Thunder blow double-digit lead again, go down 3-1 to Houston

The OKC Thunder held a 15-point lead in the third quarter once again, but blew that lead for the second time in three games.

Devastated and Numb. That’s the only way to describe how I feel at this exact moment. In four games this series, Oklahoma City has built a double-digit lead in each one. They’ve only won one.

The Thunder were up seven points when Russell Westbrook checked out of the third quarter. When he came back in they were down two. Houston’s offense was smothered by OKC’s athleticism up until this point, only scoring 68 points in the first 34 points.

But that defensive intensity vanished in the last 14 minutes. Houston scored a whopping 48 points as they finally found their groove with James Harden interestingly off the floor. The bench combination of Eric Gordon, Nene and Lou Williams combined for 64 points, outpacing the Thunder’s bench by 42 total point.

The game was tied with 5:20 left, but three Lou Williams free throws (three free throws became a theme in this game) brought Houston ahead of the game for good. Once the Rockets went up three a minute later they began the infamous Hack-an-Andre Roberson route to get the Harden stopper out of the game. Roberson went 2-8 from the line in that final span, and 2-12 the entire game.

Oklahoma City did their best to come back, including a Westbrook three to bring them within one, but on the ensuing possession an awful, weak foul by Jerami Grant sent Nene to the line for an and-one.

113-109. Houston wins.

More notes from the game

• Westbrook finished the first half with a triple-double: 17-10-10 on 10 shots. Side Note: In the second half Russ scored 18 on 18 shots and only dished out 4 assists. It’s no wonder the Thunder scored 58 and were up 4 at the half but still lost the game.
• The Thunder outscored Houston by 14 points in the 39 minutes Westbrook played. They were beaten by 18 in the 9 minutes he was out. Norris Cole was a trainwreck, finishing 0-3 from the field with 0 assists and 1 turnover.

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• Steven Adams played big ball basketball today. I’ve been railing on him most of the season, but his presence down low was key to Houston’s frustrations on dribble drives. He finished with 3 of Oklahoma City’s 14 blocks and also was a big factor on offense with 18 points on 10 shots.
• Doug McDermott played the most minutes off the Oklahoma City bench, four more than Grant. He didn’t shoot the ball great but he actually made a couple really nice plays on the defensive end. The Thunder need him or Alex Abrines to catch fire if they have any chance of making a comeback.

Final thoughts

More from Thunderous Intentions

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• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

This game should hurt for the OKC Thunder. They were up on Houston virtually the entire game and they had a distinct advantage on both ends of the court. But the focus waned as it should have intensified in crunch time, and a few dumb plays ultimately led to Oklahoma City losing.

Small things led to this loss. Oklahoma City allowed Houston to grab five more rebounds. They went 18-32 from the line compared to Houston’s 28-33. And when you see that the Thunder shot better from the field AND three-point range while recording less turnovers, you have to ask what caused the downfall.

Game Five is scheduled for Tuesday night in Houston. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 central and can be viewed on TNT. Let’s hope its not the last game of the season.