The Thunder had eight days off when entering Game 1, and it showed early when they started the game a little sluggish. However, they quickly settled into the game and grew a lead, which they held throughout the game until the fourth quarter. The Thunder couldn’t execute down the stretch as their inexperience showed up against a team with a championship pedigree, as Aaron Gordon hit a three at the end to win the game 121-119, as the Nuggets stole Game 1. The Thunder lost despite big performances from Alex Caruso and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Now the Thunder are entering a must-win Game 2 to even the series 1-1 when the series shifts to Denver. Let’s dive into four adjustments the Thunder must make to win Game 2.
4 Adjustments the Thunder Need to Make for Game 2
1. They Need to Make Their Free Throws
The Thunder led the NBA this season in free-throw percentage at 81.9%, and in Game 1, against the Nuggets, they struggled to make their free throws. They went for an uncharacteristic 20 for 28 at the charity strike, which results in 71.4%, 10% less than they shot during the regular season. Chet Holmgren missed two big free throws at the end of the game, which led to Gordon’s game-winning three-point shot instead of tying the game and sending it to overtime. Ultimately, the free throws Holmgren missed didn’t lead to the Thunder’s loss, it was the continuous misses that built up overtime that did.
In the playoffs, the play is more physical, which could lead to more calls and more free-throw attempts. When the Thunder gets those opportunities, they must take advantage of them, as they are free points. In Game 2, they will get plenty of opportunities at the charity strike, and they must shoot better than they did in Game 1 to win.
2. Chet and Jalen Need to Step Up
In round one, the Thunder swept the Grizzlies in large part due to the play of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Holmgren and Williams seemed like they were finally ready to take that next step in the playoffs for OKC. Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in the first round, and Holmgren and Williams were able to pick up the pieces. However, in the second round, Holmgren and Williams were both no-shows in Game 1 and fell into the same habits they did a year ago.
Holmgren scored 12 points, shooting 5-11 from the field and 0-3 from three. Williams scored 16 points, shooting 5-20 from the field and 2-9 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander finally played a Shai game as he almost had a 33-point triple-double. If the Thunder wants to win this series, their second and third-best player can’t go a combined 10-31 from the field and 2-12 from three again. In addition, their second leading scorer can’t be Alex Caruso, who had 20 points and had his best game for the Thunder. Overall, OKC’s young co-stars must step up.
3. Too Many Second-Chance Opportunities
Last year, in the playoffs, the Thunder lost to the Mavericks in six games, and a reason for that was that they gave up too many second-chance opportunities. This was a big reason why they signed Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. In the regular season, rebounding was still an issue as both Holmgren and Hartenstein missed time, but it wasn’t as big. However, in the first round against a bigger Memphis team, they lost the rebounding battle only once.
Unfortunately, in Game 1, rebounding became an issue again as Denver outrebounded the Thunder 63-43 and gave up 21 offensive rebounds. Despite the Nuggets having one day to prepare and rest for this series after a long seven-game series with the Clippers, they out-hustled and outworked a more well-rested Thunder squad. The Nuggets have good athletes on their team with Gordon and Russell Westbrook, as well as Nikola Jokic, who is a rebounding machine. However, the performance OKC put out in Game 1 is inexcusable and can’t happen again, you can’t let a team outwork you like they did when you are the fresher team and the home team.
4. They Need to do a Better Job of Containing Jokic’s Scoring
Coming into this series, we talked about how the Thunder have to take away an aspect of Jokic’s game. He is one of those players who you can never take away, but if you can find an aspect of their game and take that away, you are in pretty good shape. The Thunder did exactly that as they took away his playmaking ability, and it worked as Jokic struggled in that area. He had only six assists, but he also had seven turnovers to go along with that. The Thunder forced him to be a scorer, and that is exactly what Jokic did as he scored 42 points. If the Thunder want to continue to take away his playmaking, they still have to guard him one-on-one better and can’t allow him to go for 40 points again.
The Last Word
Finally, one problem OKC faced coming into this series was their shooting. In Game 1, the Thunder shot a respectable 34.9% from three after starting the game 0-10. However, there are bigger adjustments the Thunder need to make to win Game 2. Since the Thunder lost Game 1, as the team with home-court advantage, Game 2 becomes a must-win game. If they lose Game 2, the Thunder most likely won’t win the series, and it will be another disappointing playoff exit. However, if they make these adjustments and can win Game 2, they are right back in this series.
Featured image: © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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