CHARLOTTE – Locked in a tie game at 94-94 with just over six minutes remaining, the Thunder was dealing with a massive amount of game pressure. Unfazed, thanks to its leader and floor general Russell Westbrook, Head Coach Scott Brooks’ squad took off on an 8-0 run to break the game open for good, sealing a 110-103 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Now winners of seven of its last eight games, the Thunder had been cruising in its last four victories, as it failed to trail in its previous 15 quarters of play. This one in Charlotte didn’t come quite so easily. After a 30-point first quarter by the Hornets, the Thunder battled to take a three-point lead at halftime behind incredible effort by the second unit and a nine-rebound edge in the second period that eventually led to a 59-41 advantage on the glass for the game.
The Thunder emerged from the halftime locker room with a defensive mindset, and it showed immediately as it held Charlotte scoreless for the first four minutes of action, while ripping off nine straight points itself. By keeping their men in front of them, contesting every shot and clearing the glass, the Thunder broke the Hornets’ offensive rhythm.
“That third quarter, we really started disrupting their offense,” Brooks said. “We did a great job of setting the table to have a good finish.”
The Hornets would claw back, however, and eventually tie the game at 94, when Westbrook and company took over. The crucial 8-0 burst started with a Serge Ibaka tip-in off a Westbrook missed layup. After forcing a miss, Ibaka got a jumper off perhaps the best offensive possession of the entire game. New comer DJ Augustin drove under the rim and dished to fellow new teammate Enes Kanter, who swung the ball to a wide-open Ibaka at the elbow.
Two more defensive stops turned into Westbrook layups, and the Thunder led 102-94 with 4:13 to go. While the offensive execution was precise during that stretch, it was actually the Thunder’s ability to force five straight missed shots that was key to the win.
“The key was the defense,” Kanter explained. “Every time we try to give 100 percent and play with energy. If you have Serge down low, you know he’s going to block shots, so you play with confidence.”
Westbrook was the catalyst for everything, scoring 33 points, added ten assists and grabbed seven rebounds. More importantly, however, he put his teammates in positions to succeed and feel comfortable and confident in their roles.
“Russell has been the leader for many years and he does a great job of doing that,” Brooks said. “He understands the situation that we’re in. His communicating on the court, at halftime and timeouts was great. He’s a leader and guys listen to him.”
“I’m really thankful that Russ has helped me a lot” Kanter said. “On the court and off the court he really helped me…He talks and is a really good leader on the court, off the court and on the bench. Every time, he talks to guys and communicates with his teammates and coaches.”
Kanter, Singler, Augustin All Contribute
The past 48 hours have been a whirlwind for the Thunder’s four newly acquired players – Kanter, Augustin, Kyle Singler and Steve Novak but regardless, they were all prepared to play. Kanter and Novak flew in from Salt Lake City while Augustin and Singler hopped on a flight from Detroit on Friday morning, took their physicals and immediately got onto the Thunder’s jet to fly to Charlotte, then after just one long shootaround, were integral parts of the victory.
“It was unbelievable to be out there with those unbelievable guys,” Kanter said. “I’m really happy to be here. I’m just trying to do my job and do what coach tells me to do.”
Singler and Kanter started in place of the injured Kevin Durant and Steven Adams, while Augustin came in to lead the second unit and each man had a major fingerprint on the victory.
Kanter registered a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds while Singler knocked down two important three pointers and dished a slick assist to Kanter on a side-pick-and-roll. Augustin was steady in his 22 minutes, and delivered the knockout blow with a three-pointer from the right wing off a Westbrook dish to make it 107-98 with 2:41 to go. For the game, he had 12 points, three rebounds and two assists.
“They just play,” Brooks said of the newcomers. “It’s pure. They make the pass when it’s there. They’re going to defend with everything they have. They’re going to do the best to keep the ball in front of them.”
Bench Thrives All Night
It started with Mitch McGary’s energy off the bench – a burst of seven points and seven rebounds in 5:30 of action, and carried over to the rest of the evening. All night long the Thunder’s reserve crew of Augustin, Dion Waiters, Anthony Morrow, McGary and Nick Collison were aggressive and focused on making an impact and the unit was forceful in its minutes.
“Mitch came in and gave us great energy,” Brooks said. “We needed that.”
For the night, the reserves scored 43 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and dished out seven assists and helped the Thunder achieve the type of balance that created a game where three different players recorded double-doubles and six different players scored at least nine points.
Stats of the Night
6 – Number of players who scored at least nine points tonight for the Thunder thanks to 21 assists
33 – Points for Russell Westbrook to go with ten assists and seven rebounds
59-41 – The Thunder’s rebounding advantage on the night thanks to 19 offensive boards
The Final Word
“We’re playing together with a lot of heart and a lot of hustle.” – forward Mitch McGary