Opportunity to be Better
By Paris Lawson | Broadcast and Digital Reporter | okcthunder.com
BOX SCORE: OKC 134, POR 131 (OT)
THE BIG PICTURE
It was an entertaining matchup between two young, hungry teams that resulted in an overtime battle in Portland. Both squads put on a high-scoring offensive performance that featured a combined 40 3-pointers throughout the night. Seven Thunder players registered double figures for the first time this season including a pair of career-high and clutch performances from Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Roby that helped lift the Thunder to a 134-131 victory over the Blazers.
MOMENTS FROM THE 48
Crunch Time and Overtime
The Thunder found itself in yet-another crunch-time battle. Up to the final minutes, the game featured five ties and 12 lead changes including a 10-point lead by Portland at the start of the fourth quarter. Thanks to an extended 10-2 run in the back half of the fourth quarter, the Thunder trailed by just three points with 8.9 seconds left in the ball game.
In the huddle during the timeout, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault drew up an inbounds play designed to free Théo Maledon, who had already cashed in three triples in the game, for a 3-point looks.
Aleksej Pokuševski was tasked with the inbounds pass, but Maledon wasn’t open on the initial action. Luckily, Isaiah Roby freed himself from the fray just in time for the ball to make it inbounds. On his catch, the third year forward took a couple of dribbles before sinking a 3-pointer with just 5.4 seconds remaining to tie the game at 115.
“We emphasized that we had no timeouts left so somebody had to go get the ball,” said Roby. “Thankfully, I was able to make the shot.”
“It was huge,” said Maledon. “The play was kind of messed up a little bit, but seeing him shoot that 3 and make it, it was really huge.”
Portland had a chance to answer on the other end of the floor but came up empty. The game went into overtime with momentum clearly on the Thunder’s side. OKC went an efficient 7-for-10 from the field to edge out the Blazers 19-16 in overtime and secure the 134-131 victory.
“After we went to overtime, just finish the job,” said Maledon. “I think we gave ourselves a chance with overtime to compete and get the win. We had the momentum going and I think we did a great job.”
3-Point Barrage
Both teams were counting by three on Monday night.
For the first time in OKC history, all five starters made two or more 3-pointers. Additionally, four players made four 3-pointers. The team shot at a 44 percent clip throughout the night on the way to 20 made triples.
“For the most part, we had the ball zipping around and kept it head of the defense,” said Daigneault. “Continuing to invest in the way that we want to play. It puts everybody at advantages and I thought that was the case again tonight.
In its last two meetings with the Thunder, the Trail Blazers shot just 18 percent from the 3-point line on average. On Monday, Portland shot 40 from deep. Brandon Williams and Ben McLemore were the main culprits for the Trail Blazers’ sharp-shooting as the two combined to shoot 13-of-26 from the 3-point line.
“That was just the game. Both teams were feeling it from behind the arc,” said Thunder two-way guard Lindy Waters III who was one of the four players who registered four 3-pointers for the Thunder. “Shots started falling and when you see one going in, the basket gets bigger so keep shooting.”
Career-High Nights
Roby’s clutch, game-tying 3-pointer put him at 23 points at the end of regulation, but the forward continued his efficient offense into overtime. Roby went a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the final five minutes of action to log his first career 30-point game.
For the night, Roby only missed two buckets going 11-of-13 from the field including 4-for-5 from deep.
“I think the time I spent with the blue and the time I spent in a more limited role. allowed me to be more efficient in this bigger role that I have now,” said Roby. “I think the hard work and everything is showing up.”
Roby wasn’t the only one who logged a career high in scoring. Rookie Aaron Wiggins registered a career-best 28 points on 11-of-19 from the field. The guard also dished out a career high six assists on the night.
Everybody Eats
The Thunder demonstrated the symbiotic relationship between ball movement and balanced scoring as seven of the eight healthy Thunder players scored in double figures. OKC’s 32 assists allowed incredible parity on the offensive end allowing every single player on the floor to get involved in the scoring action.
Aleksej Pokuševski led the Thunder in assists with 11 dimes – a career-high mark.
“We're willing to share the ball, take the right shot,” said Waters III. “We were all being aggressive, and everyone just had a good night tonight.”
JRE Returns to the Lineup
After sitting out for exactly two months with a foot injury, Thunder rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl returned to the Thunder lineup on Monday. The forward logged six points and eight rebounds in his limited 15 minutes of action against the Blazers while logging minutes at the four spot alongside Olivier Sarr and Isaiah Roby at the five.
“Anytime a guy comes off an injury like that I'm just happy for them to get back on the court,” said Daigneault. “We'll just continue to build him up and monitor him. Hopefully get him playing pretty good down the stretch of the season.”
The Last Word
Lindy Waters III on the win with just eight healthy players…
“We knew that we were going to be down a couple guys. We've been playing like that for some weeks now. But at the end of the day, we got to play together, no matter how many teams or how many players are out there. You know if there's 9-10-11, it doesn't matter if you're out there on the court. You're here to compete.”
WHAT'S NEXT
The Thunder returns to Oklahoma City for its final homestand of the season. The four-game stint kicks off with a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.