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Undermanned OKC Thunder statement victory: 3 takeaways

By Tamberlyn Richardson

JANUARY 20: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball during the game against the Houston Rockets (Photo by Cato Cataldo/NBAE via Getty Images)
JANUARY 20: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball during the game against the Houston Rockets (Photo by Cato Cataldo/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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JANUARY 20: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets is guarded by Dennis Schroder #17 of the OKC Thunder during the fourth quarter (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

A huge comeback by the OKC Thunder delivered a statement victory along with the tiebreak for the season series. Three takeaways offer further insight.

The shorthanded OKC Thunder pulled off arguably their best win of the season utilizing the clutch time crew to erase a 17 point deficit and capture the season series over the Rockets.

Facing the Houston Rockets is always going to serve up feelings for the OKC Thunder who stare across the court at former players who built their careers on Chesapeake Energy Arena.

For Chris Paul, there will be feelings of facing his former team and the unceremonious manner in which he was traded. Plus the form the Thunder takes in future generations will have direct ties to the Rockets.

Although it was Paul George‘s trade request which began the domino effect the Rockets are equally intertwined as they became the landing spot for Russell Westbrook which in turn delivered Chris Paul to OKC along with several draft picks and swaps.

With the teams each owning a win on the season this match carried extra weight and with that let’s look at the three takeaways.

Win gives OKC Thunder tie-break edge over Rockets:

Obviously, the players aren’t focused on the future but that fact serves up the sidebar for every meeting between the clubs. The trade was supposed to catapult the Rockets up the ladder and send the Thunder into the lottery for the next several seasons. But as the teams tipped off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day they ranked seventh and sixth in the West with Houston holding a three-game edge.

By the game end that lead would be trimmed to two with what was arguably the best comeback of the clutch time crew this season. There were bigger deficits erased this season and more impressive performances but none that featured the team on the floor Monday without several core players in the mix.

With the victory, it also means the Thunder won the season series two games to one. That fact could become relevant at season end depending on the clubs final records. By virtue of winning the tie break, OKC will get the higher seed if the teams finish with identical records.

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