Thunder Week-In-Review: 11/15-11/21

The Thunder were coming off of a solid week that saw them go 3-0, but lose Kevin Durant in the process. This week would be played without him, and the effects of his absence we’re certainly felt.

The Thunder started strong with a 7-2 run lasting to the 9:24 mark of the 1st quarter. With the score 16-10 with 7 minutes remaining in the 1st, the Celtics went on an 8-2 run to tie the game 18-18 with 4:07 left in the quarter. Both teams would go back and forth, and the score would be tied 24-24 at the end of the 1st.

More shot trading began the 2nd quarter, with neither team able to pull away. The Celtics were up 31-28 with 9:37 to play when the Thunder hit on a 22-9 run that saw them go up 50-40 with 1:06 to go until halftime. The Thunder would end up taking a 52-45 lead to the locker room at halftime.

The 3rd quarter saw a lot of shot trading as well. The Thunder were clinging to a 68-59 lead with 55:10 to play in the 3rd when the Celtics sparked a 13-4 run that tied the game 72-72 with 1:10 remaining in the quarter. A Kyle Singler floater off of a Nick Collison assist put the Thunder back up 74-72 to end the 3rd.

It all fell apart for the Thunder in the 4th. The Celtics started the 4th with a 17-2 run that put them up 89-76 with 6:38 to play. The Thunder never could get the lead back under double digits, and would end up losing the game 100-85 to fall to 6-4.

Serge Ibaka finished the game with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Russell Westbrook’s 27 points led all scorers to take the floor. Unfortunately, they didn’t get much help from anyone else.

In contrast, Marcus Smart had 26 points, Isaiah Thomas scored 20, Jae Crowder dropped in 10, Amir Johnson pulled down 15 rebounds, and Avery Bradley dropped 14 from off of the Celtics bench.

The Thunder weren’t going to get a day off to think about what went wrong either, as they had to travel to Memphis for the next game.

This game was neck and neck for the entire 1st quarter, with no one establishing a lead larger than 6 points. The Grizzlies went into the 2nd quarter up 27-25.

There weren’t really any major runs in the second quarter either. The Grizzlies did have a 9-point lead at one point, but their lead was cut to 58-52 by halftime.

The dogfight continued through the entirety of the 3rd quarter, with the Grizzlies unable to regain their 9-point cushion. The Thunder were actually able to claim an 80-79 lead in the final second of the 3rd off of a Cameron Payne 3-pointer assisted by Westbrook.

The Thunder were holding an 83-82 lead with 10:29 remaining when the Grizzlies sparked the first significant run of the game, a 15-4 run to give them their largest lead of the game, 97-87 with 7:23 to play. Shot trading through the rest of the game wasn’t going to cut it for the Thunder, and they went on to drop their second straight game 122-114 to fall to 6-5.

Westbrook’s 40-point, 14-assist double-double wasn’t enough to secure a Thunder victory. Ibaka finished with 18 points, and Steven Adams dropped 14. Enes Kanter’s 16 bench points, and Dion Waiters’ 14 bench points helped, but didn’t put the Thunder over the top.

Zach had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Mike Conley scored 22 points to go along with former Thunder player Jeff Green’s 20 (Side note: It was nice to see him playing well.), and Marc Gasol’s 17. The big story of the night was recent acquisition Mario Chalmers, who’s 29 bench points led all Grizzlies scorers.

The Thunder would get a night off to think about what went wrong during this two-game slide as they traveled back to host the Pelicans, who would be playing without Anthony Davis.

The game started with a bit of back and forth. The Pelicans were up 9-7 at the 9:29 mark of the 1st quarter when the Thunder scored 8 unanswered points to claim a 15-9 lead with 8:12 left in the quarter. When the Pelicans finally answered, it was with a 14-2 run to take a 23-17 lead with 2:31 left in the opening quarter. That lead would hold for the remainder of the 1st, as the Pelicans took a 27-21 lead into the 2nd.

The Pelicans were able to extend their lead 29-21 early in the 2nd, but a 13-3 run would allow the Thunder to reclaim the lead 34-33 with 7:08 to play until halftime. With the Thunder holding the lead 38-37 halfway through the 2nd, they would outscore the Pelicans 15-8 through the remainder of the second, taking a 53-45 lead to the locker room at halftime.

A Westbrook dunk would extend the Thunder lead 55-45 early in the 3rd, but the Pelicans would score 8 unanswered points to cut the Thunder lead 55-53 with 9:35 remaining in the 3rd. When the Thunder finally answered, it was with a 12-2 run to establish a 67-55 lead with 6:23 to go in the quarter. The Thunder were up 73-59 with 4:26 to play in the 3rd, but the Pelicans would outscore the Thunder 15-7 the rest of the quarter to cut the lead to 80-74 going into the 4th.

No significant runs to speak of for either side meant that the Pelicans could not do enough to cut into the Thunder lead by the end of the game. The Thunder claimed a much-needed 110-103 victory that moved them up to 7-5.

The Thunder were lucky to win this one, seeing as the significant contributions were Kanter’s 24-point, 14 rebound double-double from off of the bench, and Westbrook’s 43 points.

Alexis Ajinca had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Pelicans. Ryan Anderson scored 30 points, and Eric Gordon and former Thunder player Ish Smith scored 18 apiece. Lack of help from their bench proved costly, but they weren’t really helped by playing a 9-man rotation.

The Thunder would have another night off before finishing their week against the Knicks at home.

The 1st quarter saw no really significant runs, but the Knicks were able to take a 25-20 lead with them into the 2nd quarter.

There were still no significant runs to speak of, but the Knicks were able to outscore the Thunder 16-11 to push their lead to 41-31 with 4:51 to play until halftime. Then the Thunder scored 7 unanswered to cut into the lead 41-38. Yet more shot trading saw the Knicks head to the locker room with a 48-44 halftime lead.

Without any significant runs, the Knicks were able to reestablish a double-digit lead 59-49 with 6:55 to play in the 3rd. It was a lead that was 67-55 with 3:57 remaining in the quarter, and the 3rd ended with the Knicks up 73-62. Without any significant runs for the Knicks, it was a hard-earned lead to say the least.

The Knicks lead went up to 82-66 with 8:53 to play, when the Thunder 8 unanswered to cut the lead to 82-74 with 5:35 to play. The Knicks were able to reestablish a double-digit lead, 87-76 with 3:13 left on the game clock, but the Thunder would answer with a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 89-85 with 46.3 seconds to play. The Thunder had the lead cut to 93-90 with 12.7 seconds to play, but their chance to force overtime rimmed out with a Waiters 3-point attempt. The Knicks would escape with a hard-fought 93-90 victory that dropped the Thunder to 7-6.

Kanter came off of the bench to contribute an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double. Westbrook scored 34, while Waiters added 16 in his first start for the Thunder this season.

Carmelo Anthony had 25 points for the Knicks, while Arron Afflalo dropped 14, and Jose Calderon added 10. Lance Thomas added 12 from off of the Knicks bench.

The Thunder look to rebound Sunday night against the Mavericks, but they’ll have to do it without Durant. Hopefully he returns for the Jazz game in Utah Monday night. If anything, he should be back when the Thunder host the Nets on Wednesday night. This week’s slate of games ends with a Friday night home game against the Pistons. Check back with Thunderous Intentions throughout the week, and I’ll see you back here next week.