Domantas Sabonis tipped the ball to himself, returned to the ground and leapt up again, keeping the ball alive. Finally, he got enough fingers on it, and created separation to snare the loose defensive rebound. Taking advantage of the broken floor, Sabonis streaked from coast to coast and finished with a crucial transition layup.
That was an integral scene on Thursday night as the Thunder took care of business against the Cleveland Cavaliers – a rookie forward who had been having a tough go of it recently finding the right energy and confidence to make an impact.
“In the Indiana game, the first three possessions, Lavoy Allen is wedging (Sabonis) under the glass and is offensive rebounding. Now you come back in this game, the ball is being tipped, he’s chasing and he’s competing and he’s trying and all the sudden he comes down with it,” Head Coach Billy Donovan said of the play against Cleveland. “That’s what our team needs.”
As the Thunder regrouped for practice on Friday morning in between games against the previous two NBA Champions, Donovan and his staff laid bare what was evident from the Thunder’s 118-109 victory over the Cavaliers on Thursday: the effort, energy and execution was consistently great for 48 minutes. The more games the Thunder can play at that level, be consistent and sustain it, the better chance it will have to win.
“We played with a great spirit for a full 48 minutes,” Donovan said. “We’re not going to be perfect. We’re going to make mistakes… We have to play, intensity-wise, at a really high level.”
“You have to be able to do it every night,” forward Nick Collison said. “We had a good one last night. We have to turn the page and try to do it again tomorrow.”
Thunder Talk: Nick Collison - Feb. 10
The blueprint won’t be precisely the same, but some of the x’s and o’s that the Thunder had to execute against Cleveland will apply to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. It’ll be the first home matchup for the Thunder against this version of the Warriors that features Kevin Durant, but Donovan and company have squared off against Golden State twice already this season. They know what to expect – not only does the Thunder have to understand personnel around the three-point line, but it also has to close off drives to the rim and backdoor cuts.
- “It’s a little bit difference. The end result of shooting threes, Cleveland does a really good job, as does Golden State, of generating and creating those threes,” Donovan said. “With Golden State, not only do they shoot the ball extremely well behind the three-point line, they’re the best team in the league in terms of scoring points in the deep paint.”
Russell Westbrook was at it again on Thursday night, finishing out the game on the offensive end with a scoring and assisting flurry. First he knocked down three straight elbow jumpers, then he found Steven Adams on a roll to the paint and then hit Victor Oladipo at the top of the key for a straightaway three-pointer that sealed the deal. Westbrook has been one of the best, most productive, crunch-time players this season. Even a long-time teammate like Nick Collison has seen the growth and evolution in that aspect.
- “His confidence is really high. He’s managing the game well,” Collison said. “He’s had an incredible year and in those fourth quarters he’s even playing better. We’re doing a good job of executing down the stretch in those situations. Guys are getting him good screens where he has space to play. It’s been fun to watch.”