DALLAS – Before the Thunder left for its longest road trip of the season, Thunder players up and down the roster stated one common goal. On the road, the team would have to stay together. Tonight against the Dallas Mavericks, it did just that on multiple occasions.
In a hard-fought 109-106 road win over its I-35 rivals, the Thunder had its back against the wall on multiple occasions, yet found a way to rally each time. The final test for Head Coach Billy Donovan’s resilient squad came over the final eight minutes, when the Mavericks cut a 17-point Thunder lead down to just one at 107-106 with 1:06 remaining. Out of a timeout, the Thunder got the ball to Kevin Durant coming around a curl, and he leaned into a 19-footer that dropped through the net.
“I had to be aggressive. Coach called a play for me so I had to knock down the shot,” Durant said.
It was then the defense’s turn to stand tall, and it did so by forcing four straight missed shots over the final 35 seconds to seal the win. Dallas managed to track down loose balls to fire off three shots in the final 10 seconds, but all of them missed and when Russell Westbrook snared the final rebound, the Thunder bench erupted.
“There was some adversity,” Donovan said. “I felt like our guys stuck together. They played together and played for each other. That was encouraging to see because on the road, you’re going to have to play together and stick together. Adversity is going to come in one form or another. Whatever it is, you have to be able to handle it collectively.”
The Mavericks took control early in this one, building a 23-12 lead in the first quarter behind blistering hot offense, but the Thunder completely turned the tide with a 15-2 run to end the quarter. Durant assisted on three straight Thunder baskets – an Enes Kanter layup, a Kanter jumper and a Dion Waiters three-pointer. After Westbrook scored in the lane, Durant slipped a pass to Serge Ibaka for a dunk, Waiters drove to the rim and Durant nailed two free throws, and just like that, the Thunder took a two-point lead into halftime.
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Third Quarter Explosion
The Mavericks built some momentum heading into halftime, rolling out on a 10-0 run over the final three minutes of the second quarter. Kyle Singler got fouled on a loose ball with just 3.5 seconds to go and nailed two free throws, giving the Thunder some life before hitting the locker room. On the other side, it emerged a new team.
At the break it addressed the areas of defensive discipline on shot fakes, staying tight on three-point shooters and then playing with pace and moving the ball on offense. Donovan’s club executed on all three areas, and outscored Dallas 37-18 in the period, holding the Mavericks to 6-for-20 shooting while turning those stops into transition chances for 14 fast break points and a 16-for-26 mark from the field.
“In the second half we did a good job of putting bodies on them and making it tough for them, then getting out in transition to get good shots on the other end,” Durant explained. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Bench and the Boards
Donovan doesn’t look at his team as having this clear-cut, dividing line between the starters and the reserves. Throughout the course of the game, each player spends time on the floor with a mixture of others. There is something to be said, however, for getting strong play from a multitude of players, and in this case all four men who came off the bench tonight produced heavily.
In key stretches of the game, Waiters, Singler, Enes Kanter and Cameron Payne exuded supreme confidence, a focus and togetherness that helped the Thunder extend leads and maintain control against a veteran, savvy Dallas team. In total, that quartet scored 47 points on 19-for-37 shooting in addition to grabbing 20 rebounds.
“The bench won that game for us tonight,” Durant said. “The starters didn’t play so well but that’s why you have a whole team. The bench came up huge for us tonight and made big plays all night. We were able to ride their coattails a little bit and get this win.”
The rebounding wasn’t just limited to the Thunder’s reserves, as the entire team managed a 47-33 advantage on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second chance points. A catalyst behind that effort was Nick Collison, who slid into the starting lineup at the last second due to Steven Adams straining his elbow in pregame warmups. The wily veteran grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, to go with six points in 21 minutes.
“You look at a guy like Nick who the last couple games hasn’t played and then he has to start,” Donovan said. “He comes out there and gives you a great effort and a great game. That doesn’t happen unless you have an incredible amount of professionalism in terms of keeping yourself ready.”
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By the Numbers
3-for-6 – Three-point shooting numbers for Dion Waiters, who scored 13 points and added four rebounds and an assist off the bench
10-0 – The Thunder’s record when six or more players score in double figures like it did tonight
26-15 - The Thunder’s advantage in fast break points on the night, where it shot 11-for-17 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“It was one of those games where on the road it’s never pretty. When you play against a good team you have to weather some of those storms and difficult moments.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan