By sheer will and brute force, the Thunder would not be denied on its first possession of the night. Three missed shots, including two from inside the paint, rimmed out, but Enes Kanter and Steven Adams were relentless, and that diligence paid off as Kanter finally corralled that third miss and put it back in the bucket for a layup, plus the foul.
It was that kind of ballgame for the Thunder as it ran away to a 127-117 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night in the final home game in a stretch of 8-of-9 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Head Coach Scott Brooks stuck with a big lineup even when the Lakers when small, with a three-point shooter at the power forward position. The size and strength advantage paid off, as the Thunder out-rebounded Los Angeles 49-28 on the night.
“Enes gets in there, he makes plays and he finishes his offensive rebounds,” Brooks said. “Those are offensive plays we have to keep focus on because we can’t make every shot.”
“At the beginning of the game we have to set the tone like that,” Kanter explained. “We have to make them think the game is not going to be easy for them.”
The Thunder’s quick start eventually helped them build a 14-point first quarter lead, rolling out to 68 halftime points. The Lakers made a push to start the third quarter, however, to cut the Thunder’s edge to just 72-65 with 8:19 left in the period. Behind the dynamic attacking ability of Russell Westbrook and Dion Waiters, however, the Thunder responded in short fashion.
Westbrook, who finished with 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting to go with 11 assists in 30 minutes, was the emotional, mental and physical catalyst for the Thunder as it shrugged off the Lakers’ run and pushed the lead out to 20 points.
“He’s a really good point guard,” Kanter said of Westbrook. I give all the credit to him. I am just reading the guy and getting the passes. He’s making the bigs’ job easier.”
Westbrook hit a three-pointer, then Waiters crossed his man up at the top of the key and finished at the rim. The Lakers respond with a basket but Waiters came right back down court and knocked down a jumper. On the next two possessions, Westbrook grabbed a defensive rebound and finished in transition, then made a steal and again finished at the rim. After a Lakers timeout, Mitch McGary grabbed a defensive rebound that led to a Westbrook-to-Kanter post-up and finish, capping a 13-2 run and removing all doubt from this contest.
“We were playing our game,” Westbrook explained. “We did a good job of staying in attack mode and finishing well in the paint.”
Kanter a Force
The first quarter hadn’t even finished yet, and Enes Kanter had accomplished what most starting big men try to put together after a full 48 minutes. The power forward-center combo player that the Thunder acquired at the trade deadline showed more of what he’s displayed over the past month-and-a-half- rebounding, soft hands, great footwork and ability to finish around the basket.
“He did a good job of being aggressive,” Westbrook said. “Enes has a great touch, especially around the paint and we saw that early.”
By the time the first quarter was over, Kanter had already racked up 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting, 10 rebounds and two assists in what would end up being a 25-point, 16-rebound, four-assist evening in just 28 minutes of action.
“I feel really comfortable and confident that my teammates are giving me the ball,” Kanter said. “They trust me.”
Waiters Efficient and Effective
Over the past few weeks, Waiters has re-iterated his goal for himself when he gets the ball – to attack at all times. That aggressive nature was on display on Tuesday night as the Thunder shooting guard scored 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting, including a 2-for-2 mark from the three-point line.
Seven of Waiters’ buckets came all the way at the rim, as he either used a shot fake or some slick dribble-drive moves to get into the paint. Once in the lane, Waiters either elevated and finished or dished to an open teammate, as he racked up four assists.
“He is doing a better job of finishing,” Westbrook said. “He has always been in attack mode but I think he’s doing a better job of finishing in the paint.”
“He is getting more comfortable every time and he is making those layups,” Kanter said of Waiters. “He is a strong guy going in there and just bumping people and finishing. He’s going to be able to really help us down the road.”
Stats of the Night
10-for-16 – Shooting numbers for Dion Waiters, who scored 23 points and added four assists and four rebounds
29 - Assists for the Thunder on the night, led by 11 from Russell Westbrook and five from D.J. Augustin
49-28 - Rebounding advantage for the Thunder on the night, as Enes Kanter, Steven Adams and Mitch McGary combined for 36 total rebounds
The Final Word
“We started the game off really moving the basketball. We found a lot of great shots and we were knocking them down.” – Head Coach Scott Brooks