MADRID – A blur of a man cruised down the lane, soared high into the air and smashed down a dunk, causing an eruption of applause and cheers. It was Russell Westbrook, of course, doing the dunking, but the Spanish fans, some Real Madrid loyalists who had to give it up to the All-Star Thunder point guard.
NBA fans piled into Real Madrid’s arena on Monday night, coming from all over Spain and other parts of Europe to get a glimpse at live NBA basketball. Many fans mentioned the chance to see Westbrook and the Thunder compete in person was a “bucket list” moment, and the Thunder made sure they came away from their experience rewarded. The Thunder lost 142-137 in overtime, but the game was thrilling for all those in attendance no matter who they cheered for, and it was a wonderful display of the different basketball styles in the NBA and Europe.
Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club burst out of the gates, outscoring Real Madrid 35-22 in the first quarter thanks to 24 points in the paint, an 8-0 advantage in fast break points and 14 points off of nine Real Madrid turnovers. Particularly in that opening frame, the Thunder’s defense was disciplined, in the right spots and using its length to be completely disruptive in the passing lanes. 14 first half deflections resulted in 10 steals and 15 forced turnovers, leading directly to 24 points for the Thunder.
Offensively, the Thunder got off to a hot start too, shooting 54.5 percent from the field in the first half, getting points from 10 different players thanks to 13 assists, good spacing, ball sharing and movement. Alex Abrines hit his first shot as a member of the Thunder, a three-pointer on the right wing, and rookie Domantas Sabonis scored five points and grabbed four rebounds in the first half.
"I want to thank the city of Madrid. We had a great, great experience here. It was really enjoyable," Donovan said. "The game was great for our guys because I thought the first half we played a really good game. We played to an identity that we were looking to create."
One moment in particular stood out, when Andre Roberson received a pass on the wing and without hesitation he put the ball on the floor and attacked the paint. Steven Adams’ defender came crashing over, and Roberson slipped Adams a pass, which resulted in a foul and free throw attempts. It might not show up in a box score, but that play was a sign that Roberson could be called upon to attack off the bounce more this season.
The defense wasn’t quite as sharp in the third quarter, but some inconsistency is to be expected at this early stage of training camp and with so many new players in the fold. Real Madrid was able to score 37 points and knock down seven three-pointers in the period and with that went the Thunder’s lead and momentum.
"We have some things to learn and some things to pick up on," Westbrook said. "We’ll get there. Right now it’s preseason and we’re trying to play and get ready for later on in the season so we make sure we’re clicking once the season starts."
The Thunder led by as many as 22, but Real Madrid’s Sergio Llull beat the buzzer on three-pointers to end the first half and the third quarter. The latter bucket cut the Thunder’s lead to just eight points at 95-87, which was the tightest the margin had been since the first quarter. Real Madrid pulled within five at 101-96 with 10:15 to go after back to back three-pointers and a layup, but Victor Oladipo went basket-for-basket with Real Madrid by attacking the paint to get to the rim and then knocking down a much-needed three-pointer along the left wing.
A Rudy Fernandez three-pointer and then an Andres Nocioni scooping layup made it 114-113 Real Madrid, but Enes Kanter scored twice at the rim on back-to-back possessions to help the Thunder regain the lead. When Kanter buried a jumper with 2:49 remaining in regulation, Real Madrid called timeout and the Thunder’s lead was at 117-114.
The Thunder defense tightened and forced a turnover out of the timeout, then Kanter buried a jumper to make it a five-point game. Kanter was then double teamed, stayed patient to dish cross-court to Sabonis, who swung it to Abrines in the corner for three. Abrines hit another three on the next possession then took a charge and it seemed that victory was in hand.
"He’s not only a great player, he’s a great person too," Oladipo said of the rookie Abrines. "You can tell he’s hungry to learn and hungry to get better. He’s going to be good for us, and we need him. The way he can shoot the ball and open up the lane for me and Russ, the way he can spread the floor is going to be huge for us. He’s going to continue to get better because he works."
A wild sequence of events in the final 4.5 seconds resulted in a five-point possession for Real Madrid, when Andres Nocioni hit two out of three free throws, missing the third which bounced into the hands of none other than Llull, who beat the buzzer for the third time of the night and tied the game at 126, forcing overtime. Oladipo got it going for the Thunder to start overtime, hitting a jumper then driving for a monster two-handed dunk, but Real Madrid got a few huge buckets down the stretch from behind the three-point line and in the paint to create separation and ensure victory.
"He did a good job of playing aggressive," Westbrook said of his backcourt teammate. "That’s the most important part, coming out and competing and being aggressive. That’s what we need from Victor."
Oladipo’s 34 points led the way for the Thunder, and he was backed up by Enes Kanter’s 29 points and 10 rebounds and Westbrook’s 18 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes. As evidenced by the minute distribution, the Thunder didn’t deviate from its pre-determined plan to give a bunch of players time on the court and for Donovan to see different lineups, player combinations and rotations. The game was great experience against a veteran and connected Real Madrid squad and a chance to keep growing as a unit.
"We got a chance to play a lot of young guys. We got a chance to play a lot of new guys," Donovan said. "We had an opportunity to put some lineups out there. Because it was such a close game and because of a lot of our breakdowns on the defensive end of the floor, I think this is going to be a good opportunity for our team to really look at this game and grow from it."
Thunder at Real Madrid Highlights: