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Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks Game Recap – Jan. 26, 2017

Russell Westbrook attacked the rim, but his layup attempt just barely rimmed out. No one in Chesapeake Energy Arena was surprised that Westbrook wasn’t finished with the play.

Getting himself back in bounds, Westbrook wrestled the defensive rebound away from Dallas Mavericks center Salah Mejri, pulled the ball down and then sprung back up for an and-one layup. The bucket capped a four-point possession and supercharged a 19-7 Thunder burst that broke the game open in the third quarter of a 109-98 Thunder victory over Dallas.

“It was definitely a good momentum swing in our direction, to get us going and get our crowd involved,” Westbrook said of the play.

The win moved Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club to 28-19 on the season and nine games over .500, a high-point this year. It wasn’t easy though, even against a banged up Dallas team that didn’t have a handful of its normal rotation players. The Thunder struggled to stop the three ball to start the game, allowing nine first half triples. In the second half, Dallas stuck with it, pulling to within three points with 8:50 to go.

Down the stretch, however, Westbrook took over the game offensively and ran roughshod over the Mavericks’ defense. The All-Star point guard – it was announced he’ll compete for the Western Conference in New Orleans in February – scored 17 of the Thunder’s final 19 points in the fourth quarter, stiff-arming Dallas away down the stretch.

After a monstrous transition three-pointer by Domas Sabonis to bust that narrow three-point margin back up to six, Westbrook scored both at the rim and on pull-up jumpers. To close it out, Westbrook knocked down three straight three-pointer attempts, with one final deep two-point shot sprinkled in the middle for good measure. Westbrook finished the game with 45 points on 16-of-29 shooting (4-for-8 from three and 9-for-11 FTs) to go with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“It’s amazing how much he wants to win,” guard Victor Oladipo said of Westbrook. “It’s an honor to play alongside him.”

Highlights: Thunder vs. Mavs - Jan. 26, 2017

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Third Quarter Turnaround

Going into halftime the Thunder wasn’t pleased with both its energy and execution, but the start of the third quarter was a sign that both were about to change. A quick 9-0 run by Donovan’s club kick-started the period and got the Thunder back into the game as much mentally as it did physically. Through a commitment to defending the three-point line, minimal turnovers and high percentage offense, the Thunder systematically took care of business. Teammates like Steven Adams praised Victor Oladipo for being the catalyst for the defensive intensity.

“We were a little bit more physical,” Westbrook explained. “We got off to a slow start but we were more aggressive on both sides of the ball.”

“We just decided to switch everything out on the perimeter,” Donovan said. “We were going to be in a situation where they were going to put it on the floor and drive us and we’d have to deal with that and try to challenge at the basket.”

To close out the period the Thunder went on a 19-5 run, building a 16-point lead that proved to be enough cushion to keep Dallas at bay in the fourth quarter. In total during that 12-minute third quarter, the Thunder outscored the Mavericks 34-18, including 16-4 in the paint while shooting 57.1 percent from the field. The Thunder turned the ball over just two times in the third quarter while also keeping Dallas to just one three-pointer on seven attempts, and 31.6 percent shooting overall in the period.

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Kanter Sustains Broken Arm

With 7:34 to go in the second quarter, Enes Kanter was whistled for a tough offensive foul in the lane. In frustration, Kanter slapped a chair on the Thunder bench and sustained a broken right forearm. It remains to be seen how much time Kanter will miss due to the injury, but his Thunder teammates rallied behind him and explained that just like when other players have missed time this season, it will be up to the group as a whole to find ways to be successful.

“It’s tough, especially to do it the way he did it,” Westbrook said. “It’s very unfortunate but he’s a strong man and he’ll be back better.”

“You just come out and compete. One thing that can’t change is how hard you play,” Westbrook added. “Regardless of who is on the floor and who isn’t, if you come out and compete at a high level you give yourself a chance to win the game.”

As the Thunder has seen with injuries to Oladipo and Cameron Payne, the nature of an NBA team is constantly in flux throughout the year. The team will pick up the slack by focusing on what each player can control within the strengths of their own games. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

By the Numbers

34-18 – The Thunder’s third quarter scoring edge, where it shot 57.1%, compared to just 31.6 percent for Dallas

45 – Points for Russell Westbrook on the night, including 17 of the Thunder’s final 19 points

51.4 – Shooting percentage for the Thunder on the night, including a 9-for-22 mark from the three-point line- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Last Word

“In the second half we defended the three-point line a lot better and played a lot better, then obviously in the fourth quarter Russ was terrific in terms of opening it up for us. Coming off a back-to-back and winning both (games) is always positive.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan