A Look Back on the Thunder's 104-94 win at Utah
By CHRIS SILVA | THUNDER.NBA.COM
Nov 25 2009 12:40AM
Plenty to be thankful for if you’re a Thunder fan. Thankful that a crazy month with nine road games is almost over; thankful that the Thunder is headed home for five straight games; probably most important: thankful that the Thunder is playing team basketball. The word ‘selfish’ doesn’t exist with this team.
The Thunder had 25 assists on 37 baskets on Tuesday, which played a big part in its 104-94 road win over the Utah Jazz.
Said head coach Scott Brooks: “I thought the key was tonight we did a good job of moving the ball, sharing the ball.”
There were times when four, even all five Thunder players touched the ball on a single possession.
Seeing the Thunder move the ball tonight made me think back to a passing drill during practice in which it has to make 100 consecutive passes through an offensive set before a shot goes up.
The passing looked fluid against the Jazz.
Minus a five-minute scoreless stretch in the fourth, the Thunder scored every which way. It scored in transition (20 points), off turnovers (25), from behind the arc (8-for-18) and at the free-throw line (22-for-25). Kevin Durant had 13 points in the first quarter, Kyle Weaver scored five of his seven points in the third and James Harden and Jeff Green each scored 10 in the second quarter.
Speaking of Weaver, the second-year guard/forward had a huge night. Weaver was recalled from Tulsa and joined his teammates in Utah. With both Kevin Ollie and Shaun Livingston out with injuries, Weaver became the backup point guard. Weaver finished with seven points, three blocks and an assist in 15 minutes off the bench. Although he hasn’t been in the regular season rotation, Weaver stayed ready for an opportunity like Tuesday.
Durant put in another all-around performance, scoring within the offense, playing defense and getting his teammates involved. Durant finished with 28 points, a steal, a block, eight assists, five rebounds and just two turnovers.
A few key numbers: the Thunder improved to 8-7 on the season…Tuesday’s win snapped a four-game losing streak at Utah….The Thunder is 6-0 when it scores more than 100 points.
Contact Chris Silva
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| Team | W | L | GB |
| Thunder |
21 |
6 |
0.0 |
| Nuggets |
16 |
12 |
5.5 |
| Trail Blazers |
15 |
13 |
6.5 |
| Jazz |
14 |
13 |
7.0 |
| Timberwolves |
13 |
16 |
9.0 |
|
