2018–19 Oklahoma City Thunder season
| 2018–19 Oklahoma City Thunder season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Billy Donovan |
| General manager | Sam Presti |
| Owners | Professional Basketball Club LLC |
| Arena | Chesapeake Energy Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 49–33 (.598) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Northwest) Conference: 6th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First Round (Lost to Trail Blazers 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Oklahoma |
| Radio | |
The 2018–19 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 11th season of the franchise in Oklahoma City and the 53rd in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nick Collison (who had been with the franchise since it was based in Seattle), retired in May 2018 and was not on the roster for the first time since the 2002–03 season. The only remaining former SuperSonics' active players are Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, both of whom played their rookie seasons with the team in Seattle. Collison's retirement also left Russell Westbrook as the longest tenured Thunder player and last remaining player on the roster from the 2011–12 season in which they won the Western Conference and went to the NBA Finals. On March 20, 2019, the Thunder retired Collison's No. 4 jersey, becoming the first Thunder player and the last former Sonic player to have their jersey retired. The Thunder had the fourth best team defensive rating in the NBA.[1]
Despite speculation that Paul George would sign with his hometown team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the off-season, George instead re-signed with the Thunder on June 30, 2018, exactly a year after he was traded to the team from the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder then clinched another playoff season due to the Kings loss to the Rockets on March 30th.
In the playoffs, the Thunder were eliminated by the Portland Trail Blazers in the First Round thanks to a Damian Lillard series-clinching three pointer over Paul George in Game 5. This marked the third consecutive season the Thunder was eliminated in the First Round, and they are 0–9 in road playoff games since Durant's departure from the team. After 11 years, this season also marked the end of an era as Russell Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets following this season, and reunited him with former Thunder teammate James Harden, whom had played for the team from the 2009 to 2012 seasons.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 45 | Hamidou Diallo | SG |  United States
|
Kentucky |
| 2 | 53 | Devon Hall | SG | United States
|
Virginia |
| 2 | 57 | Kevin Hervey | PF | United States
|
Texas-Arlington |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
Division
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | – | 34–7 | 20–21 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1.0 | 32–9 | 21–20 | 6–10 | 82 |
| x – Utah Jazz | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4.0 | 29–12 | 21–20 | 8–8 | 82 |
| x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 49 | 33 | .598 | 5.0 | 27–14 | 22–19 | 9–7 | 82 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 36 | 46 | .439 | 18.0 | 25–16 | 11–30 | 5–11 | 82 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Golden State Warriors * | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Denver Nuggets * | 54 | 28 | .659 | 3.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y – Houston Rockets * | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Utah Jazz | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Memphis Grizzlies | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Dallas Mavericks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Phoenix Suns | 19 | 63 | .232 | 38.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2018 preseason game log Total: 3–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preseason: 3–1 (home: 2–1; road: 1–0)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Playoffs
| 2019 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2019 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | Pos. | GP | GS | MP | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Álex Abrines‡ | SG | 31 | 2 | 588 | 48 | 20 | 17 | 6 | 165 |
| Steven Adams | C | 80 | 80 | 2,669 | 760 | 124 | 117 | 76 | 1,108 |
| Deonte Burton | SG | 32 | 0 | 240 | 28 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 82 |
| Tyler Davis‡ | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hamidou Diallo | SG | 51 | 3 | 526 | 97 | 17 | 21 | 10 | 190 |
| Jawun Evans≠ | PG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Raymond Felton | PG | 33 | 0 | 379 | 34 | 52 | 10 | 6 | 142 |
| Terrance Ferguson | SG | 74 | 74 | 1,931 | 141 | 72 | 40 | 16 | 513 |
| Paul George | SF | 77 | 77 | 2,841 | 628 | 318 | 170 | 34 | 2,159 |
| Jerami Grant | SF | 80 | 77 | 2,612 | 417 | 79 | 61 | 100 | 1,090 |
| Donte Grantham≠ | SF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot† | SF | 21 | 1 | 123 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 35 |
| Markieff Morris | PF | 24 | 1 | 387 | 91 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 156 |
| Abdel Nader | PF | 61 | 1 | 694 | 116 | 20 | 20 | 12 | 241 |
| Nerlens Noel | C | 77 | 2 | 1,055 | 325 | 45 | 66 | 96 | 378 |
| Patrick Patterson | PF | 63 | 5 | 861 | 147 | 31 | 16 | 13 | 229 |
| Dennis Schröder | PG | 79 | 14 | 2,314 | 284 | 323 | 65 | 12 | 1,224 |
| Russell Westbrook | PG | 73 | 73 | 2,630 | 807 | 784 | 142 | 33 | 1,675 |
After all games.[2]
‡Waived during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Playoffs
| Player | Pos. | GP | GS | MP | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Adams | C | 5 | 5 | 159 | 36 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 59 |
| Deonte Burton | SG | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Raymond Felton | PG | 5 | 0 | 57 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| Terrance Ferguson | SG | 5 | 5 | 128 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 25 |
| Paul George | SF | 5 | 5 | 204 | 43 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 143 |
| Jerami Grant | SF | 5 | 5 | 176 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 58 |
| Markieff Morris | PF | 5 | 0 | 59 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 19 |
