By Michael Doutey
The Oklahoma City Thunder looked dead in the water down 19 points with 7:20 left to go in the third quarter. The Charlotte Hornets started the second half on a blistering 18-3 run. Then the Thunder caught fire, lead by an unlikely character in Alex Abrines.
The Thunder surged back, climbing out of the depths of defeat to give themselves a chance in the fourth quarter, only trailing by four. It was a back-and-forth affair in the fourth. OKC would make some plays and then the Hornets would respond. But the Thunder outlasted the Hornets in the final quarter, coming up with clutch shots and making key defensive stops. The Thunder were able to fight back to extend their winning streak to three games, winning 111-107. Here are tonight’s five observations.
ONE: Alex Abrines Saves the Day
The Thunder were cooked. The Hornets came out of the halftime break on a mission, going on a 18-3 run and took a 66-47 lead over the Thunder. Enter Alex Abrines. He scored 15 of his career high 25 points in the third quarter. He did it in a variety of ways. He hit his three point shot to get things started, but then he expanded his game by driving the ball and finishing fast breaks with Russell Westbrook. With Paul George really struggling, Abrines’ offense was more than welcome. He single handedly sparked the Thunder and gave the Thunder life. The Game Ball goes to Alex Abrines, hands down. Abrines shot 9-15 from the floor and was 5-10 from three. I’ve been a Abrines for starting shooting guard supporter. He has made it hard not to get the majority of those minutes, especially when he is playing decent defense as well.
TWO: Dennis Schröder
This was the first time it felt like Schröder really made an imprint on a game since Westbrook has returned from injury. It was the perfect time for him to emerge since he started coming off the bench because PG really struggled to shoot the ball. Schröder was able to take anyone and everyone off the bounce and get to the rim with ease. He scored 21 points on 7-15 shooting (2-6 from three). He also made a clutch three with 1:12 to go, putting the Thunder up 106-102, extending the Thunder lead to a two possession game. Schröder finished with five assists, three rebounds and one steal in his 30 minutes of action. It is a huge plus when Abrines and Schröder can combine for 46 points off the bench. That is a massive plus for the Thunder.
THREE: PG & Adams Still Major Contributors Despite Offensive Woes
It was an off night from both Adams and PG. They combined for just 16 points on 5-25 shooting. Yikes. For PG, he scored just 11 points on 4-20 shooting, including 0-10 from three. He looked lost on offense and tried to shoot himself into rhythm, which clearly didn’t work. But he didn’t let his poor offense affect his defense. The Thunder came up with key stops in their run to get back into the game in the third quarter as well as securing the win in the fourth. PG did a great job on defense, grabbing 10 rebounds, had four steals and three blocks. So while he was really disappointing on offense, he was really good on defense. Even with his bad offensive night, he still made winning plays for the Thunder. The same can be said of Adams. He scored just five points on 1-5 shooting, but he played good defense, grabbed 12 rebounds (seven on offense), had three steals and three blocks. While both guys really had issues on offense, both guys made their mark on the defensive end. OKC wouldn’t have won the game without their defensive contributions.
FOUR: Russell Westbrook Closed the Game
Russ closed the game out for OKC. In the fourth, he had his midrange shot falling with ease, which allowed him to drive the ball to the rim. He even brought out the shammgod to seal the win for OKC in highlight fashion. Russ was really good all night long, scoring 29 points on 12-24 shooting. He had 10 assists, three steals and had eight rebounds. Tonight Russ grabbed his 5,000 career rebounds, which is just crazy for a point guard. Russ really trusted his teammates tonight down the stretch, something he has not done consistently. This was one thing that stood out from tonight’s win. This was one of Russ’ best games of the season, hands down.
Westbrook just pulled a Shammgod on Cody Zeller who stood no chance, then imitated himself pic.twitter.com/ZZJAKebVMY
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) November 2, 2018
FIVE: Best Win of the Season
This was the best win of the season. What the Thunder did to the Clippers in the third quarter at home was truly amazing. But tonight was crazier. The Thunder were down just four entering the second half and before you could blink they were down 19. Then the Thunder battled back with their depth. Tonight it was Alex Abrines and Dennis Schröder who sparked the Thunder offense before handing it off to Russ for the finishing touches. Then guys like Hamidou Diallo and Jerami Grant got involved to begin the fourth quarter. Though Adams and PG couldn’t buy a basket, they balled out on defense. It was a team win to comeback and right the ship. Hats off to the Thunder. This was an impressive road victory and the best win of the season.
The Thunder improve to 3-4 on the season and hope to win their fourth game in a row tomorrow night over the Washington Wizards. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the Capital One Arena.
