Thunder 120, Heat 122: The Day After Report
Nuggets & Notes
- The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder walked into Miami holding a league-best 5-game winning streak. For the first time since Jalen Williams returned from his wrist rehab, the team looked like it was really rounding into form.
- Forty-eight minutes later, the Thunder walked out of Miami with a frustrating loss.
- OKC actually controlled most of the night thanks to an incredibly rare hot shooting night. The Thunder led by as many as 12 in the first half.
- In that first quarter, it was like Oklahoma City could not miss (even from three!), but Miami never let it get out of control even though they were not shooting nearly as well as OKC. I mean, in Q1, the Thunder shot over 71% from the field and 50% from deep, while the Heat shot just 44% from the floor and 33% from deep and after the first quarter, OKC led by only 7.
- Maybe this is wrong, but according to the unofficial stats in my brain, teams that shoot that well in the first quarter and aren't up big have never won a game. I just feel like it's an ominous sign when a team is scorching hot but doesn't pull away because the shooting percentages always regress to the mean.
- The Thunder finished the night shooting 55% from the field and 45% from three, numbers that almost always translate to a win. Coming into the game, OKC was 9-1 this season when shooting above 50%.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was phenomenal: 39 points on 12-of-19 shooting, plus a perfect 13-for-13 at the line.
- Shai consistently bent Miami’s defense and kept OKC afloat whenever things started to wobble.
- A brutal offensive foul call on Shai with 1:14 to go in the fourth loomed large in a one-possession game. OKC was up 3 at the time, and points on that possession probably make the difference.
- Michael Cage was incredulous at the call, and so was I. I could get the refs not calling a defensive foul, but how was that an offensive foul?
- Another big call: when Chet Holmgren grabbed the rebound with just over 3 seconds to go to give the Thunder one last gasp to tie or win, Holmgren was whacked in the face. Could have (should have) been a foul on Miami giving Chet two free throws.
- We await the Last Two Minute Report.
- Jalen Williams exited at the 5:39 mark of the second quarter holding his hamstring. He was later declared out for the game with a thigh injury.
- Before leaving, JDub had 8 points in 14 minutes and was looking like the difference maker the Thunder needed in a tough road matchup.
- Chet Holmgren was steady again: 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
- That gives Chet 11 straight games with 2+ blocks, a stretch that now feels routine rather than remarkable. Chet's defense is Defensive Player of the Year caliber. Just to state the obvious.
One Key Takeaway
Offensively, the Oklahoma City Thunder did almost everything right. They shot lights out, they passed well, they got to the line, and they won the points-in-the-paint battle. The one thing the Thunder didn't do was play like the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the other hand, the Miami Heat did exactly that. The Heat out-Thundered the Thunder in a big way: by creating more possessions.
In the Thunder's championship winning season, OKC could shoot 35% from the field and win games because it limited its opponent's possessions and stacked extra possessions for itself (mostly by forcing turnovers).
In this one, Miami outclassed the Thunder by creating extra possessions in every way a team can do so.
- Miami won the rebounding battle, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds to just 5 for OKC. That's +16 in possessions.
- Miami protected the ball and forced the Thunder to turn the ball over. The Heat had just 4 turnovers compared to 17 for the Thunder. That's +13 in possessions.
The result: Miami took 111 shots to just 77 for the Thunder. That's right, the Heat took 34 more shots. That's nuts. That's crazy. And that's how a team can overcome their opponent shooting 55% when you shoot just 37%.
