SALT LAKE CITY – The off-court collaboration between Thunder players and Head Coach Billy Donovan has been crucial all season long, and tonight in Utah in the most crucial of moments, it paid dividends on the floor.
With the game tied at 95 with 10.5 seconds remaining against the Utah Jazz, the Thunder called timeout to draw up a final play. Russell Westbrook asked Donovan to provide him with space on the floor to operate. The Thunder coach obliged, opting not to advance the ball but rather to allow Westbrook to build up some steam from full court.
The Thunder’s fireball point guard hurdled up the floor into a waiting, perfectly-set Steven Adams screen. That much-desired space opened at the three-point line, but Westbrook took a hesitation dribble, froze the help defender and then rose up for a 20-foot jumper that splashed through the net with 1.4 seconds remaining. A last second Utah heave fell short and the Thunder emerged victorious against its Northwest Division rivals, 97-95.
“I didn’t want to take the shot too early, so I kind of waited and knocked some time off the clock,” Westbrook explained, breaking down his game-winner. “Coach made a decision to bring it up the floor. That was good for us and we got the shot.”
“(Westbrook) did a great job coming down the stretch of managing the game,” Donovan said. “We wanted to give him the whole length of the floor on the last play. He was the one who said to me, ‘the more space, the better’.”
It was a proverbial game of runs, as the Thunder scored 27 first quarter points and built a nine-point lead in the second quarter, forcing Utah in to a span of 9:06 of play with just one field goal. Unfortunately Donovan’s offense couldn’t capitalize and the Jazz began a 13-0 run that defined a 19-11 Utah Jazz third quarter.
The Thunder bounced back in the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run to get back into the game behind scoring punches from Westbrook and Enes Kanter, who scored 14 points off the bench. The hero of the fourth quarter, however, was Steven Adams. After missing the previous two-and-a-half games with a concussion, Adams played 37 minutes and worked himself into a groove late when he dove on the floor for loose balls, blocked three second half shots, making a crucial fast break dunk after one of those rejections when Westbrook found him sprinting in the open floor.
“(Adams) was great defensively at the end of the game,” Donovan said, beginning his list. “He rebounded the ball at the end of the game. He got out in transition and ran at the end of the game. He made a lot of significant plays that impacted the game tonight down the stretch.”
“It was just being disciplined. What was great is that we stuck with it on defense,” Adams explained. “We hit the right rotations and it led to good momentum after that. It’s real easy to gain momentum offensively after we made some stops.”
Outside of Westbrook’s game-winner, the second biggest play of the night for the Thunder was Westbrook’s defensive rebound then transition dish to Adams for the dunk that put the Thunder up 93-90 with 1:04 to go. While spectacular in its own right, the sequence also had historical meaning. Westbrook’s rebound and assist on the play were his 10th in each category on the night to go with his 38 points. That sealed his 22nd triple-double of the season and 59th of his career, tying Larry Bird for fifth on the all-time career triple-doubles list.
“Russell is going to be a hall-of-fame player. He’s one of the best players in this league. The things he’s done statistically, when you hear some of the names that are surrounding the things he’s doing, it’s a great credit to his work ethic and how much time he’s invested in it,” Donovan said. “But I also know him, and he says this more often than anybody, he wants to win. He impacts the game in a lot of ways. Tonight he got a triple double but it helped our team win.”
Thunder-Jazz Highlights - Jan. 23, 2017 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
By the Numbers
37 – Minutes for Steven Adams tonight in his return to action, as he finished with nine points, six rebounds and assist and four blocks
25-9 – The Thunder’s advantage in fast break points on the night, where it held the Jazz to just three shot attempts while shooting 9-for-10 itself
59 – Career triple-doubles for Russell Westbrook, tying Larry Bird for fifth all-time, after recording his 22nd of the season with a 38-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist effort- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“We defended deep into the clock. When you get deep into the clock and can force somewhat contested shots and take away layups and dunks, you’re giving yourself an opportunity to get out in transition. We did a better job of getting off to a better start than the last time we were here and then getting out in transition.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan