The OKC Thunder snapped a seven-game road losing streak, knocking off the Nets 122-104.
The OKC Thunder finally won on the road. Sure, it was against the Brooklyn Nets. And sure, the fans cheered for Russell Westbrook when he got a triple-double (his 33rd of the season), chanted “MVP” for lowkey MVP Andre Roberson, and boo’d when Westbrook was pulled in the fourth. But hey, a win is a win on the road. It doesn’t matter who you face or how much the road crowd is cheering for you.
In the first half, things didn’t look so good. It was tied after the first quarter and it was tied at halftime. When you’re pushing for a four or five seed in the west, being tied with a 12-win team isn’t exactly inspiring. It never felt like the Thunder wouldn’t win. But in these games, you just want the team to immediately run a clearly inferior opponent off the floor.
That’s what happened in the second half, and especially in the fourth quarter. The defense finally decided to tighten up, and the second unit pushed the game out of reach. Westbrook checked out in the third with his team up 82-78.
When he checked back in, the unit of Semaj Christon, Alex Abrines, Andre Roberson, Domantas Sabonis and Enes Kanter pushed the lead to 95-85. It could have been more if not for some questionable calls and sloppy ball handling.
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Westbrook, as he done for most of the season, closed the show. Except this time, he did it with passing. Instead of taking every shot down the stretch to get Brooklyn packing, he ran the offense. He finished the quarter with seven assists, giving him 19 for the game. Critics have been asking Westbrook to trust his teammates down the stretch all season. He finally did it tonight. Granted, they were up 10 and playing the Nets. But, baby steps.
Taj Gibson in particular had a standout game. Westbrook seemed hell bent on getting Gibson involved from the jump, and it definitely paid off. He took 17 shots, one less than Westbrook, and showed off a variety of offensive skills. Not only can he go one-on-one in the post, but he’s become an excellent pick-and-pop player alongside Westbrook. Serge Ibaka and Westbrook used to kill teams – especially the Spurs – with pick-and-pop action, but they’ve lost that ability for the majority of this year.
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We’ve seen Westbrook and Gibson try to make that connection since the trade, but Gibson’s shot just wasn’t falling. It finally started to fall tonight. If he’s able to consistently knock it down, he’s going to get plenty of opportunities.
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Kanter and Abrines also had strong games off the bench. Kanter had 17 points on 10 shots while Abrines went 3-5 from deep. Meanwhile, Victor Oladipo continued his strong play, finishing with 21 points on 60 percent shooting.
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The team finished with 30 assists. Westbrook had 19, but it just goes to show that when he’s moving the ball, the entire team is moving the ball.
It’s tough to get too excited over this victory given the opponent, but at this point in the season, every win matters. The OKC Thunder desperately needed a road victory, just for morale and confidence sake.
Next up, they visit the Toronto Raptors in a real road test.