National Basketball Association

OKC Thunder: Player Grades from Win against the Lakers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:14 p.m. ET

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The OKC Thunder won their third straight game of the season, beating the LA Lakers 113-96 to push their record to 3-0.

Life is good for OKC Thunder fans. Three games, three wins. And the best basketball of the season was played tonight.

The Thunder bounced back from a “rough” win against the Suns to play a full game of team basketball. OKC finished with 29 assists on 45 made shots; ball movement like that will put them in contention every night.

Who played well? Did ANYONE perform poorly? Let’s take a look.

Alex Abrines

Shooting Guard, OKC Thunder

B+Damn the fact that Abrines only played two minutes. It’s what happened in those two minutes that matters. The 23-year old scored five points, including a ridiculous and-one that almost was a poster. He hit all three attempts from the free throw line; two of those came after he was fouled by Nick Young after intercepting a Laker pass. Abrines’ defensive instincts are already vastly improving, but he needs to get more playing time if we’re going to see Abrines reach his potential. We saw how the offense opened up with Anthony Morrow on the floor; personally I think Abrines is a much better and consistent three-point threat than Morrow. #freeAlexAbrines

Steven Adams

Center, OKC Thunder

A-The Thunder started tonight’s game with three straight pick and rolls with Adams and Russell Westbrook. Adams scored six straight points because the Lakers and Timofey Mozgov had no answer to the play. Billy Donovan called for the play a few more times throughout the night, but I would love to see even more of that play. The Big Kiwi recorded his first double-double of the season, finishing the night with 14 points and 12 rebounds. But it was on the defensive end where Adams made his biggest contribution. The 23-year old finished the night with three steals and two blocks and only two personal fouls. Active hands out of your rim protector is a must, and his ability to stay active without fouling is crucial for Adams to stay on the court.

Semaj Christon

Point Guard, OKC Thunder

BCall me bias (Semaj and I share a hometown of Cincinnati) but I love this kid. He plays HARD whenever he’s on the court, and tonight was no different. Christon ended the night with 5 points, 2 assists and 2 steals on 20 minutes of play, but this time he played alongside Russ for a fair share. Christon did a great job moving off the ball, opening up lanes for Russ to do work. He’s not a guard who requires the ball to be happy, and that style is perfect when playing alongside Russ. On defense, Christon’s active hands forced two Laker turnovers, and his defensive pressure visibly upset Deangelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson all night.

Ersan Ilyasova

Power Forward, OKC Thunder

BScoring isn’t everything in basketball, and Ilyasova’s performance tonight was a perfect example of that. Ersan looked like the perfect four-man (sorry Domantas) in Billy Donovan’s system; Ilyasova makes the right reads on offense and he is the perfect counterpart to physical specimen Steven on the defensive end. Ilyasova’s basketball IQ is off the charts, and he’s always in the right position at the right time. So what the he shot 0-6 from the field and 0-5 from behind the arc? The shots weren’t forced, he just had an off-shooting night. That didn’t stop Ersan from posting 6 rebounds, a block and a steal in 26 minutes of play. OKC outscored the Lakers by 8 points when he was on the court; is it time to start considering him for the starting lineup?

Enes Kanter

Center, OKC Thunder

B-Kanter had the complete opposite game of Ilyasova; he scored, but it came at the expense of the rest of the team. Kanter’s 16 points came on only 11 shots, and he gave fans a clinic on post-play. But Kanter’s kyptonite (the defensive end) was a killer for his overall grade. Enes was one of two Thunder players with a negative +/- tonight, and the only bench player to end in the red zone. Kanter has shown MAJOR improvement in his footwork, especially when he is switched onto a guard at the perimeter. It’s the positioning that kills him. Donovan rode with Ilyasova in crunch time because of Ersan’s defense, and that’s why I have to knock Kanter just a tick below.

Joffrey Lauvergne

Center, OKC Thunder

B+I feel so bad for King Joffrey. Lauvergne was traded from a loaded frontcourt in Denver to a loaded frontcourt in Oklahoma City. He only got 8 minutes tonight, but Joffrey made the most of his opportunity by recording 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist. Lauvergne showcased his range tonight, hitting a deeeeeeeeeeep two; that shot-making ability could prove crucial if he continues to improve on his range. If Joffrey continues to play defense like tonight, he could find himself chipping away at Enes’ minutes. I want to see more of Lauvergne with the first unit because he doesn’t need the ball like Kanter to be effective on the court.

