4/7 - POSTGAME | Oklahoma City Thunder (108) - (102) Houston Rockets

[Thabo Sefolosha]

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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER at HOUSTON ROCKETS
• Record: 46-34
• Standing: #6
• http://www.nba.com/games/20180407/OKCHOU
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SUMMARY
BOXSCORE
OKC:

Spoiler:

HOU:

Spoiler:

Thunder Upcoming 3

Spoiler:

4/9/18 @ MIA 6:30PM CST
4/11/18 vs MEM 7PM CST

HIGHLIGHTS
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| NBA.com | | Thunder.com | | ESPN.com/NBA

[anthony00]

Meloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[bondom34]

I don't know, you explain them.

[Thunder Up]

2Pat

[ThunderBolt]

I’ve had beautiful, deceitful women play less games with me.

[spearsy23]

Russell Westbrook is now the harden stopper?

[Dn4sty]

James Harden had a really tough matchup against the MVP

[Thunder Up]

I am not saying it is going to happen... but with a real coach who would give 2Pat 25 mpg in a playoff series......
This team could make the WCF with a 100% Russ, playoff PG13, the Melo from tonight, and a healthy(Ish) Adams

[anthony00]

melo was great tonight and westbrook actually played d

[Dadouv47]

Westbrook was sensational last quarter. Elite defense and very high BBIQ on offense.

Don't know why but I'm worried we don't play against Miami with such energy...hope I'm wrong

[dakomish23]

Every win matters.

The coach playing Russian roulette by having Westbrook Melo and Abrines our there to close. Then suddenly Westbrook locks up Harden and Melo even played some D.

I wouldn’t use this game as a barometer.

But I’ll gladly take it.

[ThunderBolt]

Every win matters.

The coach playing Russian roulette by having Westbrook Melo and Abrines our there to close. Then suddenly Westbrook locks up Harden and Melo even played some D.

I wouldn’t use this game as a barometer.

But I’ll gladly take it.

I’ve never asked, but I’m curious...are you a Knicks, fan, thunder fan, Melo fan or all of the above?

[dakomish23]

Every win matters.

The coach playing Russian roulette by having Westbrook Melo and Abrines our there to close. Then suddenly Westbrook locks up Harden and Melo even played some D.

I wouldn’t use this game as a barometer.

But I’ll gladly take it.

I’ve never asked, but I’m curious...are you a Knicks, fan, thunder fan, Melo fan or all of the above?

I’m a Knicks fan
OKC is my 2nd team. Have been for a while. Just started posting here when they got Melo.
Melo supporter.
Also a Russ supporter.
And PG supporter.

I don’t trash Melo for obscure things some folks make up in their mind so if that makes me a fan of Melo so be it. But I don’t watch games for him.

[RalphSampsonJr]

I am pretty emotionally disconnected from this team at this point and this was the first game i chose not to watch..

I dont get this team. i really dont. Houston hasnt lost at home for how long?!
It genuinely feels like Russ just picks and chooses when he wants to play at 100%.

I see the Pels beat the Dubs and SA beat the blazers.. we needed this win so bad

[Thabo Sefolosha]

Read on Twitter

[dakomish23]

Read on Twitter

Good thing Russ thought he could handle it. Saved the game IMO

[ThunderBolt]

Read on Twitter

To which Alex Abrines responded, “thank god”.

[Osirus89]

Every win matters.

The coach playing Russian roulette by having Westbrook Melo and Abrines our there to close. Then suddenly Westbrook locks up Harden and Melo even played some D.

I wouldn’t use this game as a barometer.

But I’ll gladly take it.

I’ve never asked, but I’m curious...are you a Knicks, fan, thunder fan, Melo fan or all of the above?

I’m a Knicks fan
OKC is my 2nd team. Have been for a while. Just started posting here when they got Melo.
Melo supporter.
Also a Russ supporter.
And PG supporter.

I don’t trash Melo for obscure things some folks make up in their mind so if that makes me a fan of Melo so be it. But I don’t watch games for him.

Melo was sensational this game. This might have been the best game he has played this season just based on how he approached the game. He was very active on defense and he attacked drove to the rim on offense and didnt settle for jumpers. If he can play like this going into the playoffs, the outlook for the team is much brighter.

This team is baffling, but this was the type of game that I'm sure everyone hoped they would play, but weren't sure if they could actually do it. They played as urgently as they have played this whole season with the exception of maybe 3 games.

So.. is Russ' problem on defense that he doesn't try or is it that he isn't good at it? I've been watching the team for years and games like this make me think it is the former while others make me think its the latter. He sleepwalks from game to game on defense most of the time, but then he has games like tonight and the GS series in 2016 where it looks like he just doesn't care to play D unless its very specific circumstances. Any guesses?

[NaturalThunder]

Read on Twitter

If only Russ had this mindset just 75% of the season in his approach to defense...

Then we'd comfortably be in 3rd place in the West instead of scrapping and clawing for our playoff lives in game 80 of the season.

[Dn4sty]

I’ve never asked, but I’m curious...are you a Knicks, fan, thunder fan, Melo fan or all of the above?

I’m a Knicks fan
OKC is my 2nd team. Have been for a while. Just started posting here when they got Melo.
Melo supporter.
Also a Russ supporter.
And PG supporter.

I don’t trash Melo for obscure things some folks make up in their mind so if that makes me a fan of Melo so be it. But I don’t watch games for him.

Melo was sensational this game. This might have been the best game he has played this season just based on how he approached the game. He was very active on defense and he attacked drove to the rim on offense and didnt settle for jumpers. If he can play like this going into the playoffs, the outlook for the team is much brighter.

This team is baffling, but this was the type of game that I'm sure everyone hoped they would play, but weren't sure if they could actually do it. They played as urgently as they have played this whole season with the exception of maybe 3 games.

So.. is Russ' problem on defense that he doesn't try or is it that he isn't good at it? I've been watching the team for years and games like this make me think it is the former while others make me think its the latter. He sleepwalks from game to game on defense most of the time, but then he has games like tonight and the GS series in 2016 where it looks like he just doesn't care to play D unless its very specific circumstances. Any guesses?

I think a lot of Russ mistakes come from emotion (he gets easily frustrated at refs) and the fact that he believes he can cheat and still play defense because he is almost always the most physically gifted player on the court. Because of this he kinda improvises his way around the court on defense.

I think if Billy/OKC just tells him to not focus on anyone else other than one guy (Harden/Steph) and not worry about anything else he can be elite. He is a much better on ball defender which played perfectly into the Rockets stupidity of offense in the 4th quarter.

Every possession Houston would set a high screen and let Harden ISO. This plays perfectly into Russ hands. The ball movement open shot stuff (Spurs/GSW) is a far greater struggle.

By the way. The high screen ISO Harden stuff will get the Rockets beat in the playoffs