Broadcast Information
- Tip-off: 9:30 p.m. CT
- Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
- Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
LOS ANGELES – Last night, in just his socks, Russell Westbrook approached the entrance to the visiting locker room at Portland’s Moda Center. A wide grin beamed across his face as he saw Thunder staffers waiting outside the door, he spin in place, moonwalked a few paces then burst into the locker room to greet his joyous teammates.
It was nearly 1 a.m. on Friday by the time the Thunder took off from Portland after an emotional, marathon of an overtime victory, but the vibes were energetic even with tonight’s second game of a back-to-back against the LA Clippers on the horizon. The odds may be stacked against a harried Thunder squad in the midst of a tough road swing battling against a Clippers team that has been off since Monday, but the Thunder’s deep roster will be ready for battle again.
“We got a quick turnaround. We have to play against a really good team again tomorrow that has been playing really, really well,” said Head Coach Billy Donovan. “We’ll have to rely on our entire team, different guys to step up and help,”
“In a competitive environment like this, you know that you need each other,” Donovan added. “When you’re in situations like this, you find out more than ever that you need the person standing next to you.”
Outside observers wouldn’t have blamed the Thunder if it had had a lack of mojo heading into this back-to-back. Having lost 6 of its last 8 games before the Portland win and now back in the thick of a standings chase for the third seed in the Western Conference, the Thunder was due for a pair of matchups with scorching hot opponents in the Blazers and the Clippers. Yet from shootaround on Thursday through the day heading into the clash with LA, this squad has been upbeat, connected, and supportive of one another.
“We understand the only way we’re going to get over the hump is if this group stays together. We don’t ever turn south or sideways. That’s not with this group. That’s never in this locker room,” said forward Paul George. “We understand that it’s going to take all of us to get to where we want to get to. It’s as simple as that.”
“We just create an atmosphere here. Russ does a really good job with that, keeping everything positive, keeping everything kind of light where guys feel they can grow,” George continued. “They can grow on the court, they can grow with this team. It’s easy when we get on that floor. We might not shoot the ball well. That’s part of the game. We just try to do a good job of staying together, staying positive.”
“Les bon temps rouler” during Mardi Gras week in the Thunder locker room, but Donovan’s club also has a stiff task with the Clippers lined up on the battle lines. LA has won its last 3 games, including an emotional “road” game at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers that did wonders for its playoff hopes. Between the skillful shooting of Danilo Gallinari and newcomer Landry Shamet and the grit generated by Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell, the Clippers are an enigmatic team that simply keeps on winning.
The Thunder will have to contend with LA’s 38.3 percent three-point shooting and the fact that the Clippers go to the free throw line more than any other team. After a return to form defensively against the Blazers, however, the Thunder is more confident than ever in its ability to lock up perform at a high level.
“We always know we have a chance to win a game every night. We know we have a good team,” Westbrook said. “If we play our best, if the other team is also playing their best, I’d pick us every time.”
“We know what we have inside this locker room. We know at all times we’re going to stick together throughout any adversity. That’s what we do,” added Ferguson. “At the end, if we play hard enough, if make the right plays and play basketball the right way the basketball gods are going to bless us.”
With this tough turn around, coming off a 53-minute game, the Thunder may have a tough time mustering up the extra reserves of strength and speed, but from a big picture standpoint the team is sure it has enough to make a final charge into the playoffs. With 17 games left, the Thunder has a 40-25 record and a chance to both reach 50 wins and cement home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs down the stretch.
“To me, there’s more left in our tank,” Donovan noted. “That’s the goal to strive for that consistency and to strive for the full 48 minutes of playing to an identity.”
NEWS & NOTES
- A team that may need a little extra juice often has to scour the back end of the rotation for an energy boost. Across the entire league, however, there might not be a better player in the upcoming situation than Westbrook, for whom mental and physical exhaustion are only a matter of the mind, something that can be controlled with sheer will. Looking for some energy against the Clippers, the Thunder won’t have to search far. What the team will need most will be starting at point guard.
- “Physical and mental stamina are two of (Westbrook’s) greatest strengths and gifts,” Donovan explained. “He senses those things and he knows over a period of time and he believes that the team and the group as a whole can wear people down.
- “Just get to our spots, keep attacking. When you have continuous attack, eventually it wears other teams down,” Westbrook echoed.
- While their joint leadership is one of collaboration, Westbrook and George often lean on one another for balance and to play off of one another’s strengths. The relentlessness that Westbrook exudes has rubbed off on George, who is at his very best when he plays aggressively for the entirety of his time on the floor. At Portland, in his second game back from a sore shoulder, George scored 32 points and went to the free throw line 20 times, carrying defenders on his back to the rim to manufacture scoring for his team even if his shot isn’t quite hitting at its normal clip quite yet.
- “Just staying in attack mode. (George) is still getting his rhythm back,” Westbrook said of his running mate. “(He’s) finding ways to keep attacking, get into the lane and making teams make a decision.”