Outscoring the Spurs by 15 in the second half, the Thunder bounced back from a stagnant second quarter. Getting back into the game in the third behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and some tough defense, the Thunder burst ahead over the final five minutes.
Game Flow
Down in San Antonio, it’s very easy to slip into a lull on offense or to get caught chasing for minutes at a time on defense. In a span of two or three minutes, the game can get completely out of control. On Thursday night, the Thunder had one of those rough stretches in the first half, a four-minute doldrum where OKC went scoreless and the Spurs ripped off 14-straight points.
It didn’t happen again the rest of the night. Through sheer resilience, an extra amount of physicality and tenacity and some more late game execution, the Thunder racked up its eighth win in the past nine games, 109-103.
“We just tried to stay the course,” said point guard Chris Paul. “We did it together. Guys had their little spurts. It was a good win.”
The Spurs, who shoot the fewest threes in the NBA, knocked down 8-of-16 shots from behind the arc in the first quarter and a half, building a 14-point lead that could have easily demoralized a Thunder squad that hadn’t won a regular season game inside the AT&T Center since Christmas Day 2014.
Instead, the Thunder regrouped in the locker room, brought out its nasty streak and stifled the Spurs with some high-level third quarter defense. The Thunder forced San Antonio into just 7-of-21 shooting in the period. Rebounds were snapped up stronger, driving lanes denied more firmly and shots contested more closely.
“It was our intensity defensively,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “We were able to run, get into the open floor and the court is a little bit more spaced that way and our attackers are able to attack. The guys that come off of pick and rolls a lot when the court is spaced, it’s easier to come off. You’re more open for the shots that you like to take.”
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander got it going offensively, scoring at all three levels of the floor – at the rim, in the midrange and at the three-point line. The dynamic second year buried his only two threes of the game over a span of three possessions in the period, one coming around a screen and another after stepping back to leave LaMarcus Aldridge in his dust. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a team-high 25 points in the game on 10-for-18 shooting, but had another all around-performance by adding seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal.
After outscoring the Spurs by 7 in the third, the Thunder once again proved why it continues to be among the best if not the best fourth quarter team in the NBA since the start of December. Head Coach Billy Donovan’s group zoomed past San Antonio with a 35-point final frame, fueled by 10 points from Paul, who once again got to his spots in the midrange and buried not just a bunch of shots, but the Spurs hopes for a home win.
Decisive Moments
The Thunder used an 11-5 run late in the fourth quarter to give itself the necessary breathing room to complete this victory. It all began with a three-pointer by Danilo Gallinari – more on that later – before Gilgeous-Alexander forced a miss by San Antonio guard Dejounte Murray at the rim and Paul dropped in a one-legged step-back jumper on the wing.
That bucket forced San Antonio to call timeout, but right out of the break Paul stole an entry pass intended for DeMar DeRozan, which led to a running floater by Gilgeous-Alexander. Paul made another midrange jumper and after a three by the Spurs, Dennis Schröder made a crucial steal and perfectly executed a three-on-one fast break to patiently find Gilgeous-Alexander trailing the play for an easy layup.
Play of the Game
The bucket that set up that flurry was one of the most unselfish and purposeful sequences of the night for the Thunder offense. Gilgeous-Alexander probed into the lane, got down to near the left block and eschewed a chance to go up for a contested layup. He instead dropped off a pass to Steven Adams, who just feet from the cup also gave up his own shot for a better one.
Adams pivoted and fired into the corner where Gallinari stood wide open, his man crashing down to help on Adams. The Italian marksman hit his third three of the game to turn a 94-91 lead into a 97-91 edge, kick-starting the burst that put the Thunder up by as many as 10 with under three minutes to go.
“That was big,” said Paul. “That’s sort of the story of our team. It’s a team effort. Every night, everybody just trying to make the right play.”
Stat of the Night4
Total turnovers for the Thunder in the game, tied for the second fewest in team history, eclipsed only by a two turnover game for the Thunder in 2013. The Thunder was sharp with the ball in transition and in the half-court and it all stemmed from high-level decision-making and patience. It wasn’t just the three point guards, but Bazley, Adams and Noel who also had the ball on numerous occasions and had to make the right choice to shoot, pass or drive, and they often picked the best one.
Quotes of the Night
“We didn’t play with the energy we needed to to start the decade in the first half. Coach got on us a little bit and brought that fire out of us. We played a lot better in the second half.”–Shai Gilgeous-Alexander“We talked about it at halftime. This is a tough place to play, a tough place to win. At some point we could have laid down, but we’re not built like that. Guys kept playing, kept competing.” –Chris Paul
Looking Ahead
The Thunder continues its road swing by heading north to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers on Saturday night, giving itself a chance to capture its ninth win in ten tries. After that comes a back-to-back in Philadelphia and Brooklyn on Monday and Tuesday.