DETROIT – Late in the second quarter, Kevin Durant was feeling it. He was hot from the field, 5-for-6 to be exact. His next three-point attempt missed, but without a moment’s hesitation, he raced back down the floor and stood tall, drawing a charge.
After a subpar defensive first half for the Thunder as a whole, Durant’s hustle helped to turn the momentum that led to a come-from-behind 96-94 victory in the second half over the Detroit Pistons.
Head Coach Scott Brooks earned the 300th victory of his career as an NBA coach, but his team had to battle back from an 11-point deficit to take control of this one on Sunday. After outscoring Detroit by nine in the third quarter the Thunder built a bit of a cushion, but had to hold off the Pistons in the closing minutes.
It was just a 93-92 Thunder lead with 2:18 remaining after Kyle Singler hit a corner three, but. Durant responded with a jumper from behind the arc of his own to bring his point total to 28, a game-high. The Thunder defense forced a miss and then a turnover on consecutive trips, but couldn’t convert on two straight offensive possessions.
Andre Drummond dunked, pulling the Pistons within two, but after a Russell Westbrook miss, Serge Ibaka ran the floor to prevent a Brandon Jennings layup attempt, forcing a kick-out pass to Josh Smith, who missed the potential game-winning three.
Any win on the road is a good one in the NBA, and Brooks was pleased with the way his team responded to his challenge at halftime to improve defensively.
“We made a good halftime adjustment of just playing with a defensive disposition,” Brooks said. “We got after it. We did a good job of not only contesting their shots, but contesting the pass.”
The Thunder used two spurts in the third quarter to change the dynamic of the game and both were predicated on strong defense and crisp offense. Over a four-minute span at the beginning of the quarter, the Thunder went on a 13-4 run to tie the game at 61, then followed it up later in the period with a 9-0 run to take its first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
That burst started with a Serge Ibaka block that led to a Russell Westbrook layup, then Ibaka followed up an Anthony Morrow miss with a put-back. Westbrook then hit a three-pointer and after a timeout found Durant for a 17-foot jumper to help the Thunder take a 72-69 lead. From there on out, it was a back-and-forth battle, but the momentum was changed thanks to the force the Thunder played with on defense and on the glass.
“We were physical without fouling,” Durant explained. “In the first half it slowed the game down for them because we were putting them on the free throw line. That got them in a rhythm as far as shooting the basketball.”
“There’s a balance between being physical and not fouling,” he continued, referencing the fact that the Pistons attempted just seven free throws in the second half. “We did a good job in the second half.”
Thunder Hits the Offensive Glass for Second Chances
The Thunder’s offense wasn’t sizzling during its comeback, but the Thunder ensured that it came up with points on as many possessions as possible thanks to its work on the offensive glass. The Thunder battled under the rim to grab 13 of its 16 total offensive rebounds in the second half, which led to 14 second chance points for the game.
“We got a lot of extra possessions,” Brooks said. “We had a good conversation at halftime. The guys came out and responded. We played better.”
“When you rebound the basketball on the offensive end and you kick it out for three’s, that’s a backbreaker,” Durant said. “That’s a mistake on their end. We capitalized on a few and we had some great shots on all of them. We have to continue to do that.”
Serge Ibaka led the way in that regard, grabbing six offensive rebounds all by himself, boosting his total on the boards to 13 on the night. All of those second chances not only fueled the Thunder’s offense but the toughness the team displayed changed the energy and tone of the game.
“Serge was tremendous chasing those rebounds down and also scoring on them and kicking them out as well,” Durant said. “We had a lot of kick-outs.”
Durant Gives Back to Young Fan
13-year old Anthony Cupp had been saving up money during the fall from his job mowing lawns just so he could buy a pair of Kevin Durant’s Nike shoes. Both a fan of Durant and the Thunder, Cupp had shoes on mind for quite some time, and finally had enough money to buy them.
Cupp was walking home from middle school in Warren, Mich., just outside of Detroit, when all of the sudden, someone grabbed him, push him to the ground and stole the shoes right off of his feet. He had to walk home the rest of the way barefoot in the snow, having lost what he had just worked so hard to buy.
When the Thunder arrived in Detroit, Durant heard about the story and knew he wanted to find a way to help make up for Cupp’s loss. On Sunday, just hours before tip-off Durant met with Cupp, gave him a new pair of shoes, a backpack and t-shirt. Cupp was understandably a bit awestruck, but was extremely appreciative of Durant’s conscientiousness.
"Even when things go wrong, good things can happen," Cupp said.
To Durant, this was an opportunity to turn a bad moment in a kid’s life into a positive one.
“We have such a big platform and these kids look up to us,” Durant said. “In order for us to set a great example, we have to show them that we’re human too.”
“I try to lead not just our team and our organization, but youth in the right direction,” Durant continued. “There is a lot on our shoulders, but as athletes and professional figures, we can handle it.”
Stats of the Night
11 – Rebounds for Russell Westbrook to go with 22 points and seven assists
12 – Points for Jeremy Lamb in 22 minutes off the bench, as the Thunder’s reserves scored 26 points
300 – Wins as a head coach in the NBA by Scott Brooks
The Final Word
“It’s hard to win on the road. We’re pleased with the way we played. Defensively in the second half is what we need to do for the entire game.” – Head Coach Scott Brooks