Thunder Practice Report | Nov. 30, 2021
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00:00 Even though the Thunder lost last night to the Houston Rockets and shot an
00:03 abysmal 7 of 43 from beyond the arc, Coach Shagnall believes that there were a lot
00:08 of positive takeaways, especially defensively.
00:11 Yeah, a game like that can leave a bad taste in your mouth because of the score, the fact that you lose,
00:17 and offensively obviously it was a really, really tough night for us.
00:21 But, you know, if you take a step back and you look at the numbers and you look at, you know, the film,
00:26 there were a lot of bright spots defensively last night.
00:29 To be honest with you, there were some bright spots offensively where we just didn't really convert
00:33 on some of the plays, some of our better plays last night.
00:36 But on the defensive end, you know, there were definitely some really, really good plays.
00:40 I thought we made them miss and took them out of rhythm on a lot of plays.
00:43 I thought, you know, I was really impressed by especially, you know, Roby, Wiggins, Watson, and Maledon
00:50 because none of those guys woke up yesterday morning expecting to play, and yet when their number got called
00:56 in different contexts, they all went in there, and I thought those four specifically, it wasn't limited to them.
01:02 But their readiness to play and compete, especially on that end of the floor, really popped both in the game and on the film.
01:08 Oklahoma City's chance for revenge cannot come soon enough as they will face the Rockets again tomorrow night,
01:14 but this time in the Thunder's backyard here at Paycom Center.
01:18 Ty Jerome thinks that this could not have played out any better.
01:21 I think that's like the dream scenario, coming off a loss and getting to play that same team the next day.
01:26 That's like the ideal. That's what everybody wants. When you lose a game, you want nothing but to crack the team.
01:30 So, you know, we're hoping to make some adjustments and we'll be ready to play.
01:34 Unexpectedly, though, Thunder veteran Mike Muscala was ruled out for last night's game.
01:39 Coach Dugnell explained what happened today.
01:41 Yeah, we're evaluating it right now. We're going to see our response to treatment.
01:44 He's had this ankle thing that we managed pretty good.
01:48 He came in as I was walking out for the game. He was walking in and talking to Tony K.
01:54 So it was a very late scratch and we didn't find out till almost tip that he wasn't going to be available.
02:00 But he did treatment this morning. He'll do treatment again tomorrow.
02:03 We'll evaluate where he's at and make a decision.
02:06 With Derek Fabers, Kenrich Williams and Muscala all out, it gave Isaiah Roby a chance to shine.
02:12 Despite not playing in the Thunder's past two games, Roby did not miss a beat
02:16 and he had a very efficient night. He shot eight of 10 from the floor, secured five rebounds
02:21 and finished with 17 points. Jerome spoke about his performance today.
02:26 Yeah, I think it speaks to the type of people, the type of person he is and the type of people we have in this organization.
02:31 I mean, it's when you don't hang your head when you're not getting what you want or what you think you deserve
02:38 and you can buy into the team and you can stay ready and you can understand that it will come back to you
02:43 when you're ready, when it does. Usually good things happen.
02:46 That speaks to the type of person he is and the type of work he put in when his number wasn't being called.
02:50 Another spark coming off the bench for the Thunder last night was rookie Trey Mann.
02:54 Coach Dagnall has been telling him to be more aggressive offensively
02:57 and it seems like Mann is finally understanding the assignment.
03:01 He finished five of 10 from the floor, was 100% from the free throw line and totaled 17 points.
03:08 Jerome gave him a lot of praise today.
03:10 So, yeah, that's why I pretty much tell Trey before every game, I tell him to be aggressive and stay aggressive.
03:15 If you don't go down, it's just part of the game.
03:17 And I think we're all growing and I think when you have a gift like that, like Trey's,
03:23 you can see that he can be a high level, you know, shot creator in this league.
03:29 And like, you need to shoot deeper threes so guys close out on you.
03:33 You guys are trying to run you off the line and that's an open up capability.
03:36 All the things he can do in the paint, all the finishes he has, how athletic he is.
03:40 So I think like, and you can see the progress he's made from day one.
03:44 He's going to continue to get better because his work ethic, every kid he is,
03:47 every person he is and then how much, how talented he is.
03:50 So, yeah, he's going to continue to see growth in that area.
03:54 The Thunder will be back in action tomorrow to take on the Houston Rockets once again.
03:58 But for now, this has been your Thunder practice report.
04:01 Reporting for SI Thunder, I'm Christine Butterfield.
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