NewsOK.com · Jan 17, 2019
Thunder journal: OKC fighting pick-and-roll pitfalls
Oklahoma City's Nerlens Noel (3), shown here playing against Denver in November, is getting close to returning to action after suffering a concussion. [Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman]As the Thunder's embarrassing 16-point loss to the Hawks on Tuesday showed, the defense has taken a step back.
Yes, the Thunder is still the No. 1 ranked defense in the league (by a hair, 103.6 points allowed per 100 possessions to Indiana's 103.9), but it's been torched in the last five games for 119.7 points per 100, the third-worst mark in the NBA.
It starts in the screen game, where the Thunder was decimated by Atlanta and has shown cracks in recent weeks.