PORTLAND – On Thursday night, the Thunder rolled into Phoenix on a run of seven consecutive victories, but couldn’t string together enough stops and scores to seal the deal in overtime.
In the NBA there is no rest for the weary, and no time to let losses linger, which is why the Thunder immediately turned its focus to tonight’s tilt in Portland against the Trail Blazers. Even immediately after the loss to the Suns, Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks’ mind’s eye was looking towards tonight’s Northwest Division matchup, and what his team will need to do in order to come away victorious.
“We had a nice run,” Brooks said of his team’s seven-game winning streak. “It’s time to get back together tomorrow and bring a better defensive game against a very good team who is leading our division.”
One night after taking on the Suns, an offensive-minded team that loves to get up and down in transition, the Thunder faces another challenging foe, albeit one with slightly different tendencies. Portland still wants to get out and run, creating driving lanes in transition for kick-out three-pointers or layups.
The Trail Blazers also, however, have a tandem of big men in LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez that can create problems as rebounders and with high-low action. The Thunder knows that regardless of how it shoots the ball as a team, victory or defeat will come down to whether it can get stops on the defensive end.
“We’re not going to make them all but we have to make sure if we don’t make them, they don’t make them,” Brooks said.
As for the Thunder’s offense, which has been staggeringly prolific over the past month for the most part, struggled a bit early in Phoenix due to simply a cold shooting start. As the game went along, point guard Russell Westbrook continued his torrid streak of games with a 39-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, his second in a row, fourth of the season and 12th in his career.
Still, after the game, Westbrook said he wants to do a better job of creating an offensive flow amongst all five players on the floor moving forward. While it was there in spurts on Thursday, Westbrook believes that the continuity and rhythm needs to be there for all 48 minutes.
“I have to do a better job of leading,” Westbrook explained. “I have to do a better job of trusting my teammates. I’m not saying I don’t, but I constantly have to keep trusting in them, regardless of the score or the time or possession.”
“We just have to do a better job moving the ball,” Kanter said, echoing his point guard’s sentiment.
Broadcast Information
Tip-Off: 9:30 p.m. CT
Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma, ESPN
Radio: Thunder Radio Network, WWLS the Sports Animal