kekgeek1 wrote:Massive props to that bench plus ant lineup
Seems like peak Ant is ultimately a lead guard that carries a 30-35% usage. He seems to do best when given a ton of rope and freedom to operate. Yes, that sometimes means forced shots and sticky fingers, but it can also mean epic hot streaks and getting an entire defense to focus on him, thus freeing up other guys via hockey assists.
Very nice win...really a 20-point win before we put in guys who are not going to play any meaningful minutes this season for garbage time. Things I liked:
1) KAT looking for Gobert after he draws away Rudy's man. He needs to be a little more careful with the ball (too many TOs), but I like how he gets Rudy involved. Fun to see two 7-footers work a pick and roll!
2) Rebounding: OkC is a small team and we need to dominate them on the boards. We did- 54-42
3) Ball movement and defense with JMac on the floor. The game got very watchable when he came into the game, and it led to a very enjoyable run that put this game away.
4) Ant/Nowell pairing. I didn't think we'd see them that often together, but they do seem to play off each other very well. Two guys who love to attack the basket.
5) Ant finishing around the rim. He struggled in the first OkC game, but he was money tonight around the rim. Great Eurosteps, body control and left hand. That's the Ant I want to see every night.
6) Finch substitution. Three guys with 20+ minutes off the bench, and only Ant with over 30 minutes. Nice to see with another winnable game tonight.
What I didn't like:
1) Another bizarre 3rd quarter nap. Nice to see Finchie stop the bleeding with some timely substitutions.
2) Poor 3-point shooting. Some wide-open looks late in the 3rd quarter into the 4th brought our percentage up, but 29% is still bad.
3) Continued poor perimeter defense (until midway through the 3rd quarter). Way too many open looks that fortunately OkC didn't hit.
A very nice bounce back game after the Utah disaster. We should be 5-1 by the end of the week and feeling good about this team.
