Oklahoma City Thunder Week In Review +1: 11/1-11/8

Nov 4, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) handles the ball in front of Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder started this one beautifully with a 17-7 run that  lasted most of the 1st quarter. That 10-point lead would hold to the end of the quarter, 23-13.

As a matter of fact, that 10-point lead would hold until about the 7:34 mark of the 2nd quarter. Then a Bismack Biyombo dunk, followed by 4 straight DeMar DeRozan free throws closed the gap 27-23 with 6:49 left in the first half. The Thunder were able to push their lead up to 39-34 with just over 2 minutes to play in the half, but the Raptors scored 6 unanswered points to close the half, and take a 40-39 lead to the locker room.

The Raptor run ran into the 3rd quarter with a Jonas Valanciunas hook shot to extend the Raptor lead 42-39, but the Thunder would answer with a 13-4 run to take a 52-46 lead with 7:42 remaining in the 3rd. The Thunder lead was 73-65 with 2:21 to play in the quarter, when the Raptors went on an 8-3 run to close the gap to 76-73 with less than a minute to go until the 4th quarter. The Thunder would close the quarter with 5 unanswered points to take an 81-73 lead into the 4th quarter.

Everything seemed to be pointing to a Thunder win, as their lead was 94-87 with just over 4 minutes to play. Unfortunately the Thunder would end up outscored 16-4 the rest of the way, and the Raptors would claim a 103-98 win.

Westbrook’s 22-point, 16-assist double-double would be for naught. Durant would score 27 points, While Ibaka and Steven Adams would add 10 points apiece. Kanter added 15 from off of the bench.

Valanciunas finished with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double of his own, while DeRozan’s 28 points led all scorers to take the floor. Kyle Lowry added 17 points, while DeMarre Carroll added 13 points. Not much came off of the bench for the Raptors, as they used a 9-man rotation for this contest.

The Thunder were hoping to close this stretch of four games in five nights on a positive note in Chicago. Unfortunately…

Next: Losing Streak Continues