There was so much going on with sports yesterday, I really didn’t even feel the desire to write a recap on my Thunder journal. Tiger Woods made a run thru the 72nd hole in a golf tournament, there was the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, a couple of good hockey games, plus I watched Minnesota beat Golden State.
OKC beat the Spurs on Saturday night by a count of 104-94 in a game they very much had to win.
Russell Westbrook triple doubled for the 19th time this season. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony struggled mightily shooting the ball going a combined 5-24. The Thunder bench was magnificent scoring a season high fifty points. Nick Collison had a beautiful stretch in the second half which brought a lump to all our throats and Steven Adams suffered some sort of ankle or leg injury which caused him to leave the game early in the second half and never return.
Some word is expected later today on exactly what Steven Adams suffered injury wise. Suffice it to say I’m a little nervous about the prospect of Adams missing time coming down the stretch at the most critical juncture of the season.
If he can’t go the Thunder would have to go with some combination of Pat Patterson, Jerami Grant, Nick Collison and maybe even some Dakari Johnson minutes. Steven Adams being injured is not a good thing at any time, let alone now as the Thunder at 39-29 are fighting for their playoff lives.
In all honesty, it’s somewhat hard for me to think about tonight’s game in OKC against the Sacramento Kings.
The Thunder are in the No. 6 slot, but that changes daily. Don’t forget about the Utah Jazz in that they’re finally healthy and on a roll. Watch for the Jazz as this thing closes coming down to the final few days.
I watched a bit of the Pacers as they beat the Celtics yesterday. The Pacers are actually challenging LeBron for third place in the East. Oladipo is an All-Star and Sabonis now has the added muscle of an NBA vet and less the look of a rookie from Gonzaga. It’s hard to think what if the Thunder hadn’t traded them away this summer in Sam Presti’s quest to resign Russell Westbrook.
Either way, the Thunder with or without Stevens Adams need a win tonight to stay afloat in the NBA’s West.