Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Jazz

2. Carmelo Anthony struggles in Game 4

After registering 14 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting from the field in Game 3, Carmelo Anthony struggled to find his footing in Game 4, scoring just 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting.

Being matched up with burly power forward Derrick Favors in this first round matchup, Carmelo, even at his advanced age, should still have a quickness advantage over the 6’10” Favors.

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The problem comes when Anthony gets past Favors and finds himself at the rim with Rudy Gobert waiting. Melo has never had much athleticism when finishing at the cup, but with the mileage on his odometer, that makes it all the more difficult to convert around the basket.

So, he has continually settled for his patented mid-range jumpers while chucking up 3-pointers the second he gets his hand on the ball.

After linking up with Westbrook and George over the summer, Anthony knew his offensive responsibilities would be reduced, taking on more of a spot-up role and third option — unfamiliar territory for the 10-time All-Star.

So far in this series, Carmelo has struggled in that role, as Utah’s defense continues to stifle each of OKC’s Big 3.

The Thunder don’t need Melo to be the volume scorer he’s been so accustomed to. They simply need him to space the floor and be efficient with the limited amount of shots he gets. If he can’t even do that, Oklahoma City might see its season end much sooner than expected.