Thunder Views: Debuts and scheduled losses - a Saturday in Portland

Saturday night was the final game of a three game road trip and the second night of a back-to-back. Add in the absence of Carmelo Anthony, and you’ve got the recipe for a loss.

The Thunder were just 6/27 from long range and shot the ball at a 44% clip. Paul George finished with 21 points on the night, but his three point struggles continued, as he was 0/7 from beyond the arc. Since the all-star break, he’s shooting just 24% from deep.

It was a “schedule loss” last night, and went just as everyone expected. Portland is streaking and OKC could just never get over the hump.

Had the Thunder won, they would’ve jumped up to third in the Western Conference. Instead, they’re now sitting in seventh place, tied with the ninth-place Clippers in the loss column. The wild wild West is surely living up to its name.

Spotlight

Corey Brewer made his Thunder debut on Saturday, playing just under 12 minutes. OKC fans will quickly realize the uniqueness of 11-year veteran’s game. He run around the floor killing ants at a seemingly rapid pace, and then do some things that will make you scratch your head. But he’s a team-first player, and someone you’ll come to love.

Saturday night was his first time on the floor with his new teammates, so he’s still getting acclimated, but we saw a prime example of his sometimes-erratic play. Brewer had no points and four fouls in his 12 minutes.

He knows it wasn’t the best debut, but he can only go up from here!

Quick Rumbles

• Westbrook finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists on 12/31 shooting. Not his most efficient night. He was never able to find a groove on the offensive end.
• Carmelo Anthony didn’t play yesterday, as Donovan gave him a night off for rest. Patrick Patterson jumped into the starting lineup and had 12 points on 5/8 shooting.
• Jerami Grant was solid again off the bench with 13 points on 6/9 shooting.
• Russ picked up a tech in defense of Steven Adams:

• He also did this:

A Look Ahead

The Thunder welcome the red-hot Houston Rockets to town on Tuesday. Houston defeated the Celtics on Saturday night for their 15th straight win.