The NBA's elimination rounds for its in-season tournament have started, with the last quarterfinal games scheduled for Wednesday night. Last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks, winning 118-104, while the Milwaukee Bucks edged past the Orlando Magic with a score of 114-109 to advance to the semifinals.
The Bucks have been on fire lately, winning eight out of their last ten games, yet they managed to defeat a team that sits 2.5 games ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings. In contrast, Oklahoma City's victory over Dallas wasn't as surprising. The Thunder continue to hold the top spot in the Western Conference.
Last season, the Thunder secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference but were defeated by the Mavericks in the playoffs. A key factor in this outcome was Dallas' dominance in rebounding, outpacing the Thunder 271-243 in the series.
After the game on "Inside the NBA," Charles Barkley discussed this issue from last year and how Oklahoma City has tackled it, resulting in a team without weaknesses.
"I love the fact that they addressed their weaknesses," Barkley said. "If you go back and look at them in the playoffs, they couldn't keep the big guys off the boards. That was their only weakness. Chet is going to be a terrific player, but he's a little light in the cakes. He kept getting pushed under the basket ... they went out and got big Hartenstein."
The Thunder sit at No. 15 in the NBA for total rebounds per game for the season. However, since Isaiah Hartenstein returned from injury on Nov. 20, they have climbed to No. 8 in the league. Hartenstein is averaging nearly 13 rebounds per game this year.
Oklahoma City has yet to play with both Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren healthy. Holmgren has been out since November 10 due to a pelvic fracture, which is expected to keep him sidelined for 8 to 10 weeks. This means he might return in early to mid-January.
Once he returns, Oklahoma City aims to elevate its rebounding efforts and contend for an NBA championship.
Related: NBA Insiders Discuss Thunder Trade Rumors Involving Giannis Antetokounmpo
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This story was originally published December 11, 2024, 3:10 PM.