Russell Westbrook moved right around a screen, rotated his hips slightly and fired a pass with his left hand back across the free throw line, down to the block. Steven Adams was there to grab it, and despite being bodied up by Detroit Pistons’ All-Star Andre Drummond, the Thunder’s center simply turned over his right shoulder and flipped in an easy lefty hook shot.
That was a familiar sight on Saturday night – Westbrook doing the dishing and his teammates doing the scoring – in an efficient and balanced 106-88 victory over the Pistons. The Thunder never trailed after the opening minute and kept Detroit at bay all night.
Even though Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club was coming off an overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night that capped a tough stretch of three road games in four nights, the Thunder had a burst of energy to start the game. It was focused and effective energy, too.
“You’d think a game like tonight we’d have an energy slippage and some of those things but we came out with a lot of energy and played well for the entire game,” Donovan said.
“Any time we had a small lull or a small play where we didn’t have as much energy, we brought it back together really quickly,” veteran guard Anthony Morrow explained. “We got back on the defensive end and focused on that. Not worrying about scoring or worrying about anything else. That’s the mentality we have to bring for 48 minutes.”
The Thunder forced the Pistons into a 1-for-12 shooting start and that was the fuel for a 14-2 run to start the game. Donovan’s club never looked back. In fact the shooting numbers were what Donovan pointed to after the game as well. The Pistons shot just 1-for-19 from three-point range, and it was a product of the Thunder’s commitment to playing principled defense on a consistent, possession-by-possession basis.
“The reason it was a good defensive game was because of the three-point line,” Donovan said. “We were more mindful about getting out there and that was the difference in the game.”
“We locked in on all aspects,” Westbrook added. “We made them shoot tough shots throughout the whole game.”
The biggest news coming out of the game revolved around Westbrook, who scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 15 assists as a part of his seventh triple-double of the season and 44th of his career. That latter mark ties him with LeBron James for most amongst active NBA players and sixth-most of all-time in NBA history.
Westbrook didn’t have a scoring explosion himself, but he ensured his teammates did. With Pistons point guard Ish Smith moved over onto Morrow, Westbrook immediately tried to exploit the matchup by hitting the taller shooting guard with passes into the post. Those early buckets got Morrow going, and it was no surprise that in his 26 minutes the marksman knocked down 8-of-12 shots for a game-high-tying 21 points.
“He had a smaller guy on him,” Westbrook explained. “We play one-on-one in practice a lot. A-Mo can score with the best of them on the block. Every night when the point guard guards the two-man, my job is to exploit that matchup.”
“I love that, coming into the game and getting a layup or a free throw or a floater,” Morrow said. It’s something I want to do before I have to take a 28-foot three-pointer. Russ said he was going to use me on some post ups so I was just ready for it mentally before the game. Anytime we have a mismatch or they try to hide a smaller guard on me, hopefully I’ll be able to put some pressure on the other team.”
Highlights: Thunder vs. Pistons - Nov. 26, 2016
By the Numbers
43-32 – The Thunder’s rebounding advantage on the night, in addition to a 62-52 edge in points in the paint and 16-6 advantage in fast break points
44 – Career triple-doubles for Russell Westbrook after he recorded his 7th of the season, tying LeBron James for most amongst active players and sixth most in the NBA all-time
50.6 – Shooting percentage for the Thunder on the night as six players scored in double figures and the team racked up 23 assists compared to 11 turnovers- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“It was a lot of mental toughness and a lot of resiliency. Coming off the last few tough games on the road, for guys to come in and know it was the end of a back to back and four games in five nights and come in with that kind of energy and effort on our home court was great.” – guard Anthony Morrow