Thunder journal: Schroder thrown into the fire on return from suspension

SALT LAKE CITY — Two fouls on Terrance Ferguson with 6:43 left in the first quarter meant Dennis Schroder came on with the Thunder trailing by six against the Jazz.

Schroder hadn't played a game since Monday after serving a one-game suspension.

The Jazz didn't waste any time going at Schroder, first with making him chase Kyle Korver around the perimeter, then with Ricky Rubio attacking him.

While Schroder held up his end of offense, a series of three turnovers in five possessions put the Thunder down 10 points before Russell Westbrook came back in during the second quarter.

The Jazz had 21 made baskets on 19 assists before the Thunder's defense and Schroder settled in during the second quarter.

Pick-and-roll problems

The Jazz ran it three times in a row for its biggest lead of the first half: Pick-and-roll with Rubio and Rudy Gobert.

By the third time the Jazz scored on it, Steven Adams and Billy Donovan had to have a conversation on the sideline.

The Thunder couldn't stop it until Jerami Grant came in to help rotate over from the backside as Adams continued to double Rubio with Westbrook.

Once the Thunder figured out how to defend Gobert rolling to the rim, it produced stops and allowed Paul George time to get hot.

George scored 12 of his 17 first-half points in the second quarter.

Stat of the night

6-of-6: Grant made his first six shots from the field on Saturday for 15 points in the first quarter.

Adams the All-Star?

The holiday season means NBA All-Star voting is here.

Don't count on Adams paying attention.

When asked Saturday what it would mean for him to be a part of the NBA's All-Star Game in Charlotte this season, the 25-year-old Thunder center offered a few seconds of silence before saying “I don't care, mate.”

That doesn't mean Adams isn't worthy of consideration for a place in this season's game, potentially joining Westbrook and George, who were voted into the game last season.

On traditional statistics, Adams faces a tough task in getting into the All-Star Game.

Among NBA.com's definition of centers, Adams ranks 10th in points (16.2), ninth in field goal percentage (59.1) and 13th in rebounds (10.2) per game.

But the advanced metrics have Adams as one of a handful of the most impactful centers in the game.

Among centers, Adams is No. 1 in plus/minus — the Thunder is 9.1 points better than the opposition with him in the game.

Adams is also third in net rating (12), which measures point differential per 100 possessions, behind only Milwaukee's Brook Lopez (12.8) and Toronto's Serge Ibaka (12.3).

“He has been a really dominant player on both ends of the floor,” Donovan said Saturday.

“He's done it on the defensive end at a high level, and he's done it on the offensive end.

“I don't think there's many centers in the Western Conference that's playing at the level that he's played at.”

NBA All-Star Voting 2019 begins on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Fans will be able to vote by searching on Google, through the Google Assistant and via the NBA App and NBA.com.

The 68th All-Star Game will be Feb. 17 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., at 7 p.m.