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OKC Thunder rout Raptors; Westbrook 34th Triple-Double

By Rich Condon

Mar 16, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates after scoring a three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Thunder beat the Raptors 123-102. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates after scoring a three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Thunder beat the Raptors 123-102. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The OKC Thunder picked up an impressive road victory over the Toronto Raptors, 123-102.

This was a statement win for the OKC Thunder. A road victory over a playoff-bound team.  Worth noting, the Raptors were without Kyle Lowry, unquestionably their best player. Quite frankly, they looked lost for most of the game. They were within two at one point, but after a savvy timeout from Billy Donavan, the Thunder never looked back.

First of all, the Raptors couldn’t hit a shot for most of the game. As a result, they shot 45.7 percent from the floor, but that number was inflated by some garbage time buckets. The Raptors 5-20 mark from downtown was more indicative of how they shot for the majority of the game.

But enough about them: the Thunder were amazing on both ends of the floor tonight. I think it’s finally happened. I think I’ve officially run out of ways to describe just how amazing Russell played. Westbrook notched his 34th triple-double on the season. In 28 minutes, Westbrook scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out 16 assists. Fun fact: Westbrook alone finished with more assists than the entire Raptors team, who had 15. The Thunder had 33 total assists.

Victor Oladipo finished with 23 points and tonight was the fifth consecutive game that Dipo finished with 20 or more points. Taj Gibson and Steven Adams chipped in 10 points apiece. The Raptors had no answer early for Adams, who was doing whatever he wanted in the paint, on both sides of the ball. Finally, Andre Roberson continued his surprisingly torrid streak lately, scoring 13 points on 6-8 shooting.

Enes Kanter added 14 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, and Alex Abrines was the 7th member of the OKC Thunder to score in double-digits with 10 points. As a team, the Thunder shot 53.4 percent from the floor.

Mar 16, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo (5) is congratulated by forward Taj Gibson (22) after scoring a basket against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Thunder beat the Raptors 123-102. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo (5) is congratulated by forward Taj Gibson (22) after scoring a basket against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Thunder beat the Raptors 123-102. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

What’s Next for the Thunder

In conclusion, the Thunder won both games on this quick road trip, and will now return home on Saturday for a match-up with

Steph Curry

Buddy Hield and the Sacramento Kings. With the win over the Raptors, the Thunder improve to 39-29 on the season. They’re currently only one game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the fifth seed in the West.

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