against Jazz to win Game 5 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although the Oklahoma City Thunder is struggling at the moment and even might miss the postseason (which is unlikely), Paul George is still considering sticking with the team after he becomes a free agent in the summer.

“As I told Rachel [Nichols], I can see myself being here,” – said George on Friday. “I’ve been happy here, I’ve been happy with the organization, happy with my teammates. Our record is not what we want it to be, but I think I’ve enjoyed just learning and being around these guys. So my answer is still the same. I’m not going to let the playoffs or how we finish this season persuade or indicate where I’m going to this offseason. I’m going to put everything into this and again, I can definitely see myself being here.“

Oklahoma City Thunder is currently the 6th seed in the Western Conference, but with only one game ahead of Denver Nuggets who are sitting at the 9th spot in the standings. What worries the OKC fans is the fact that the team has lost four games out of the last five and has two difficult matchups in their next three games against Houston Rockets and Miami Heat.

“This is our first year together. This is year one for this group,” – George added. “We’ve got a chance to win it all, but realistically it takes time for things to build and chemistry to mesh. Just for everybody to be on the same page. So this wasn’t a championship or bust coming into this for me. It was just an opportunity to see what it’s like being here and just to naturally fall in love with it. And it’s been that. It’s been a lot of love here.“

Paul George has been averaging 21.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Thunder in the current season.

The post Paul George “Can Definitely See” Himself Staying with Oklahoma City Thunder appeared first on SportzBonanza.

We are halfway through the 2017-18 NBA season (few games removed) and there is a sense that we are about to watch the same story for the second year in a row. Despite experiencing one of the most exciting NBA offseasons ever, we have the Golden State Warriors as even bigger favorites than a year ago. However, some people believe the Oklahoma City Thunder is maybe the only team that could give the Warriors trouble in the Western Conference. That’s due to their big move: once again they got themselves a Big 3 with Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. But, were the OK3 put together too fast?

The Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the most inconsistent teams in the league when it comes to the quality of the game they are showing. In some moments they are looking like they are invincible, and in others, like they don’t belong in the NBA at all. After an ugly star in which they were 4-7 and lost to teams like Sacramento Kings, the Thunder picked up the pace and won three straight before going into a slump again. Now they find themselves on the 5th spot in the Western Conference and with four games behind the Timberwolves. Not the place Thunder wants to be, but there is a bit promise. Is that promise enough, and can the Thunder challenge the Warriors and go for the title? Yes, but too many things have to align in order for this to happen.

First, Russell Westbrook has to know when to stop shooting. That was a major issue with Westbrook’s game this season. When the shot isn’t falling, he forces it and wastes a lot of good possessions in an attempt to score a bucket. Persistence is one of the things that makes Westbrook one of the best basketball players but also can be his biggest nemesis. He tends to hog the ball too long and it’s like he sometimes forgets that he has two All-Star caliber players alongside him. You can put Westbrook alone with a group of G-League guys and he will get you a win or two in the playoffs, but the Thunder fans are expecting much more.

Paul George has been a crucial player for Thunder on the defense and one of the reasons why the team is ranked 3rd in Team Defensive Efficiency in NBA. But, like all the OK3 members, he often struggles with an offense like he doesn’t know when it’s the right time to take over. Whether it’s too much respect for Westbrook and Anthony, or something completely else, George has to know when to be a man and prove why he is one of the best two-way players in the game.

Melo can drop 50 on a night without breaking a sweat. But, Thunder doesn’t need him to do that. Carmelo Anthony needs to do what he has been doing in the last month. Pick his shots, cut down on the iso ball and trust his teammates that they will give him the ball at the best moment possible.

Watching the rest of the Thunder players, you can get a feeling that their performance tends to mimic one of their stars. When Westbrook, PG13, and Melo are having fun, the rest of the team follow. When they are having a bad night, the rest of the team becomes even worse. If they don’t start picking up the slack when the things are going north for OK3, they’ll never be able to elevate Thunder as a title contender. The best hope for the Thunder fans is that everything bad so far was just a side-effect of getting together.

The OK3 was put together too fast and was given too much of a task to complete on such a short notice. The Thunder players were repeating through the season that they are figuring things out, and they may do so, but it will be too late when the Warriors get in their way. The only hope for Thunder to get a title is to have George and Melo stay another season and they make a run next year. This year they can only give the Warriors a good run for their money.

The post Opinion: Can Oklahoma City Thunder challenge the Warriors? appeared first on SportzBonanza.

For too many times this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder has struggled to win close games. In the Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, however, it wasn’t even close. OKC has started the game with excellent defense and held back the Jazz at nine points while scoring 25. At the halftime, Thunder was up 16 points, but that wasn’t something to take lightly when knowing that in 14 of their previous 16 games, OKC was outscored in the third quarter.

This time, there were no such hiccups. Russell Westbrook took the backseat after scoring 20 at the halftime and let Paul George and Carmelo Anthony take care of business. The newcomers to the Thunder squad responded to the task and bagged 10 points each in the third quarter, making the rest of the game an easy stroll.

“It’s challenging, but it’s something that, if we consider ourselves being a great team, becoming a great team, that’s a step we have to take,” – said Anthony. “Coming out in that third quarter, knowing that we can’t let up, learning how to take it up another level coming out of halftime — it’s something that we’re getting better at.“

In Jazz’s defense, they were without their star player Rudy Gobert and explosive rookie Donovan Mitchell. They were led by Rodney Hood, who scored 17 points.

Considered as one of the teams that could challenge the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference, the Thunder has done almost nothing to justify it. Entering in the game against the Jazz, they were at .500, but for the team with so much star power, that was considered bad. Wednesday’s game proved that the team has a great potential and showed what they can look like if everything is going their way. Now it’s on them to show that they can play like this when everything isn’t so smooth.

The post Oklahoma City Thunder Shows That They Can Play in 107-79 Win over Utah Jazz appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Things are not looking great for the Oklahoma City Thunder early on. After a win against the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors, Thunder has lost to Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and most lately have been blown out by the Orlando Magic. It is important to note that the Magic entered the game against the OKC with nine straight losses. Something like this shouldn’t suppose to happen to a team that has Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony.

On Thursday Anthony decided to speak out and said that the OKC’s players are not frustrated with the losses; they are just angry.

“Nobody is moping around, nobody is frustrated. I think guys are angry. I think guys are pissed,” – said Anthony. “That just comes from your competitive nature, wanting to win games — understanding what we have over here, the talent level that we have over here and not being able to put it together right now. So that’s where the anger comes in at.“

Anthony added that he has been on the teams that were frustrated because of the losses, but that he doesn’t feel like that’s the case with the Thunder.

The team’s biggest star and reigning NBA MVP, Russell Westbrook decided to take the blame for team’s bad performances.

“It just started with a sense of urgency, man,” – said Westbrook. “And that starts with me. It’s my responsibility to make sure we’re ready to play, we’re ready to play on both sides of the ball. To get us out of this funk, we’ve gotta lock-in. I take ownership of everything that’s going on because I’ve been here and those standards that we set here in Oklahoma City, I have to set them and set examples. It starts with me and we’re gonna turn this thing around.“

The Thunder hasn’t been awful, but they have been far from good so far. The team that has three All-Stars currently has an 8-12 record and ranks 22nd in the offense. On the positive note, they are still the 3rd best defensive team in the league.

Thunder players are hopeful that they can turn this around, but not everyone shares their confidence.

The post Oklahoma City Thunder Players are Angry after Losing Again According to Carmelo Anthony appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oklahoma City Thunder entered the second half of the Game 5 against the Utah Jazz 15 points behind, and it looked like their playoff hope will be crushed before the eyes of their own fans. OKC Thunder trailed 1-3 in the series and was facing elimination. Then, the third quarter started, and Jazz drained 10 more quick points, getting the lead up to 25 points.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan called for a time-out with less than nine minutes left in the third quarter, but it looked like there isn’t much he could do. Still, there was one man who could.

Russell Westbrook decided to take over the game (as he often does), and finally show why he is one of the best basketball players in the world. He drilled back-to-back three-pointers and then started to wreak havoc with layups, and mid-range shots. Paul George followed his example and by the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game was tied. Just like that.

OKC Thunder gained momentum while Jazz crumbled under pressure, unable to close out the game they thought it has been already won. The Thunder ended up with a hard-fought 107-99 win, managing to avoid early elimination. It is important to notice that Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors had foul troubles the entire second half, which played an important part in OKC Thunder’s comeback.

