Just like it was a week-and-a-half ago, the battle between the Thunder and Chicago Bulls was one with playoff-level intensity. This time, the Thunder closed it out in emphatic fashion.
With two hard-nosed defensive stops in a row and then one of the prettiest offensive plays Chesapeake Energy Arena has seen, the Thunder took care of business, winning 109-100. Three plays defined the closing minutes of this one, as the Thunder forced two turnovers and scored five points in a 47 second span, effectively putting the game away.
“We wanted to close out the game better than we did a few weeks ago in Chicago,” Brooks said. “We did a good job on our pick-and-roll execution and on the switches.”
“Within the last five-to-six minutes or so we did a good job of getting stops and converting,” Westbrook said.
Head Coach Scott Brooks deployed a smaller lineup that allowed the Thunder to switch just about everything on the perimeter. With just 1:27 remaining, the Thunder led 97-95, and Russell Westbrook and Andre Roberson made a switch out top, leaving Chicago’s Nikola Mirotic with a chance to post up Westbrook.
Despite the height advantage, that strategy doesn’t typically work well for opponents, as Westbrook swiftly re-positioned himself to get around his man and make a steal. From there, he streaked into the open court for a high-flying layup that brought the Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd to its feet.
“My job is to use my quickness,” Westbrook said, explaining his steal. “Some of the guys are bigger and some stronger. It depends who it is. But my job is to be able to use my quickness to my advantage.”
On the ensuing Chicago possession, the Thunder set up once again to be able to stay in front defensively, which is exactly what Dion Waiters did when Chicago’s E’Twaun Moore drove left towards the rim. Using his strength and physicality, Waiters was aggressive, and slapped down on the ball as Moore tried to finish his move. The ball popped out and rolled off of Moore’s leg and out of bounds, and after an official review, it was determined to be Thunder ball.
“I just swiped down,” Waiters explained. “I knew he was going to go to the basket and try to be aggressive. I was trying to be smart at the same time and try to react when he was going up. I was able to get my hand on the ball and knock it off of him.”
“I just try to come out there and compete on both ends, not just on the offensive side,” Waiters continued. “I always take pride in guarding my man also, try not to let him score and also on help defense.”
While the review was going on, Brooks was busy drawing up a play on his white board for his team to execute on the in-bounds play. It was a thing of beauty, and perfectly executed. With Westbrook at the top of the key, Roberson came from the right block to set a dummy screen, then Enes Kanter followed right behind to start a real pick-and-roll. Kanter dove hard to the rim, forcing the defense to collapse as Westbrook attacked the lane.
Meanwhile, Anthony Morrow relocated from the corner up to the slot along the right wing, and Westbrook found his sharpshooter with a perfect pass, and Morrow knocked down the three-pointer.
“It was a good play that Scott Brooks drew up out of the timeout,” Westbrook said. “There were two guys on me, I kicked to Anthony Morrow and trusted my teammates. He knocked it down, so it was good.”
The Thunder followed up that quick 5-0 run with a Westbrook fast break layup when Chicago was trying to foul, then Kanter and Westbrook made five of six free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory.
Beasts on the Boards
Before the final minute and a half, this was a playoff-style slugfest with an emphasis on defense. In the first quarter, the two teams combined to score just 32 points on 13-for-53 shooting, but the game opened up after that, as Westbrook helped pick up the tempo as the second quarter moved along.
The key area for the Thunder throughout the night, however, was its rebounding. Despite the poor shooting start, the Thunder managed to keep the scoreboard moving thanks to second chance points, as it racked up 17 offensive rebounds that led to 19 points. Overall, the Thunder out-rebounded Chicago 52-33.
“When you rebound, you put yourself in a position to win games,” Brooks said. “Our record indicates that over the years. I like their (Kanter and Adams’) toughness.”
Westbrook himself snagged 11 boards to go with 36 points and six assists, but it was the tandem of Enes Kanter and Steven Adams who were the catalysts for success. Kanter finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end, while Adams scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, with six coming on offense.
“I’m really happy that we had Steven back there tonight,” Kanter said. “We were really focused on being physical down there.”
Stats of the Night
6 – Players who scored in double figures for the Thunder, including 11 each for Anthony Morrow, Dion Waiters and D.J. Augustin
36 – Points for Russell Westbrook in addition to 11 rebounds, six assists and one crucial steal
52-33 – The Thunder’s rebounding advantage on the night, as it grabbed 17 offensive boards for 19 second chance points
The Final Word
“We just had to come in and down the stretch and get stops. When you buckle down, it’s about who stops who.” - guard Dion Waiters