Brian Windhorst exposes OKC Thunder's fragility in monumental choke against Nuggets: "Their weak spot"
After being one of the NBA's most dominant teams all season, the OKC Thunder were on the wrong end of an ugly loss Monday night. Now trailing in the Western Conference semifinals, one analyst gave his thoughts on a possible weak spot of the potential contender.
Facing off against the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder were in the driver's seat for the majority of Game 1. However, things went off the rails for them in the final minutes. They proceeded to cough up their lead down the stretch, resulting in a clutch Aaron Gordon three to seal a 121-119 win for Denver.
During Tuesday's installment of Get Up on ESPN, Brian Windhorst reflected on how things unfolded at the end of Game 1. He is confident in the OKC Thunder's ability to defend at a high level, but is skeptical about their play on the other end of the floor.
"They're a little fragile that way when they absolutely need to score," Windhorst said. "I trust them to get stops more than I trust them to score under pressure. Maybe I'll change my mind over the next six weeks, but that is their weak spot." (5:06)
With four-and-a-half minutes to go, the Thunder were sitting comfortably with an 11-point lead. Their offense then began to sputter, scoring just six more points the rest of the way. This opened the door for Nikola Jokic and company to go on a big run and steal a game on the road.
Stephen A. Smith calls out OKC Thunder All-Star after Game 1 loss vs. Nuggets
A big reason why the Denver Nuggets were able to steal Game 1 was because of a dominant performance from Nikola Jokic. That said, one analyst called out a key member of the OKC Thunder for a lackluster showing in the gut-punching loss.
While breaking down his thoughts on the matchup, Stephen A. Smith set his sights on Jalen Williams. He feels OKC would have been able to overcome Jokic's brilliance Monday if the All-Star forward provided more of a scoring punch. Williams has been a driving force in the Thunder's offense next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but notched just 16 points on 5-for-20 shooting in Game 1.
"How many times have you both heard me say my concern about OKC is Jalen Williams," Stephen A. said. "Your struggles are alleviated if Jalen Williams shows up to help SGA. 5-for-20 ain't acceptable."
Williams was impressive in the OKC Thunder's sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in round one, scoring 20 or more in each of the four games. If they're going to advance to the Western Conference finals, they're going to need similar production against Jokic and company.