Russell Westbrook ended the game with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. He also ended up playing the entire second half, without taking his usual rest.

“It was one of those nights where obviously our bench, our crowd, everyone here in Oklahoma was behind us,” – said Westbrook after the game. “We needed every bit of it tonight and our guys stepped up.“

Paul George embraced his “Playoff P” persona and delivered 34 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He also spent the entire second half in the game.

“We never quit,” – said George. “I can’t pinpoint one thing we did wrong. I think we never got down on ourselves. Regardless of the lead they built and the shots they were making, we felt we could surge back, and we did.“

Game 6 of the series is scheduled for Friday night in Salt Lake City.

The post OKC Thunder Erases 25-Points Deficit against Jazz to win Game 5 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although the Oklahoma City Thunder is struggling at the moment and even might miss the postseason (which is unlikely), Paul George is still considering sticking with the team after he becomes a free agent in the summer.

“As I told Rachel [Nichols], I can see myself being here,” – said George on Friday. “I’ve been happy here, I’ve been happy with the organization, happy with my teammates. Our record is not what we want it to be, but I think I’ve enjoyed just learning and being around these guys. So my answer is still the same. I’m not going to let the playoffs or how we finish this season persuade or indicate where I’m going to this offseason. I’m going to put everything into this and again, I can definitely see myself being here.“

Oklahoma City Thunder is currently the 6th seed in the Western Conference, but with only one game ahead of Denver Nuggets who are sitting at the 9th spot in the standings. What worries the OKC fans is the fact that the team has lost four games out of the last five and has two difficult matchups in their next three games against Houston Rockets and Miami Heat.

“This is our first year together. This is year one for this group,” – George added. “We’ve got a chance to win it all, but realistically it takes time for things to build and chemistry to mesh. Just for everybody to be on the same page. So this wasn’t a championship or bust coming into this for me. It was just an opportunity to see what it’s like being here and just to naturally fall in love with it. And it’s been that. It’s been a lot of love here.“

Paul George has been averaging 21.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Thunder in the current season.

The post Paul George “Can Definitely See” Himself Staying with Oklahoma City Thunder appeared first on SportzBonanza.

We are halfway through the 2017-18 NBA season (few games removed) and there is a sense that we are about to watch the same story for the second year in a row. Despite experiencing one of the most exciting NBA offseasons ever, we have the Golden State Warriors as even bigger favorites than a year ago. However, some people believe the Oklahoma City Thunder is maybe the only team that could give the Warriors trouble in the Western Conference. That’s due to their big move: once again they got themselves a Big 3 with Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. But, were the OK3 put together too fast?

The Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the most inconsistent teams in the league when it comes to the quality of the game they are showing. In some moments they are looking like they are invincible, and in others, like they don’t belong in the NBA at all. After an ugly star in which they were 4-7 and lost to teams like Sacramento Kings, the Thunder picked up the pace and won three straight before going into a slump again. Now they find themselves on the 5th spot in the Western Conference and with four games behind the Timberwolves. Not the place Thunder wants to be, but there is a bit promise. Is that promise enough, and can the Thunder challenge the Warriors and go for the title? Yes, but too many things have to align in order for this to happen.

First, Russell Westbrook has to know when to stop shooting. That was a major issue with Westbrook’s game this season. When the shot isn’t falling, he forces it and wastes a lot of good possessions in an attempt to score a bucket. Persistence is one of the things that makes Westbrook one of the best basketball players but also can be his biggest nemesis. He tends to hog the ball too long and it’s like he sometimes forgets that he has two All-Star caliber players alongside him. You can put Westbrook alone with a group of G-League guys and he will get you a win or two in the playoffs, but the Thunder fans are expecting much more.

Paul George has been a crucial player for Thunder on the defense and one of the reasons why the team is ranked 3rd in Team Defensive Efficiency in NBA. But, like all the OK3 members, he often struggles with an offense like he doesn’t know when it’s the right time to take over. Whether it’s too much respect for Westbrook and Anthony, or something completely else, George has to know when to be a man and prove why he is one of the best two-way players in the game.

