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If you took a look at the box score from Monday loss to the Kings before the season, youd think the Thunder had spent the first half of the season wheeling and dealing, flipping assets for picks left and right, and this is what was left over.The Thunder entered the game with six of it fifteen main-roster players out with varying injuriesthree of which being the main core of the bench Allonzo Trier Jersey. Without Ty Jerome, Kenrich Williams and Mike Muscala all outand Tre Mann and Isaiah Roby forced into the starting lineupthe Thunder have had to turn to the next crop of players to backfill those spots. Enter Olivier Sarr, Lindy Waters III and Vit Krejci. Sarr and Waters are both recent signees to two-way contracts playing in the first stretch of NBA games of their careers. Sarr featured in two games, playing less than 14 minutes total earlier this season on a 10-day contract and impressed enough to be re-signed when Aaron Wiggins contract was converted in February RJ Barrett Jersey.Krejci has dealt with a myriad of injuries in his time in OKC and is putting together his first stretch of games with the newfound opportunities. He is still trying to find what his role on an NBA team looks like, but has averaged six points and has shown glimpses of the 3-point shooting he became known for in his time with the OKC Blue. Along with the crop above, old friends Aleksej Pokusevski and Theo Maledon have stepped up their games in the absence of the players typically ahead of them. Pokusevski has averaged 11.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists since the All-Star breaka continuation of his ascension following a lengthy G League stint. Maledon has added 8.3 points of his own over those three gameshighlighted by a 14-point outing against the Pacers.The Thunder will see some of its bench pieces return in the coming weeks, but with the play of their replacements will put OKC in a good place should other injuries arise Jericho Sims Jersey.Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Well nobody saw that coming.Boston had won nine games in a row, while Detroit was on an eight-game skid. The Celtics had not only been winning https://www.trprostore.com/Scottie_Barnes_Jersey-24, but they had been blowing teams out. They won their last three road games by an average of more than 30 points. The Pistons, on the other hand, had been out of most games by the end of the third quarter. So naturally, Detroit goes into Boston and gets a big W right before the All-Star break.Obviously its just win No. 13 for Detroit on the season, but it had to feel good, and no competitor likes being stuck in a rut. Jerami Grant, who hit what would be the game winner, called the victory huge multiple times as he and his teammates prepare for some time off https://www.trprostore.com/Chris_Boucher_Jersey-12. Dwane Casey said that he was proud of his guys and really felt good about the effort on both ends of the floor.Grant led all Pistons with 24 points including the mid-range pull up to seal the win. Saddiq Bey and Cade Cunningham each added 20 apiece as well, showing what this team is capable of when its top three players are all on. Kelly Olynyk finally looks like himself again after battling back from injury and COVID and contributed 15 of his own points as he went 3-for-4 from downtown. Marvin Bagley III continued to do some nice things in just his second game as a Piston scoring six and grabbing six boards. He obviously didnt fill up the stat sheet, but he just looks like he belongs out there. The play of the night for the newcomer came on a lob from Cunningham off of a beautiful pick and roll that resulted in a posterizing dunk and an and-one opportunity. That could be a great sign of things to come.At the end of the day, tonights win it just gives the Pistons something to feel good about heading into the break. Beating a streaking time like Boston on their home court can do wonders for a young teams confidence. No one is expecting the Pistons to win their final 24 games Gary Trent Jr. Jersey, and Casey said as much, but its still a booster shot heading into the final third of the season.

Miami HEAT October 30, 2021Tyler Herro continues to prove his preseason form wasn a fluke with another huge 26 points off the bench. Tyler off the bench is a problem26pts, 6rebs 5asts HEAT October 30, 2021Charlotte entered the game as the top ranked offense in the NBA, but they ran into the league best defense and though the two teams played evenly to start the game https://www.mhteamstore.com/Bam_Adebayo_Jersey-12, the Heat would go on a big run in the first quarter to race out to the early double-digit lead. Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson were able to each sink early baskets, but neither player was able to have a breakout game offensively tonight. Nevertheless, the lead kept swelling once Herro got in on the fun, highlighted once again by a first quarter buzzer beater his second of the season to propel the lead to 11.He scored an efficient 18 points in his first 10 minutes of the game, with a 3-pointer halfway through a dominant second quarter performance making it 47-27 Caleb Martin Jersey. The lead would soon go up to 26 points eventually, with the Hornets unable to make a dent on offense. LaMelo Ball failed to make much of an impact all night long, finishing with six points on 2-14 shooting, and every time the Hornets scored there was an immediate answer from Herro or Butler.They wouldn go down that easy however, with a much improved third quarter led by Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges getting more aggressive on offense to close the gap to 84-75 entering the final quarter. Cody Martin also played well during this stretch, scoring 15 points off the bench for the night. Eventually the lead was whittled down to just six points in the fourth quarter, but encouragingly this was when Adebayo put the team on his back and ensured the Heat would hold on to stay undefeated at home. A quick 7-0 run by the home team late in the game would put the game safely away https://www.mhteamstore.com/Marcus_Garrett_Jersey-36.Bam sure did have a night on his big night 26 points 19 rebounds HEAT October 30, 2021a quick summary of Bam's performance tonight: HEAT October 30, 2021Miami defense would hold the top-ranked offense Hornets to just 39% shooting and won the battle of the boards 60-37, with Butler and Adebayo leading by example and grabbing nine of the team 16 offensive rebounds. Perhaps even more impressively, the team would also finish a perfect 19-19 from the free throw line for the second time this season.While the team improves to 4-0 with Lowry Bam Adebayo Jersey, he continued to struggle with his shot and is now averaging just 6.8 points and shooting 27% from the field so far. But his playmaking, creativity and tenacity is proving to be a perfect compliment to the trio of Adebayo, Butler and Herro. It was a special night thanks to the halftime ceremony honoring Adebayo and his gold medal achievement with Team USA and for the hard-fought victory.

