Marcus Thornton has had a rough stretch of games lately. Like, really rough. Sandpaper-like. He managed a 12 point game early in the month and was promptly rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup. He then proceeded to average around 4 points while playing 25-ish minutes a contest over the next 9 games. Way to suck, dude.
Which makes his performance tonight even more remarkable. Thornton has always been a good scorer, despite his struggles this year. But this kind of outburst is usually reserved for “stars”, something Marcus decidedly isn’t. Maybe if he played in a big market. Or didn’t look like a squirrel getting ready for winter.
I’m willing to bet that in the locker room before the game someone told him about Melo’s 62. How else can you explain the 22 first-quarter points against the best defensive team in the league? The Bayou Bomber was a man possessed. Possessed by crappy-shot taking demons.
But if you combine this first quarter, Teletovic’s second quarter, and Parsons’ second half, you still only get 76 total points. Remind me again how Kobe managed 81? I’ve watched the highlights a million times and I still can’t figure it out.