Melo can drop 50 on a night without breaking a sweat. But, Thunder doesn’t need him to do that. Carmelo Anthony needs to do what he has been doing in the last month. Pick his shots, cut down on the iso ball and trust his teammates that they will give him the ball at the best moment possible.

Watching the rest of the Thunder players, you can get a feeling that their performance tends to mimic one of their stars. When Westbrook, PG13, and Melo are having fun, the rest of the team follow. When they are having a bad night, the rest of the team becomes even worse. If they don’t start picking up the slack when the things are going north for OK3, they’ll never be able to elevate Thunder as a title contender. The best hope for the Thunder fans is that everything bad so far was just a side-effect of getting together.

The OK3 was put together too fast and was given too much of a task to complete on such a short notice. The Thunder players were repeating through the season that they are figuring things out, and they may do so, but it will be too late when the Warriors get in their way. The only hope for Thunder to get a title is to have George and Melo stay another season and they make a run next year. This year they can only give the Warriors a good run for their money.

The post Opinion: Can Oklahoma City Thunder challenge the Warriors? appeared first on SportzBonanza.

For too many times this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder has struggled to win close games. In the Wednesday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, however, it wasn’t even close. OKC has started the game with excellent defense and held back the Jazz at nine points while scoring 25. At the halftime, Thunder was up 16 points, but that wasn’t something to take lightly when knowing that in 14 of their previous 16 games, OKC was outscored in the third quarter.

This time, there were no such hiccups. Russell Westbrook took the backseat after scoring 20 at the halftime and let Paul George and Carmelo Anthony take care of business. The newcomers to the Thunder squad responded to the task and bagged 10 points each in the third quarter, making the rest of the game an easy stroll.

“It’s challenging, but it’s something that, if we consider ourselves being a great team, becoming a great team, that’s a step we have to take,” – said Anthony. “Coming out in that third quarter, knowing that we can’t let up, learning how to take it up another level coming out of halftime — it’s something that we’re getting better at.“

In Jazz’s defense, they were without their star player Rudy Gobert and explosive rookie Donovan Mitchell. They were led by Rodney Hood, who scored 17 points.

Considered as one of the teams that could challenge the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference, the Thunder has done almost nothing to justify it. Entering in the game against the Jazz, they were at .500, but for the team with so much star power, that was considered bad. Wednesday’s game proved that the team has a great potential and showed what they can look like if everything is going their way. Now it’s on them to show that they can play like this when everything isn’t so smooth.

The post Oklahoma City Thunder Shows That They Can Play in 107-79 Win over Utah Jazz appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Things are not looking great for the Oklahoma City Thunder early on. After a win against the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors, Thunder has lost to Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and most lately have been blown out by the Orlando Magic. It is important to note that the Magic entered the game against the OKC with nine straight losses. Something like this shouldn’t suppose to happen to a team that has Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony.

On Thursday Anthony decided to speak out and said that the OKC’s players are not frustrated with the losses; they are just angry.

“Nobody is moping around, nobody is frustrated. I think guys are angry. I think guys are pissed,” – said Anthony. “That just comes from your competitive nature, wanting to win games — understanding what we have over here, the talent level that we have over here and not being able to put it together right now. So that’s where the anger comes in at.“

Anthony added that he has been on the teams that were frustrated because of the losses, but that he doesn’t feel like that’s the case with the Thunder.

The team’s biggest star and reigning NBA MVP, Russell Westbrook decided to take the blame for team’s bad performances.

“It just started with a sense of urgency, man,” – said Westbrook. “And that starts with me. It’s my responsibility to make sure we’re ready to play, we’re ready to play on both sides of the ball. To get us out of this funk, we’ve gotta lock-in. I take ownership of everything that’s going on because I’ve been here and those standards that we set here in Oklahoma City, I have to set them and set examples. It starts with me and we’re gonna turn this thing around.“

The Thunder hasn’t been awful, but they have been far from good so far. The team that has three All-Stars currently has an 8-12 record and ranks 22nd in the offense. On the positive note, they are still the 3rd best defensive team in the league.

Thunder players are hopeful that they can turn this around, but not everyone shares their confidence.

The post Oklahoma City Thunder Players are Angry after Losing Again According to Carmelo Anthony appeared first on SportzBonanza.