The Thunder has allowed 20-plus second-chance points twice this season. The first came in the season opener against the Warriors. The second was a 105-98 loss to the Nuggets Saturday.
“I thought their physicality and their presence at the basket in that first half certainly overwhelmed us a little bit,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said after the game. “And when I say overwhelmed us, they were the aggressor. They were making an impact. I thought in the second half we neutralized them on the backboard and we did a much better job.”
The Thunder leads the NBA in offensive rebounding, but when it comes to grabbing boards at the other end of the floor, OKC is just average.