Reaching and extending, contorting his body after being bumped, Russell Westbrook stretched his arms high. But the ball glanced off his fingertips on what would have been the game-tying alley-oop layup, leaving the Thunder just barely short with a 119-117 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
With just 0.4 seconds remaining, former Thunder forward Serge Ibaka cashed in on a mid-range jumper along the baseline to break a tie ball game and give his new Magic squad the lead for good. That final bucket was the last in a string of back-and-forth playmaking down the stretch of this game, which featured 10 lead changes and seven ties throughout the night.
A poor start for the Thunder was the clear culprit according to Thunder players in the locker room after the game. Head Coach Billy Donovan’s group fell behind by as many as 21 points in the first half after scoring just 13 points in the opening 12 minutes of the game. Sluggish offense and late defensive rotations were the issues as the Thunder hit just 6-of-25 shots in the first quarter and allowed 20 points in the paint. Those issues are ones that players are confident can be fixed ahead of the Thunder’s game Monday night on the road against the Detroit Pistons.
“We’re going to have that sometimes, droughts,” Donovan explained. “The biggest thing for us is that we have to develop a defensive identity that can be consistent and we can maintain.”
“We definitely had to stay patient,” center Steven Adams added. “We can’t come out and start like that. That’s really hard. You put yourself in a dog box and have to work your way out of that. You’re asking for an uphill battle straight away.”
Despite allowing 20 points in the paint in the first quarter starting the game 3-for-19 shooting from the field and 0-for-8 for three, the Thunder managed to rev up its engines late in the second quarter. It made seven straight shots as a part of a 14-4 run to eventually close to within six points. The energy gleaned from that stretch helped spark an incredible offensive output from the second through fourth quarters: 104 points on 62 percent shooting.
“The coaches did a good job of identifying what they were trying to force and weak points in their defense,” Adams said. “That’s what got us going.”
“We did a great job of getting in the paint and putting pressure on the rim,” guard Victor Oladipo added.
The hole the Thunder dug itself early was the cause for such an uphill battle late, but behind the leadership of Westbrook, especially when he checked back into the game with 7:49 to go, Donovan’s club had its intensity turned all the way up.
“It was the pace. We were playing too slow,” Westbrook said. “The faster we play, the harder it is to guard us.”
Boosts from youngsters like Alex Abrines and Joffrey Lauvergne combined with the relentlessness of Enes Kanter along the glass, giving the Thunder a four point lead with just 1:13 to play after a Westbrook jump shot made it 115-111.
“After the first quarter, Nick (Collison) told me we needed some energy,” Kanter recounted. “Whenever I’m in there I just try to give energy to my teammates and try to do my best out there, to do the dirty work.”
The Magic, however, having seen the ball fall through the net far too many times throughout the first half on easy layups and open three-pointers, were able to knock down two clutch three-pointers by Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier in the final minute of play, while the Thunder managed just two Westbrook free throws. When Ibaka’s shot fell, the Thunder simply didn’t have enough time and the Magic emerged as the squad who simply got the last, best shot.
Westbrook finished with 41 points to go with 12 rebounds and 16 assists, and was joined in double figures by Kanter who had 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench and Adams who had a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Andre Roberson added 14 points and four blocks, while Oladipo scored 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting including a clutch transition bucket with1:44 remaining. In a reserve role, Lauvergne hit all three of his three-pointers in catch-and-shoot situations with Westbrook, while Abrines scored seven points in a variety of creative ways.
Game Highlights
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By the Numbers
4 – Blocked shots by Andre Roberson, who also scored 14 points, grabbed three rebounds and made a steal
40 – Career triple-doubles for Russell Westbrook, the most for any active NBA player other than LeBron James
62.0 – Shooting percentage for the Thunder in the second, third and fourth quarters combined- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“They hit big shots. Credit them. They stepped up and a lot of their guys made big shots for them. That was huge on their part. We just have to go back to the drawing board and get ready for tomorrow.” – guard Victor Oladipo