But while those clubs are somewhat easy to peg, where do the rest of the teams fall in our weekly power rankings? 1. Phoenix SunsCurrent record: 19-4Previous ranking: 2After reeling off 18 wins in a row and going undefeated throughout the entire month of November the Suns get an opportunity to begin a new run after falling to the Warriors on Friday. But theyll likely need to do it without Devin Booker, who remains on the mend following a hamstring tweak during the first half of last week victory over Golden State. Phoenix dodged a huge bullet when ace defender Mikal Bridges dislocated but didnt break the pinky finger on his shooting hand late last week https://www.mtprostore.com/Karl_anthony_Towns_Jersey-10.Previous ranking: 9 If there a team that played above its head to start the season out East, it might be Washington. The Wiz passed the eye test early on, taking away opponents three-point opportunities while relying on depth around Bradley Beal. But the advanced numbers point to a regression that were seeing play out. Yes, theyre fourth in the East, at 14-10. But theyve been perfect 5-0 so far in games decided by three points or fewer, and a league-best 11-1 in games that are within five points in the final five minutes of play. It all suggests the good luck may run thin sometime soon. Their negative point differential rare for a team with a winning record also suggests that.10. Cleveland CavaliersCurrent record: 13-11Previous ranking: 16For those waiting or expecting for the Cavaliers to hit a rough patch and fall out of the playoff mix https://www.mtprostore.com/Dangelo_Russell_Jersey-17, you could find yourself waiting for quite awhile. For starters, theyve gone a respectable 6-7 since losing Collin Sexton. But perhaps even more important: Theyve gone 13-7 in the games rookie Evan Mobley has played, and sport a 2.9 net rating, one of the 10 best in the league. Having played the NBA toughest schedule so far, they have the easiest remaining slate as they push for a playoff berth.Previous ranking: 12The wins have been coming less frequently for the Clips in recent weeks as Paul George has cooled down from his hot start. Where he shot about 47% overall and 37% from three in his first 12 games of the year, he dipped about 10 percentage points in each category in his 11 games since. Los Angeles won 9 of those first 12 contests, but has won only four of its last 12 without George shooting like a star Josh Okogie Jersey.18. Dallas MavericksCurrent record: 11-11Previous ranking: 11Reggie Bullock, the team biggest offseason player acquisition, has been disappointing to say the least. A career 38.5% three-point shooter, the 30-year-old has hit just 27.5% of his tries this season and just 18.8% over his last eight showings. Without him producing anywhere near his best, the Mavs still feel a key piece or two away from contending at the highest level.19. Los Angeles LakersCurrent record: 12-12Previous ranking: 19Part of what ails the Lakers, who stand at just 12-12 about 30% of the way into the season, is that theyre not getting enough from Talen Horton-Tucker, the 21-year-old they re-signed for three years and almost $31 million. He got a late start to his season, making his debut in mid-November. His first three games were sensational, and he averaged 23.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 49% shooting. In the eight games since, he averaged 5.9 points and shot an awful 29.7%. Tellingly, he registered only as a positive in the plus/minus category once in that eight-game window Taurean Prince Jersey.Previous ranking: 29 It almost certainly wont result in a Rookie of the Year award Evan Mobley is seemingly in a league of his own for that but Franz Wagner has quietly been enjoying a fantastic first season in the league. He been great defensively and efficient as a shooter all season long. But lately, he made a statistical leap as a passer Karl-Anthony Towns Jersey, logging at least four assists in each of his last six contests while posting a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that span. It a considerable jump from the start of the year, when he was averaging fewer than two dimes, and had worse than a 2-to-1 ratio.29. Detroit PistonsCurrent record: 4-18Previous ranking: 27It may not be resulting in wins lately, but the Pistons have gotten pretty solid play out of No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham his past three games, as he averaging 20 points and 6.7 rebounds on 54.5% shooting and 52.4% from three. On the downside, he been turning the ball over twice as much as he been assisting in that stretch. But Detroit has nothing but time for Cunningham to develop along with so many of his teammates.30. Oklahoma City ThunderCurrent record: 6-16Previous ranking: 26Everyone knows the Thunder had no intent or real hope of reaching the playoffs this season. But no professional team ever expects to be on the receiving end of a 73-point loss. Yes, the Thunder defeat which ranks as the most lopsided loss in NBA history came on a night where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rookie of the Month Josh Giddey werent playing. But neither was Memphis star Ja Morant. At least Oklahoma City has a winnable game its next time out; on Monday, the Thunder will play the Pistons, who have a league-low four wins.

There is a prevailing sense that the 2019 Eastern Conference finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors carries a sort of clinical air. In the United States, the series is broadcast exclusively on TNT, a network that prides itself on knowing drama when it sees it. But the series has, for the most part, run smoothly; it was still light out in Los Angeles by the time Tuesday Game 4 wrapped https://www.mbprostore.com/Lindell_Wigginton_Jersey-34. The biggest controversy of the series has nothing to do with the players, but with Drake hands. The Bucks and Raptors have been the East two best teams the entire season, playing in two cities with fan bases starved for widespread acknowledgment. Six points separate the two teams after four games. The narrative through lines aren nearly as apparent as they would have been had either team faced a messier foeoth Milwaukee and Toronto would have served as black lights to the nastiness hidden from the public against either Boston or Philadelphiaut that doesn mean they aren there. The weight of the series didn click for me until there was about three minutes remaining in the second quarter of Game 4. Giannis corralled an uncontested defensive rebound, setting up a most familiar situation: He would take the ball up the floor himself and split two defenders right at the top of the key, positioning the ball high above his head and allowing his impossibly lengthy, gathering stride to guide him past the teeth of the defense for an easy at-rim finish. The endpoint was never in doubt: Antetokounmpo nailed 73.7 percent of his attempts in the restricted area during the regular season, the best mark of the 35 players who took at least 400 shots from that zone. It arguably the most recognizably Giannis play there is Jrue Holiday Jersey, fit to be memorialized in a flip-book.

Despite finishing with the most points after two rounds, LA Clippers Luke Kennard finished tied for second place with Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and behind Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl Anthony-Towns in Saturday night 3-point contest. Kennard had the second-best odds to win the contest behind San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills, according to DraftKings.The first round is where Kennard did the bulk of his damage. He scored 28 points, which was the highest in the first round https://www.lacprostore.com/Clippers_Salute_to_Service_Hoodie-3. Towns and Young tied for second with 22.

Christian Wood had 24 points and a career-high 21 rebounds as the Houston Rockets won their third straight game with a 102-89 victory over the struggling Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. Kevin Porter Jr. contributed a triple-double of 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and Garrison Mathews scored 19 points for the Rockets. Houston winning streak follows a 15-game skid, while the loss was the sixth straight for Oklahoma City. Wood performance came after he scored a career-best 33 points to lead Houston past Charlotte on Saturday night. His previous high in rebounds was 19 in April against the Clippers. Houston led most of the night and was up by as many as 21 in the third quarter. The Thunder got within 12 on a 3-pointer by Ty Jerome with about 8 minutes to go. But then Eric Gordon scored five quick points for the Rockets to push the lead to 86-69. Oklahoma City cut it to 11 later in the fourth after a 7-2 spurt, with a three-point play by Tre Mann. This time the Rockets went on a 6-0 run with a dunk from Wood to make it 100-83 with two minutes remaining https://www.hrprostore.com/Jalen_Green_Jersey-30. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 22 points and Isaiah Roby and Mann had 17 each. The Rockets were up by 10 early in the third before scoring the next 11 points to make it 62-41 midway through the quarter. Mathews had two 3-pointers in that span and Jaeean Tate capped the run with a dunk. The Thunder missed seven consecutive shots and had two turnovers to help the Rockets pad the lead Jalen Green Jersey. Gilgeous-Alexander ended an almost four-minute scoring drought by the Thunder after the dunk by Tate to start an 8-2 run by Oklahoma City that cut the lead to 64-49. But Wood hit a 3-pointer before a layup by Danuel House extended Houston lead to 20 with about two minutes left in the third. The Thunder got going after that, wrapping up the quarter on an 11-3 run to cut the lead to 72-60 entering the fourth https://www.hrprostore.com/Dennis_Schroder_Jersey-38. Gilgeous-Alexander started the spurt with a 3 and Roby had four points, including a dunk, to help Oklahoma City trim the deficit. TIP-INSThunder: Kenrich Williams missed the game with a sprained right ankle. ... Luguentz Dort had seven points and three rebounds. Rockets: Houston rookie Jalen Green missed his second game with a strained left hamstring. ... G D.J. Augustin was out due to health and safety protocols. ... Tate had 15 points and eight assists. WALL ON WAY BACK?Houston point guard John Wall hasn played this season after he and the team decided that he sit out as they tried to look for a trade destination for him David Nwaba Jersey. But he recently changed his mind about his wishes for the season and could be back on the court soon. did meet with John and he has indicated that he wants to play and work toward that,coach Stephen Silas said. nd so right now, wee in that phase as far as getting him back in game shape.ilas said theye currently in a ramp-up period to prepare Wall to play and it could take about two weeks before hel return. They haven yet decided what the veteran role will be when he comes back.