Thunder’s late-game strategy goes horribly wrong with brutal missteps in loss to Nuggets
NY Post
The Thunder tried playing it safe — and it led to the worst-case scenario.
With the Thunder leading by three points in the final seconds of Game 1, head coach Mark Daigneault went with a popular strategy in today’s NBA: Intentionally fouling so the opposition has no chance of getting off a game-tying 3-point attempt.
But it backfired tremendously.
Denver knocked down free throw after free throw and as the Nuggets matched the intentional fouls until Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren missed a pair. Now only down one point, Aaron Gordon knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer for Denver.
The problem with the Thunder’s plan was how little time they were running off the clock between fouls.
Oklahoma City was routinely fouling the instant that Denver inbounded the ball, giving the latter ample time to return the favor after hitting its free throws.
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