| Abdel Nader | PF | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Nerlens Noel | C | 5 | 0 | 60 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 24 |
| Dennis Schröder | PG | 5 | 0 | 151 | 16 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 69 |
| Russell Westbrook | PG | 5 | 5 | 197 | 44 | 53 | 5 | 3 | 114 |
Transactions
Trades
| July 6, 2018[3] | To Oklahoma City Thunder Draft rights to Hamidou Diallo |
To Charlotte Hornets 2019 second-round pick Cash considerations |
| July 20, 2018[4] | To Oklahoma City Thunder Rodney Purvis |
To Orlando Magic Dakari Johnson Cash considerations |
| July 23, 2018[5] | To Oklahoma City Thunder Abdel Nader Cash considerations |
To Boston Celtics Rodney Purvis |
| July 25, 2018[6] | To Oklahoma City Thunder Dennis Schröder (from Atlanta) Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (from Philadelphia) |
To Atlanta Hawks Carmelo Anthony (from Oklahoma City) Justin Anderson (from Philadelphia) 2022 protected first-round pick (from Oklahoma City) |
| To Philadelphia 76ers Mike Muscala (from Atlanta) | ||
| February 1, 2019[7] | To Oklahoma City Thunder 2020 protected second round draft pick |
To Chicago Bulls Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot |
Free agency
Re-signed
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Paul George[8] | July 6, 2018 |
| Jerami Grant[9] | July 7, 2018 |
| Raymond Felton[10] | July 12, 2018 |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| Nerlens Noel[11] | July 6, 2018 | Dallas Mavericks |
| Deonte Burton[12] | Two-way contract |  Wonju DB Promy
|
| Tyler Davis[13] | Two-way contract | Texas A&M Aggies |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Hamilton[14] | Free agent | Atlanta Hawks |
| P. J. Dozier[15] | Free agent | Boston Celtics |
| Alex Abrines[16] | Personal Issues |
Awards, records and milestones
Awards
| Player | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Westbrook | Western Conference Player of the Week | November 5, 2018 | [17] |
| Paul George | Western Conference Player of the Week | December 24, 2018 | [18] |
| Paul George | NBA All-Star starter (6th appearance) | January 24, 2019 | [19] |
| Paul George | Western Conference Player of the Week | January 28, 2019 | [20] |
| Russell Westbrook | NBA All-Star reserve (8th appearance) | January 31, 2019 | [21] |
| Paul George | Western Conference Player of the Week | February 11, 2019 | [22] |
| Hamidou Diallo | NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion | February 16, 2019 | [23] |
| Paul George | Western Conference Player of the Month (February) | March 1, 2019 | [24] |
| Russell Westbrook | Western Conference Player of the Week | April 8, 2019 | [25] |
| Paul George | NBA steals leader | April 10, 2019 | [26] |
| Russell Westbrook | NBA assists leader (2nd time) | April 10, 2019 | [27] |
| Paul George | All-Defensive First Team | May 23, 2019 | [28] |
| Paul George | All-NBA First Team | May 23, 2019 | [29] |
| Russell Westbrook | All-NBA Third Team | May 23, 2019 | [30] |
References
- ^ "Teams Defense". NBA.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "2018-19 Oklahoma City Thunder Roster and Regular season Stats". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Thunder Acquires Hamidou Diallo". NBA.com. July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Acquires Rodney Purvis". NBA.com. July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Acquires Abdel Nader". NBA.com. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Acquires Dennis Schröder and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot". NBA.com. July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Acquires Protected Second-Round Draft Pick". NBA.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Thunder Signs Paul George to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Signs Jerami Grant to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Signs Raymond Felton". NBA.com. July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Signs Nerlens Noel". NBA.com. July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Signs Deonte Burton to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder Signs Tyler Davis to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta Hawks Sign Daniel Hamilton and Alex Poythress". NBA.com. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Celtics Sign PJ Dozier to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ "Thunder release guard Alex Abrines, cite personal issue". espn.com. February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ "Russell Westbrook named Western Conference Player of the Week". USA Today. November 5, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Paul George has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week". USA Today. December 24, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Paul George Named 2019 NBA All-Star Starter". NBA.com. January 24, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Paul George earned NBA Western Conference Player of the Week honors". USA Today. January 28, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Russell Westbrook Named 2019 NBA All-Star". NBA.com. January 31, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Thunder's Paul George named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week". USA Today. February 11, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Hamidou Diallo wins 2019 AT&T Slam Dunk". NBA.com. February 16, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Paul George named Western Conference Player of the Month for February". USA Today. March 1, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Russell Westbrook named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week". USA Today. April 8, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "NBA Honors: Steals Leaders, Year by Year". landofbasketball.com. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Westbrook: First player to lead NBA in points, assists multiple times". April 13, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Paul George Named to 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive First Team". NBA.com. May 22, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "George and Westbrook Named to All-NBA Teams". NBA.com. May 23, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "George and Westbrook Named to All-NBA Teams". NBA.com. May 23, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2020.