By: Michael Doutey
The Thunder moves to 6-7 on the season by earning their second straight win with a 112-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder used a huge third quarter to pull away from the Mavs after a lackluster first half. Paul George and Russell Westbrook were the catalysts in tonight’s win. George was excellent again, scoring 37 points, leading the Thunder to tonight’s win. Here are my five biggest obersertavions from the Thunder’s win.
1. Paul George has been sensational since the Thunder’s closed door meeting after their loss in Denver last Thursday night. George had a season-high 42 points against the Clippers on Friday and followed it up with a game-high 37 tonight on 12-22 shooting, including going 7-12 from three point land. George wasn’t just a scorer. He was excellent on defense, switching onto every possible matchup and wreaking havoc on whoever he was guarding. He also rebounded well as he grabbed eight boards. He was happy to passing too, dishing out five assists and he gathered two steals as well. After an up-and-down first 11 games, George has showed how elite of a player he is in these last two games.
2. The Thunder learned about an hour before tonight’s game that Carmelo Anthony would not play tonight with a sore back. He went through shoot around and everything, so Billy Donovan was a little surprised when Melo couldn’t go. Jerami Grant started in his absence and played well. Grant scored 10 points on 3-6 shooting. He grabbed eight boards as well. But it was truly a collective effort in Melo’s absence. Patrick Patterson had his best game since becoming a member of the Thunder. He scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in his 25 minutes of action. He was excellent on defensive rotations and he moved the ball well. We got a little glimpse of what 2-Pat can do. Josh Huestis had a big night, too. He scored a career-high nine points on 3-7 shooting from behind the arc. He was very active on defense, playing everything from shooting guard to center. The Thunder needed a lift without Melo or Steven Adams and these guys delivered.
3. Hey, look! Russell Westbrook was back to his old tricks at the free throw line. It has been no secret that Russ has been terrible at the free throw line this season. We know the NBA changed the rule that player’s aren’t allowed to walk past the three point line after a free throw attempt. We also know that Russ has been doing that since high school. That clearly messed with his routine, but this past week I think it got in his head. For the first time in his career free throws were a mental challenge. But tonight, Russ went 12-13 from the stripe and looked like he was back to his old self at the line. Thunder fans are hoping that is the case going forward.
4. The Thunder have struggled in the third quarter this season, especially over their four-game losing streak. OKC was a minus-32 in the third quarter over those four games. At the half tonight, OKC was only up two on the less-than-good Mavs. But Russ and PG exploded for 16 points a piece and OKC outscored the Mavs 39-25 in the frame. The Thunder used that to blow this game wide open and OKC would go on to cruise to victory.
5. Today, Russell Westbrook turned 29 years old. It’s no surprise that Russ wasn’t looking forward to talking to the media after the game. Not even on his birthday was Russ in a jovial mood talking amongst the media. No surprise there, right? But we were treated to a gift by Paul George. George was asked what he got Russ for his birthday and his response is the leader in the clubhouse for quote of the year. “I got him 37,” George said with a big grin. PG was great on the court and he was gold in the post game press conference, too.
The Thunder have a couple days off before returning to the court Wednesday night. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. as OKC looks to extend their winning streak taking on the hapless Chicago Bulls.
