The OKC Thunder traveled all the way to Washington DC in order to drop their second straight game by double-digits.
This game came down to one thing.
Oklahoma City shot 34-96 from the field (35.4%) and 7-34 from deep (20.6%). Washington shot 42-73 from the field (57.5%) and 13-21 from deep (61.9%). It’s impossible to win a basketball game in the NBA with that type of shooting discrepancy.
The Wizards started off the game hitting their first nine shots, scoring 24 points in the first six minutes. Washington was up by as much as 16 in the first quarter but the Thunder were able to bring the game within six after one.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Wizards | 38 | 29 | 34 | 19 | 120 |
| Thunder | 32 | 22 | 19 | 25 | 98 |
The teams battled throughout the second, but a 17-7 run to end the second quarter pushed the Washington lead to 13 at halftime.
OKC had an opportunity to make a run to start the third, but the shots just wouldn’t fall. Thirteen consecutive missed shots in the first 6+ minutes ballooned the Wizards lead to 34 and the game was all but over. The final score? 120-98.
Must Read: Russell Westbrook is not the reason KD left
Players of Note
- Out of the 12 players who suited up tonight, 3 shot above 50%. Joffrey Lauvergne, Cameron Payne and Kyle Singler shot 6-7, 5-9 and 2-3 respectively.
- Lauvergne finished with a solid 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. In a night where the Thunder lost by 22, he posted a +13.
- Russell Westbrook finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. No fear folks, he’s still averaging a triple-double.
More from Thunderous Intentions
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Other interesting tidbits
- The Thunder had 20 offensive rebounds. They absolutely dominated the glass on that end; the problem is they couldn’t finish down low. Easy missed layups have become a theme for this team throughout the season.
- Shooting 34 threes is absolutely unacceptable. Unless you’re an above-average shooting team it’s lazy. Obviously shots weren’t falling so Billy Donovan should have been emphasizing attacking the basket more.
- OKC is coming off an incredibly emotional game and Donovan noted he was worried about his team going into tonight. Don’t take away too much from this game.
Next up for the Thunder is a visit from the New York Knickerbockers on Wednesday. Then comes a much-needed All Star Break.