Billy Donovan Articles - Page 11

Oklahoma City Thunder Paul George absolutely torched the Utah Jazz on Saturday, as he led his team to a razor-thin victory against their Northwest rivals. Following the 107-106 victory, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan was all praises for his 28-year-old superstar forward. “He really got into an unbelievable rhythm and a flow,” Donovan said, via […]

Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook is not exactly playing great basketball lately. At least not in terms of shooting the rock. After his 3-for-17 performance in the Thunder’s win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, Westbrook is shooting just 35.2 percent from the floor, 26.0 percent from 3-point range and a shocking 55.8 […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have picked up head coach Billy Donovan’s option for the 2019-20 campaign, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The option represents the fifth year on his original deal he signed back in 2015. Since taking over the Thunder ahead of the 2015-16 campaign, Donovan has gone 168-106, making him the fourth-winningest […]

Paul George is having an MVP-caliber season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and his growing chemistry with head coach Billy Donovan is a big reason for his success. Donovan initially tried to design plays to put George in specific situations, but this wasn’t what PG-13 wanted. “At times he’s like, ‘Stop — just let me […]

There’s a prevailing thought around the league that Oklahoma City Thunder star point guard Russell Westbrook is a hard player to coach due to his aggressive style of play and demeanor. As a result, it appears Thunder head coach Billy Donovan has had to scale back his offensive sets, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are patiently awaiting the return of superstar Russell Westbrook. The dynamic point guard has struggled with injuries for most of the young 2018-19 season. He has only played in seven of the team’s 14 games, but the Thunder still have a solid 9-5 record. Head coach Billy Donovan’s prayers for Westbrook’s […]

Thunder star small forward Paul George scared some fans in Oklahoma City Thursday when he said he’s dealing with a left foot injury he initially suffered during the preseason. Head coach Bill Donovan, however, has known about it for a while. George, who re-signed with the Thunder in the offseason on a long-term contract, says […]

BetOnline.ag has released the latest odds on the next head coach to be fired in the NBA. Tom Thibodeau — +300 Billy Donovan — +200 Scott Brooks — +250 Fred Hoiberg — +400 Luke Walton — +450 With Tyronn Lue fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers this past weekend, these odds seem to be pretty spot […]

Andre Roberson was the starting shooting guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, but Billy Donavan is hinting that Terrance Ferguson is the frontrunner for the job right now. Roberson went down with a left knee injury about halfway through the 2017-18 season. While he was making tremendous strides towards recovery, a setback will […]

Paul George spurned all other potential suitors for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite many expecting him to return to his native California to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, George decided that his place was in Oklahoma City. And according to Billy Donovan, he never really doubted George’s intentions. Donovan relayed this feeling to Brett […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke at length during today’s press conference, giving his ultimate vote of conference to head coach Billy Donovan continuing in his role, despite an underwhelming season. The Thunder massively underachieved after scoring two perennial All-Stars in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, managing a fourth seed in the West […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan explained his reasoning for sitting Carmelo Anthony as long as he did during a Game 5 win over the Utah Jazz. While his All-Star teammates Russell Westbrook and Paul George played 44 and 45 minutes, respectively — Anthony played a mere 25, going only 2-of-6 and recording a […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder mounted an assault on the Utah Jazz during the second half of Game 5, rallying from a 25-point deficit to tie affairs at 78 by the end of the third quarter. While the Thunder would march on to avoid elimination and win last night’s contest, head coach Billy Donovan won’t go […]

Despite a firm promise to shut down his matchup, Ricky Rubio, in Game 4 against the Utah Jazz, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder was unable to fulfill it — mired in foul trouble for most of Monday night’s game. Prior to the end of the first quarter, a cutout of Rubio’s head fell […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan is looking to polish his team’s rough edges despite an encouraging 116-108 Game 1 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. The Thunder benefitted largely from a hot-shooting night from Paul George, who led the team with 36 points on 13-of-20 shooting and 8-of-11 from deep — […]

Despite being down by as many as 18 points in the first half, the Oklahoma City Thunder were quickly able to battle back against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. Unfortunately, with the Thunder down 108-105 and with possession of the ball for the final shot, Thunder star forward Carmelo Anthony continued his shooting struggles […]

Corey Brewer’s landing with the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t have been a more perfect fit. A defensive-minded forward with a spark-plug mentality was a definite sticker for a team that was lacking the defensive intensity previously provided by Andre Roberson, who was ruled out for the rest of the season. Yet despite his Florida ties […]

After finding out last week that Corey Brewer has reached a buyout with the Los Angeles Lakers, Billy Donovan and the Oklahoma City Thunder did not waste time in reaching out to him and securing his services. Having coached him during his stint with the Florida Gators, the veteran head coach knows him more and […]

Despite a key bounce-back win over the Orlando Magic on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t get to the free-throw line as often coach Billy Donovan would have liked. According to the helmsman, this was no fault of his two catalysts, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, who had done plenty to merit some shots at […]

