Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Grading the Thunder’s terrifying yet tremendous triple overtime victory

By Tony Heim

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 15: Steven Adams
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 15: Steven Adams /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 15: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder reacts in front of Robert Covington #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers after the game at the Wells Fargo Center on December 15, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The OKC Thunder defeated the 76ers 119-117 in triple overtime. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 15: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder reacts in front of Robert Covington #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers after the game at the Wells Fargo Center on December 15, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The OKC Thunder defeated the 76ers 119-117 in triple overtime. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

The Oklahoma City Thunder won the longest game of the 2017-2018 NBA season. Imagine saying that a month ago.

A win is a win is a win. That continues to be the model for the Thunder through the first 26 games of the regular season.

Oklahoma City let the Philadelphia 76ers virtually the entire contest, but a scoreless final 5:21 minutes allowed Philly to claw their way back and send it to overtime. Solid defense by the Thunder sent it to a second, an Andre Roberson missed layup sent it to a third. When it mattered most, Roberson and Patrick Patterson proved to be the unlikely heroes in triple OT.

Roberson’s layup with nine seconds left put the Thunder up two. With Steven Adams out of the game, Patterson was left to play center in the final two minutes. He responded with a game-sealing block on JJ Reddick’s three-pointer with a second left. Patterson was helping off an Embiid’ screen, showcasing the very basketball IQ that caused many to say he was a steal of the summer.

While the emphasis will be on those overtime periods, this game was a microcosm of the Thunder’s season as a whole. There were moments of brilliance overshadowed by severe negligence, resulting in a truly average performance from OKC. You can’t get any more average than a .500 record through 26 games.

Get prepared for a special report card today – there’s simply too much to discuss.

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