WASHINGTON, D.C. – It didn’t take long, but when the Thunder run came midway through the first quarter, it packed a mean punch.
Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club used a 10-2 first quarter run to power past the Washington Wizards, ignited by a Kevin Durant pull-up 3-pointer in transition. The Thunder took a 14-point lead heading into the second quarter, and despite a brief push by Washington to cut the lead to seven early in the period, the Thunder once again pushed the lead out to an insurmountable level by the time the game reached halftime. In the end, it was a 125-101 runaway victory for the Thunder, who now returns home for a Friday night tilt against the Philadelphia 76ers.
After putting up an efficient 14 points, ten rebounds and four assists in 17 first half minutes, Durant left the game with a strained left hamstring.
“I’m a little sore and I have to get it checked on tomorrow and see what it’s looking like after that. I’m glad that we came in here and got a win,” Durant said. “In the first half we did a really good job of setting the tone early, and we built off of it.”
For the purposes of the rest of the game, however, Durant’s teammates had it well in hand. Russell Westbrook registered his first triple-double of the season with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while Serge Ibaka scored a season-high 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting.
“Serge makes the game a lot easier for myself, the way he can spread the floor and block shots as well,” Westbrook said. “He did a great job tonight. It’s a pleasure to play with him.”
Off the bench, the Thunder’s two main offensive weapons Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter were effective once again. Coming into the game averaging 21.5 points per game combined, the duo topped that mark and then some, as Waiters hit 7-of-10 shots on his way to an efficient, and game-high, 25 points while Kanter scored nine points and added six rebounds.
“(Waiters) has a really good feel of how to play. He understands when he’s out there with Kevin, Russell and Serge that sometimes he’s going to be the third or fourth option, but he can find ways to make plays for himself or somebody else,” Donovan said of his attacking guard off the bench. “He’s played the right way, he’s made the game easy for the guys on the floor and other guys on the floor have found him as well.”
From a full team perspective, the Thunder dominated this one in nearly every category, thanks to the resounding showing in the first half. That energy carried over throughout the night as the Thunder had a chance to put the game on cruise control in the fourth quarter.
Donovan’s group out-rebounded Washington 53-41, while registering 27 assists on 44 made field goals. A clamp-down effort on defense was also a major factor, as the Wizards shot just 39.2 percent from the field and 5-for-24 from the three-point line, and the Thunder also kept Washington’s transition attack in check.
“We did a good job of getting our bodies in front of them and making them make decisions on the fly,” Westbrook said. “We did a great job of protecting our paint. That helped us out.”
“We did a really good job of sprinting back and loading to the ball,” Donovan explained. “That was a key for us defensively, getting our defense set and then our bigs did a pretty good job of contesting and challenging shots around the basket.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hot From Behind the Arc
Coming into the season, one of the core areas of focus for the Thunder was the three-point line, on both ends of the floor. Defending pick-and-rolls in such a way to prevent easy catch-and-shoot looks for opponents is a priority. Similarly, creating open looks from behind the arc on the offensive end.
By keeping proper spacing and using on-time, on-target passes to generate open looks, the Thunder started the game 8-for-8 from behind the 3-point line, eventually knocking down 15-of-23 shots from deep for the night. Six different players hit 3-pointers, including four from Waiters and three apiece from Durant and Ibaka. Donovan’s club passed their teammates into open looks, making those catch and shoot opportunities into very high percentage looks.
“The one thing you look at with the three-point line is how we’re getting them. A lot of them were off extra passes,” Donovan explained. “I’ve always believed that the ball has to be transported through the bigs. I thought Serge made some good decisions. When the ball got to the paint, we made really good decisions of kicking the ball back out to the three-point line.”
“We put ourselves in position to make good plays and get in the paint and build out, and our bigs did a great job of passing the basketball,” Westbrook echoed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
By the Numbers
11 - Number of assists and number of rebounds for Russell Westbrook, who put together his first triple-double of the season
23 - Points for Serge Ibaka, a season-high, on 9-for-15 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-3 mark from the 3-point line, in addition to six rebounds and three assists
39.2 - Shooting percentage for the Wizards, thanks to a Thunder defensive effort that held Washington to 5-for-24 shooting from three-point range
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The Last Word
“We’re going to need everybody to help us get to where we want to get to. We all chipped in. On the defensive end we were good. We moved the basketball early and it was a free flowing, smooth game for us.” – forward Kevin Durant