By Michael Doutey
The Oklahoma City Thunder keep their playoff hopes alive with a huge 108-102 win on the road over the Houston Rockets. The Thunder used a tremendous defensive effort lead by Russell Westbrook to propel themselves past the Rockets. OKC is now just one win away from clenching a spot in the playoffs, but nothing else went OKC’s way. The Thunder needed the Spurs and the Pelicans to lose, but the Spurs beat Portland and the Pels beat Golden State. So, while the Thunder picked up a huge win over the best team in the NBA, the Thunder don’t move up in the standings. OKC remains in seventh in the West. Here are tonight’s five observations.
1. Russell Westbrook’s Defense Was PhenomenalÂ
We are used to huge fourth quarters from Russell Westbrook. Most of those come from the offensive end. Check that, ALL of them have come from the offensive end, especially over the past several seasons. But tonight, Russ did something I haven’t seen him do in a long time. When the game got to the fourth quarter, when the NBA’s next MVP in James Harden typically takes over, Russ decided to be the one who guarded him. Not only was that a surprise, but the result was a huge surprise because Westbrook shut down Harden. Harden didn’t get comfortable at all. Westbrook had two outright steals on Harden and then he stripped him from behind. He might be one of the few guys in the NBA who is quick enough to guard Harden laterally, who is so strong and quick when he decides to drive. Westbrook’s defensive effort won OKC the game and it was remarkable. Harden was held to five points in the second half.
2. OKC Held Houston to 40 Second Half Points
The Thunder team defense was great in the second half. After a tough first half, where the Rockets scored 62 points, the Thunder really buckled down and defended well. The third quarter was a mess for both teams, but the Thunder played excellent defense. The Thunder allowed 21 points in the third and just 19 in the fourth. Jerami Grant played great defense off the bench, coming up with several nice blocks coming from the weak side. Patrick Patterson played excellent defense down the stretch, even when he was switched onto Chris Paul. Alex Abrines was playing solid defense, and Billy Donovan rode with him over Corey Brewer in the fourth. But maybe the single best play was from Carmelo Anthony, who swatted James Harden’s shot, pinning it on the glass when the Rockets were trying to make their comeback. That was huge. OKC’s defense was stellar in the second half and that’s why they won this game.
3. Melo’s Hot Start
Carmelo Anthony had a huge first half, scoring 17 points. Melo had is going from three and then had a monster dunk after facing up Gerald Green. His offensive spurt was something to see, but it’s not sustainable for the whole game. Melo is a 15 year vet. I feel like Melo has a hard time sustaining that level of play since he has a lot of wear on his NBA life. But he was great in the first half. Melo made a big defensive play in the fourth quarter, which I mentioned above. Melo scored 22 points on 7-14 shooting, 3-6 from three, 5-6 from the line and had six boards.
4. Jerami Grant was Awesome
Grant came in where Melo left off. Melo was scalding hot when he went to the bench and Grant came in and continued his great play. He scored 12 points on 4-5 shooting, 1-1 from three, five rebounds, two blocks and was 3-4 from the line in 20 minutes of action. His defense was great too, which is why he helped close out the win.
5. What Does This Win Mean?
Sure, the Rockets didn’t have Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson, but the core of the Rockets were playing and they wanted this game. They played to win. But OKC won the game. So, what does this mean? Well, for one, the Thunder are one win away from clinching a playoff berth. Second, this means that when OKC plays well, they can compete with anyone. They didn’t take defense lightly. They executed on that end of the floor and that turned into easy offense. Now, it wasn’t a great offensive game. OKC shot 39.6 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from three. Those aren’t great numbers, but when OKC defends like they did tonight, they are really, really tough to beat.
The Thunder are back in action on Monday night in Miami to take on the Heat. Tip is set for 6:30 p.m. inside the American Airlines Arena.
