All season long the Thunder has developed the depth of its roster so Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club could do exactly what it did to the Philadelphia 76ers tonight – play to an identity and hit opponents with waves of talent.
The Thunder’s 122-97 victory over Philadelphia featured little drama, outside of some statistical anomalies in the box score, which will be featured below. After playing fairly evenly through the start of the first quarter, the Thunder broke through with a 14-2 run to turn a two-point deficit with 3:19 to go into a nine-point edge with 17.8 seconds remaining in the period. On the backs of the Thunder’s second unit and in particular Enes Kanter, the Thunder played its brand of bully ball to dominate the young Sixers.
“I saw the first possession when (Steven Adams) hit his guy and thought, ‘Man, this is going to be a long night for their bigs’,” Kanter grinned. “We need to start the game physical and bring energy from the bench.”
Kanter scored nine of his game-high 24 total points during that game-changing stretch, showing off the full essence of his combination of physicality, skill, footwork and touch. Time and again Kanter abused Sixers frontcourt players, backing them down into the deep paint, spinning baseline to get under the rim and using his up-and-under patience to get free from shot blockers.
“(Kanter) knows how to play and obviously he’s very, very effective at that position,” point guard Russell Westbrook said. "We watch and let him go to work.”
Once the starters checked back in midway through the second quarter, the Thunder then made another 14-5 burst, mostly thanks to the playmaking prowess of Westbrook, who dished out four assists during the stretch. Westbrook’s stellar night continued into the second half, as he capped off his 27 minutes with a perfect 6-for-6 shooting night from both the field and the free throw line for 18 points to go with 14 assist and 11 rebounds.
All of that added up to his 35th triple-double of the season, the 72nd of his career, and another chance to sit out the fourth quarter. It was the first triple-double in NBA history where the player didn’t miss from the field or the free throw line.
“I just play,” Westbrook said. “I just try to take my time. I was watching some film on how I can pick my spots better and find ways to continue to get my teammates involved throughout the game. It just happened that way.”
The Thunder took a 13-point lead into the second half, and didn’t waste any time putting the game away right after the break. A 15-0 run early in the third quarter eliminated any chance of a comeback, and again that was mostly thanks to the physicality, toughness and togetherness the team displayed as a group.
“It’s very important to have a killer instinct,” Westbrook explained. “You have to be able to come out when you’re up 12 or 14 you have to be able to push it to 22 or 24, especially at home. In order to be a good team we have to do that consistently.”
Rebounding was clearly a priority on the night, as the Thunder was plus-12 on the glass in the quarter alone, and a 54-25 advantage for the night. That dominance around the bucket translated into points too, where the Thunder racked up 76 points in the paint, a season-high and the second-most in Oklahoma City history. Coming out of a loss to the Golden State Warriors where the Thunder got beat on the glass, it was good to see the team execute so strongly on such a crucial focal point.
“We rebounded the ball extremely well tonight,” Donovan noted. “We had some physical block outs where were able to neutralize them, and that got us out on the break as well.”
There was one more special moment to happen in Chesapeake Energy Arena tonight. After receiving a standing ovation when he checked into the game, Nick Collison used his patented backdoor bounce pass on his very first play on the court to find Oladipo for a layup.
“It’s really cool. I appreciate it,” Collison said. “It’s always good to feel like you get some recognition for how you play and it’s great to feel that from the fans.”
Despite having not played in a game since Feb. 11, Collison showed why he is the consummate professional, finding a rhythm with his teammates right away as he scored seven points on 3-for-3 shooting to go with five rebounds and two assists in eight minutes.
“Nick embodies everything you want a teammate to be about, and a professional,” Donovan stated.
“Nick is one of those guys who is always ready. He prepares himself like he’s going to play every night,” Westbrook said of his longtime teammate. “That’s why he constantly stays in the league so long. I’m happy to see him on the floor and am very excited for him.”
Watch: Thunder Highlights
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By the Numbers
6-for-6 – Shooting numbers for Russell Westbrook on the night, in addition to 6-for-6 free throw shooting as a part of his 18-point, 14-assist, 11-rebound triple-double
22-9 - Fast break point edge for the Thunder in the contest, which helped lead to _ percent shooting
54-25 - Rebounding advantage for the Thunder for the game, including a +12 mark in the third quarter alone- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“Our guys came out and played well right for the very start and we sustained it for the full 48 minutes defensively. We did a great job from start to finish.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan