In a game, don't get dispirited when you fall behind. It's possible to recover large deficits if you remain cool, keep the board reasonably open and don't try to recover all of the points in just one move.

Look at the state of the game; perhaps there is only one S left and you have it on your rack. In this case you can play a word close to a triple word spot and then pluralise it and take the spot on the next move without worrying that your opponent can play there.