The NBA G League is starting to gain some traction as a destination for high school players who may not want to go to college and be subject to the NBA’s one-and-done rule. One of the advocates of high school graduates joining the G League if they go undrafted is Oklahoma City Thunder head coach […]

The experiment of putting together three All-Star caliber players in reigning MVP Russell Westbrook, former Indiana Pacers forward Paul George, and New York Knicks centerpiece Carmelo Anthony was a major risk for the Oklahoma City Thunder. While this team put on paper would contend with the likes of the Golden State Warriors and the newly-formed […]

After the All-Star players’ names were announced fans immediately started talking. It was either about the sequence the teams got drafted or about snubs in the Western Conference. However, the very same people are overlooking an interesting turn of events hidden between the lines. It revolves around one particular player and the future of his […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (32-24) recently hit another rough patch in their 2017-18 season with four straight losses. A few days ago, Thunder All-Star forward Paul George sat down with Rachel Nichols of ESPN to discuss the relationship he’s developed with teammates Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony as well as his decision to not to go […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — With Oklahoma City riding a four-game losing streak, Thunder coach Billy Donovan says a change in the starting lineup may be in order as they head into their matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. “I don’t know yet, I’m not sure,” Donovan responded to being asked about keeping the […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan has been one of the main people feeling the absence of Andre Roberson, after he suffered a season-ending ruptured patella injury that put the team in a tough position. Roberson was the team’s key perimeter defender and one that excelled at it — averaging 1.2 steals and 0.9 […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder made waves when they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers by 24 points last Saturday. But Thunder head coach Billy Donovan is not resting on his laurels. According to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman, Donovan has something to say regarding the film of the 148-point game against the Cavaliers. “Just because you put […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have fallen back down to earth with back-to-back losses following their six-game winning streak. Thunder head coach Billy Donovan pointed to some “slippage” in the team’s defense as the culprit for their recent setbacks. Per Erik Horne of The Oklahoman: Billy Donovan says there’s been “slippage” defensive (sic) with little practice […]

Despite coming off a solid road trip, the Oklahoma City Thunder still find themselves wading below .500. As a result, the frustration has clearly started to mount following their recent loss to the New York Knicks without budding superstar Kristaps Porzingis. Anthony recently attributed their struggles to the lack of clearly-defined roles on the team. […]

With Oklahoma City off to a 12-14 start, much of the blame has started to fall on the shoulders of head coach Billy Donovan. Some around the league have whispered that the veteran squad doesn’t respect their skipper, who is in his third year in the NBA. However, Donovan’s players brushed those thoughts aside rumors […]

With the addition of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to their fold in the offseason, the expectations on the Oklahoma City Thunder understandably grew quickly. However, things have not gone according to plan for them so far this season, as they own a losing record, and their “Big 3” is still adjusting to playing alongside […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are just about set to travel to Mexico City to play an NBA game. The Thunder will play the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in the NBA’s initiative to expand the game of basketball to other continents. The Nets will also play the Miami Heat on Saturday in the same city. When […]

Steven Adams’ sudden emergence as a key offensive player has been highlighted this season, when the Oklahoma City Thunder has had the most offensive firepower ever with the coalition of the Big Three. To head coach Billy Donovan, it’s all about the fruits of collective effort, crediting his main cogs for playing a supporting role […]

Over their past two games, it has been noticeable that Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan has given the backup shooting guard minutes to rookie Terrance Ferguson over Alex Abrines. Not only is he not playing at the same level as he was last season, but the veteran head coach also noticed that he […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have lost three games in a row and four out of the last five after beating the Golden State Warriors last week — and with the losing comes the microscope to pick out every possible flaw in this super team assembled to win now. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith wasn’t short of […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder passed a major test on Wednesday, taking down the Golden State Warriors 108-91 and proving they can hang with the best teams in the league, despite their rough start to the NBA season. Head coach Billy Donovan is hoping this isn’t just a one-game act, but rather a trend they can […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are losing more frequently than a team loaded with three All-Stars in Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George should. For what it’s worth, the Thunder had a better record of 8-8 through 16 games last year than the one they have now over the same stretch. After suffering another disappointing […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan has shared his players’ frustration with getting ahead early and finding his team unable to keep up a consistent lead on the second half. The Thunder is coming off another blown lead against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, even after star center DeMarcus Cousins was ejected in […]

It can come off as coach speak. Hearing the phrase “play for a full four quarters” is at the top of the list of cliches coaches and players say when they can’t figure out what’s wrong. However, for the Oklahoma City Thunder, not performing at a high level for 48 minutes has been a sizable […]

In recent months, there has been a progressive push by NBA commissioner Adam Silver to discuss possibly altering the one-and-done rule, which has been in place for over a decade. With that in mind, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan, who held the same position at the University of Florida prior to his jump […]