DENVER – Victor Oladipo dug in, stayed low and kept Denver’s Jamal Murray in front of him. As the Nuggets’ sharpshooter’s desperation three-point heave went wide and the seconds oozed completely off of the clock, the Thunder finally exhaled. It had been a furious rally, and after charging back from down 11 with 3:43 to go in regulation, it was also a well-deserved 132-129 victory for Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club.
After a game that featured very little strong defensive play by either side, the Thunder locked in and turned up the intensity over that final stretch, going on a 17-3 run towards the end of regulation, capped by an elbow jumper by Russell Westbrook, whose indomitable will couldn’t be tamed. Westbrook recorded his sixth triple-double of the season (just 17 games in) with a 36-point, 18-assist, 12-rebound performance. He is now the first player to ever average 32 points, 9.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists through their first 17 games of a season.
“It was his will, his competitiveness and the challenge of trying to compete and get our team in a position where we’d have a chance,” Donovan said. “He gave us an opportunity.”
“Russ was Russ again tonight,” guard Anthony Morrow chimed. “That’s inspiring basketball.”
Denver and the Thunder had very little trouble scoring for most of the game, but in the closing minutes of regulation and overtime Donovan and his staff unleashed a wrinkle that changed the game. Substituting Jerami Grant into the game to play the power forward spot allowed the Thunder to switch on the perimeter, getting the Nuggets out of their dribble-drive actions and pick-and-rolls that didn’t involve a center. Over the final 4:53 of regulation and overtime, the Thunder’s defense forced Denver into 7-for-18 shooting and five turnovers.
“The best part of our defense was the last six minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime. We defended at a high level,” Donovan opined. “Our defense there (later), we were able to switch and do some different things.”
“Coach made a great adjustment,” Morrow gushed. “We kind of disrupted stuff that we were trying to do. That played a huge part of how we played defense down the stretch.”
Still, the Thunder aren’t celebrating its overall defensive performance, and the team knows it must sharpen up during the flow of the 48 minutes, not just the fourth quarter. On the night Denver shot 47.5 percent from the field, made 12 threes and outrebounded the Thunder by 11. Donovan and company know that the team has the ability. Now it’s about building consistency.
“We have to understand that if we can play defense like that at the end of the game when maybe we were a little bit leg weary, we have to be able to do a better job there at the beginning of the game,” Donovan added.
The Thunder’s offense didn’t lack for sustained production tonight though, as it put together a 50.5 percent shooting night, including 13-for-26 from three-point range and 29 assists. Six different players scored in double figures, including Joffrey Lauvergne and Domas Sabonis, who combined for 28 points on 6-for-7 three-point shooting. If the Thunder can get solid shooting from its power forwards, it will be a major benefit to the team’s offensive effectiveness.
“It’s huge,” Donovan emphasized. “We generated good shots tonight. When you allow Joffrey and Domas to play on the perimeter and allow them offensively to take advantage if the defense is sagging in off of them and when those guys shoot the basketball it creates better spacing for us. I want them taking those shots.”
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By the Numbers
13-for-26 – Three-point shooting by the Thunder on the night, including a combined 6-for-7 mark from Joffrey Lauvergne and Domas Sabonis
18 - Assists for Russell Westbrook, an NBA season-high and one shy of his career-high, part of his sixth triple-double of the season
50.5 – Shooting percentage for the Thunder on the night, as the team recorded 29 assists and six players scored in double figures
The Last Word
“They battled and they fought through difficulties. That’s what you want as a coach for your team, to have some resiliency and some fight when things aren’t going well. Our guys displayed that tonight. I was pleased with that part of it.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan