Thunder Week In Review Times Three: 1/18-2/7
123. 86. 126. 149. Final
The first quarter was all back-and-forth action, even ending in a 28-28 tie going into the 2nd.
The Timberwolves had managed to work their way to a 58-51 lead with 3:46 to go in the first half, when the Thunder sparked an 11-2 run to take a 62-60 lead with 1:23 remaining in the period. However, the Timberwolves would score the last 4 points of the half to take a 64-62 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Thunder started the 3rd quarter strong with another 11-2 run that put them up 73-66 exactly 3 minutes in. Then, after a couple of baskets by both teams put the score at 75-67 in the Thunder’s favor with 8:17 to go in the period, the Timberwolves hit on a 12-0 run to take an 80-75 lead with 5:28 remaining in the quarter. The Thunder were able to cut into the lead, but the Timberwolves took a 94-91 lead into the 4th quarter.
The Timberwolves were up 99-95 with 10:29 to play when the Thunder went on a 13-1 run that put them up 108-100 with 4:59 remaining. The Thunder were up 113-104 with 3:33 left when the Timberwolves scored 7 unanswered to cut the lead to 113-111 with 1:59 to play. Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, that’s a close as they would get to reclaiming the lead, as the Thunder took a 126-123 victory that put them ahead 3-0 in the season series, and improved them to 35-13 overall. The Thunder will be looking to complete the season series sweep on March 11th.
Westbrook finished with a 24-point, 15-rebound double-double. Durant dropped 27 points while Waiters splashed in 16. Kanter posted a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double from off of the Thunder bench, while Anthony Morrow accounted for another 10 bench points.
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double. Gorgui Dieng posted 21 points, Andrew Wiggins dropped 20, ad Ricky Rubio dished out 10 assists. The bench play was incredibly strong, as three bench players out of four that saw floor time finished in double digits. Zach LaVine actually led all scorers to take the floor with 35 bench points, Nemanja Bjelica added 11, and Shabazz Muhammad put down 10.
The Thunder would get a night off before starting a three-game home stretch that opened with the Rockets. The Thunder were looking to even the season series, as they dropped the first game 110-105 on Nov. 2nd, 2015 to give the Rockets their first win of the season while taking the first loss of their’s. Westbrook finished with a 25-point, 11-assist double-double in that contest.
Next: Thunderstorm Grounds The Rockets