Los Thunder son basura en todo el mundo

Just when you think the Thunder might have figured it out with three straight wins, including a couple over good teams, Oklahoma City flies down to Mexico City to lose to the Brooklyn Nets. Not just any Brooklyn Nets — a shorthanded Brooklyn Nets team missing Jeremy Lin, D’Angelo Russell, and everyone involved in Thursday’s blockbuster blocknudger Jahlil Okafor trade.

In fairness, Paul George was out. But Carmelo Anthony, who is adamant that he shall not come off the bench, shot 5-of-20. Russell Westbrook was 10-of-27. Against the Nets’ No. 20 ranked defense. In the fourth quarter, which has been the Thunder’s hall of horrors this season, OKC shot 7-of-25 with one freaking assist.

One step forward, one step back. This is not going remotely according to plan.

LAL 107, PHI 104
WAS 109, PHX 99
OKC 95, BKN 100
HOU 112, UTA 101

Brandon Ingram game winner! (Superstar in the making.) Jordan Clarkson’s postgame quote on the shot is pretty incredible. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid had a highlight reel going before the loss. This is a fun little rivalry.

As mentioned in the opening section, we had a Jahlil Okafor trade. Victory for the #FreeJah movement! Finally! The Nets sent useful, affordable Trevor Booker to Philadelphia for Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and a 2019 second-round pick. Now both highly disappointing top-three picks from the 2015 NBA draft are on the same team!

They can prove the haters wrong/remind us the draft is more art than science together. (And right across the Brooklyn Bridge, Kristaps Porzingis can heckle both of them.) Okafor is simply the latest example of the Nets’ buying low on a promising player. Tim Cato writes that they are perfect for each other.

Let’s slow it down a bit. Here’s my somewhat depressing piece on why the Pacers might be fool’s gold and how buying the hype could derail Indiana’s rebuild plans.

Rest in peace, Fatty Taylor.

Chris Herring on the Rockets’ newly dominant defense.

This is interesting: Marc Stein reports that the NBA will launch a G League team in Mexico City, perhaps next year. The team will be locally owned and operated and will not have an NBA affiliate. It’s perfectly obvious that this is a test run for placing an NBA team there when and if expansion happens. What a brilliant little experiment (though there are some things you just won’t be able to measure with a G League club, especially fan interest and sponsor revenue).

The education of Luke Walton.

LeBron claimed he gets better every month of the season. The data checks out.

Speaking of the King, the way he dealt with this heckler in Chicago is just excellent.

Blessings to Gorgui Dieng, who is doing amazing things in his native Senegal with his NBA riches.

LaMelo Ball gave up his NCAA eligibility by signing with an agent.

Is Donovan Mitchell a legit Rookie of the Year candidate? I think at this point we ought to pull the favorite label from Ben Simmons and let him, Jayson Tatum, and Mitchell compete all year long.

ESPN has a Friday doubleheader with Warriors-Pistons at 7 p.m. ET and Celtics-Spurs at 9:30. (Still no Kawhi Leonard.) On Saturday, NBA TV has Heat-Nets from Mexico City at 6 p.m. ET followed by Jazz-Bucks at 8:30. No national TV on Sunday, but there’s a nice Celtics-Pistons matinee at 4 p.m. ET on League Pass and local TV.

Be excellent to each other.