Anthony Morrow

Shooting Guard, OKC Thunder

BGood old Anthony Morrow. The 31-year old vet shot the ball well in his six minutes of action, hitting 3-5 from the field. He missed his only three-attempt but he hit a long two where his foot was just on the line. The Thunder offense flourished with the sharpshooter on the floor, scoring 17 points in his six minutes of play time. Russell Westbrook had more room to work since Morrow’s defender had to pay more attention to the perimeter-minded player. He also had an assist and a steal, but the defense did suffer more with him on the court. Nick Young’s small offensive outburst came when Morrow was guarding him. Even with the influx of offense the Thunder only outscored the Lakers by 2 with him on the court, and we know defense is the emphasis for Donovan.

Victor Oladipo

Shooting Guard, OKC Thunder

BMaybe I’m too tough on Vic, but that’s because I see what he is capable of. Oladipo played a stellar defensive game today, helping wreak the havoc that caused 21 turnovers by the young Lakers team. He finished with 20 points on 7-20 shooting from the field; on the bright side he hit 3-7 from behind the arc. Tonight was the first night Victor looked interested in moving the ball and the offense blossomed because of it. He recorded four assists (his most of the season) and had a couple hockey assists as well. The shot selection could be better from him, but it’s nice to see improvement after only two games in the season.

Andre Roberson

Small Forward, OKC Thunder

A-This dude is so important to the Thunder’s success. Need to stop D’Angelo Russell? Throw Andre on him. And that’s exactly what Billy Donovan did in the fourth quarter. Roberson finished the night with a steal and a block, five rebounds and zero turnovers. It’s the shooting that ultimately hurt Andre. He finished with 8 points on 4-7 shooting, but he missed all three of his three attempts and both of his free throws. The form is still hideous, but the 24-year old looks much more comfortable shooting the rock compared to last year. I want him to keep shooting. He needs to be comfortable behind the line come playoff team if the Thunder expect to make any noise.

Domantas Sabonis

Power Forward, OKC Thunder

DYikes. Poor Domas was the only Thunder player to truly play poorly tonight. Julius Randle’s athleticism at the four spot killed Sabonis tonight; he registered four fouls on the Laker big in only 7 minutes of play. LA came out and fed Randle, knowing that Sabonis couldn’t keep up on the defensive end. Randle’s combination of size and strength resulted in two quick and-ones on Sabonis in the first quarter and he was quickly yanked. Fast forward to the start of the second half. Sabonis enters the game, and within 3.5 minutes he registered two more fouls. On the bright side his activity on defense ended with a steal and block, so Sabonis’ four fouls didn’t come with some rewards. He just needs to learn where to draw the line.

Kyle Singler

Small Forward, OKC Thunder

B-I don’t understand Billy Donovan’s obsession with Kyle Singler. The upside with Singler on the court is minimal, and his defense is overstated. Luke Walton attacked Singler with Brandon Ingram every time the two were matched up. Ingram had multiple open looks that the rook couldn’t convert on; he did everything BUT finish. On offense, Singler had two terrible post entries to the scorching hot Enes Kanter that resulted in turnovers, and he almost dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds. On the other hand, Singler showcased his ability as a transition wing, scoring on two easy dunks when the Thunder pushed the ball. Kyle knows exactly what space to fill in transition and if the Thunder are going to push the ball that skillset will be key. Now he just needs to get back to his preseason shooting form.

Russell Westbrook

Point Guard, OKC Thunder

AWe might as well give this man the MVP now. Russ had a triple-double by the third quarter, and he finished the night with 33 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds. Disgusting. So why doesn’t Russ get an A+ that he probably deserves? Seven turnovers. I understand that when you pass as much as Westbrook (sounds crazy right) that turnovers will happen, but seven is just a little too many for my liking. A lot of Russ’ turnovers come from difficult alley-oops to Steven Adams and Enes Kanter off the pick-and-roll; that will get better as the season progresses. Russ shot 11-21 from the field; the Thunder are at their best when he shoots less than 25 times. The offense boomed tonight because the Lakers had to worry about Russ creating for others AND scoring. When he has both going it is virtually impossible to stop this team because of the weapons surrounding him.