By Michael Doutey
The Oklahoma City Thunder are officially on a winning streak, winning tonight’s game 128-110 over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder really struggled in the first half defensively, either allowing easy baskets or committing fouls. The Clippers were 19-24 from the free throw line in the first half. OKC kept sending the Clips to the line and continued to fall further and further behind.
OKC trailed by 13 going into halftime. OKC responded in a big way, taking over the game on the defensive end and running the Clippers out of the gym. This was a big win for OKC, especially with how the game started. OKC was in serious jeopardy of starting the season 1-5 and going on a two-game road trip with no momentum. But the Thunder surged back and now are on a winning streak heading into the next two games on Thursday and Friday against the Charlotte Hornets and the Washington Wizards. Here are tonights five observations.
ONE: THIRD QUARTER DEFENSE
The Thunder were called for fouls all first half long. That was a huge reason OKC fell behind by as much as they did. But to start the second half, OKC found a way to play aggressive without fouling. The Thunder burst out of halftime on a blistering 23-3 run and took the quarter 39-10, outscoring the Clippers by 29 which is the largest margin the Thunder have outscored their opponent in a single quarter in Thunder history. It was a historic comeback to help the Thunder to their second win in a row. Not only did the Thunder hold the Clippers to just 10 third quarter points, but the Clippers didn’t even attempt a free throw in the frame after taking 24 free throws in the first half. The Clippers scored just 43 points in the second half after scoring 67 in the first half. The Thunder need to find ways to consistently play defense like they did in the second half because that is where the Thunder will find long term success.
TWO: PG’s SECOND HALF
PG was really not a factor in the first half. Well, not in a good way. He scored just 10 points on 2-8 shooting and had three fouls. The Thunder needed PG to step up in a big way in the second half. PG more than answered the Thunder’s call, scoring 22 points on 7-10 shooting, including 2-4 from three and going 6-7 from the free throw line. He was a plus-35 in the second half. He was everywhere and really stepped up and helped Russ out, who was basically the only guy scoring for OKC in the first half. PG finished the night with 32 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.
THREE: PLUS-34
There has been a ton of Terrance Ferguson talk over the first few weeks of the season. He’s certainly been disappointing at times and has been outplayed by rookie, Hamidou Diallo. But Billy Donovan hasn’t given up on the 20-year old and has kept him in the starting lineup, much to the dismay of Thunder fans. However, the Thunder were really good with Terrance on the floor tonight. His stat line doesn’t jump out at you. He only took one shot, which he made. His only other stats where that he had an assist, a steal, a block and four fouls. But he played so much better than what his stats say. He was huge in the Thunder’s third quarter shellacking of the Clippers. Ferguson had the task of guarding Lou Williams. Williams was held scoreless in the third quarter. Ferg did such a good job that Williams only got off two shots in his near six minutes in the quarter. Ferguson did a really nice job on defense the whole night. The plus-minus is a funny stat. It doesn’t always tell a true story. But tonight, with the case with Ferguson and his plus-34, it is safe to say that this was one of the best performances we’ve seen from T-Ferg in a long time. Hopefully he can build off of this and play this way more consistently.
FOUR: GRANT COMES TO LIFE IN 2ND HALF
Grant did not start this game off well, just like the rest of the team. But he did come to play in the second half. He was more energetic and his length really played a huge roll in OKC’s defense in the third quarter. Grant scored 10 points in the second half and 12 for the game. He was a plus-29 in the second half. He hit a three in the third quarter that gave OKC their first lead 70-69 and blowing the roof off the Peake. Grant is a good fit in the first unit as long as he plays like he did in the second half. It appears that he is adjusting well to the starting lineup, just as Patterson is fitting in off the bench.
FIVE: OKC IS 2-0 WHEN PATTERSON DUNKS
In 20 minutes of action, Patterson made his mark. He has now played nine straight quarters of really solid basketball for OKC. Tonight, he scored eight very efficient points, shooting a perfect 3-3 from the field and 2-2 from three. His confidence is up and that is key for him. I was worried he was going to take a step back after his 17 point outburst on Sunday, but he was really good tonight again. Patterson has fit well with the second unit. He is helping the second unit defend, move the ball and he is now taking his shot when his comes around.
The Thunder move to 2-4 on the season and are next in action on Thursday in Charlotte. The Thunder tip off at 6 p.m. against the Hornets inside the Spectrum Center.
