Hawks make it 15, closing out the Thunder, 103-93

These are the types of things people say after the Thunder lose:

“trade serge, not the same iblocka. Get a real forward. He has no offense now that he’s 3crazy. His defense dropped also.”

Seven days ago, Ibaka scored 27 against the Warriors, including 14 in the fourth quarter. He’s 18th in the league in Real Plus-Minus. He’s shooting better than 40 percent from 3. All told, he’s having another very good season.

But tonight, Paul Millsap worked him over. And since some people can apparently only remember literally the last game they just watched, Ibaka got called “soft,” he’s “killing” the Thunder, he “sucks” and “didn’t come back from Spain” and is having a “horrible” season. These are things people say when the Thunder lose.

Ibaka didn’t play well. And neither did the Thunder. Playing their fourth game in this five-game road trip, this one against the surface-of-the-sun hot Atlanta Hawks, the Thunder methodically wilted as time ticked away. The Hawks kept moving, kept passing, kept working, and with Kevin Durant off in the second half, and no help coming from anywhere but Russell Westbrook, the Thunder could never keep pace. They built a nine-point first half lead, and looked to be playing with the kind of confidence and swagger that we’ve seen from them in the past, the kind they have when they walk in and ruin somebody’s win streak. Except a cold second quarter and a terrible first six minutes of the fourth sealed their fate.

A big turning point: After Reggie Jackson hit a wild 3 to end the third, the Thunder trailed 79-75. Durant split free throws early in the fourth, and it was a three-point game. The Hawks responded with six straight points to push their lead to nine, and after Durant had a couple 3s, Scott Brooks sat him down with 10:07 left, subbing in Ibaka. With Westbrook already sitting, quite a curious choice, especially considering nobody but the two stars had anything going.

The Thunder played without them for the next two and half minutes. Dion Waiters missed one of the dumbest long 2s I’ve ever seen him take (and that’s saying something already), Anthony Morrow missed a runner and Ibaka hit a 3. Those two and half minutes, the Thunder actually outscored the Hawks by a point, before Westbrook and Durant checked back in together with 7:33 left. It felt like that was a pivotal point where the game got away, but really, the Thunder were still in position to make a game of it. Where it really got away was before that, the opening two minutes with Durant on the floor.

The next minute and a half, the Hawks stretched out to a 15-point lead, 94-79, with 5:52 left. Durant responded with a 3, but there was never a late game run by the Thunder to really get back in it. The closest they got was 10 with 2:24 left.

So, it felt like the game got away when Brooks sat Durant and Westbrook together. That’s not actually what happened. Regardless of that, it still was a poor choice, I thought, because with the game seeming to slip, going any amount of time without either Westbrook or Durant was extremely risky. The Thunder got away with it, but that doesn’t mean the decision was validated.

However it happened though, the Thunder became the 15th straight victim to fall at the hands of the ka-kawing Hawks. That’s a buzzsaw of a team playing with an incredible amount of chemistry, rhythm and confidence. This five-game trip presented a lot of challenges for the Thunder, and they handed the first three immensely well. Against the best team of the bunch, they faded in the final quarter.

Before the Thunder started this five-game road trip, what did you say would define success? There were two games on it they should win, and then three of the toss-up variety. Forget about the urgency and their record — just look at these five games. To me, 5-0 was pie in the sky, 4-1 would be excellent, and 3-2 would be acceptable. They’re already guaranteed that, but the game on Sunday could swing things dramatically. A win in Cleveland and this loss feels less stingy. Another loss, though, and who knows what people will say after it.

NOTES:

The Thunder were able to beat the Heat when they didn’t play very well, specifically with Westbrook and Durant struggling with their offense. Beating the Hawks when those things happen is a whole other thing. Durant had a rare more-shots-than-points night, finishing with 21 on 8-22 shooting. He settled from the perimeter way too much again (3-9 from 3) and missed some shots badly. Some shots were forced, but he had a number of high quality looks that he just didn’t make. A standard game from Durant and the Thunder might not have won, but it would’ve been tight in crunchtime.

Westbrook actually played a really nice game: 22 and 11 assists.

Durant played 41 minutes tonight. Scott Brooks just can’t help himself. And I don’t really blame him.

Dion Waiters and Reggie Jackson combined for 15 points on 6-16 shooting. Remember after the Heat game where I said that having both of them was a luxury because more often than not, at least one of them would produce? Those was one of those often than not games.

Waiters airballed two layups in the first half. The best one came after a nifty spin where he got out of control and tried to flip a shot up with his left hand, making sure to yell “annnnnddddd onnnnne!” as he did it.

Trying out a new nickname: Dion “Let Me Take A Couple Dribbles To Take This Long Contested 2 Real Quick”. I think Waiters is a pretty decent player and has potential to be a high quality contributor. But this contested long 2 business is something else. That earlier shot I mentioned, he literally took a dribble to put a single foot over the 3-point line to chuck a 21-footer. His strength is off the dribble, which means he’s going to have more contested shots than if he was catching and shooting set up by someone. I get that. But some of these shots are pretty bad.

Westbrook did a subtle thing early, but it was the mark of an intelligent point guard: Durant didn’t touch the ball really at all on the Thunder’s opening three possessions, so after a stop he got the ball and gave it to Durant to bring up. Let him get a touch and start to get into the game.

Positive: Andre Roberson was superb on Korver, and actually outshot him wait what did I just say? Yes, it’s true. Roberson went 2-2 from 3; Korver went 1-3. Roberson has hit five of his last seven from deep, and tonight, he shot them with confidence.

Related note: I barely even noticed Thabo on the floor tonight. He had that one nice layup, I guess.

Oh, the one 3 Korver hit came in the first half and was a 30-foot chuck at the end of the shot clock.

Westbrook kind of has a LeBron-ish ability to turn an otherwise horrible jump pass into a really good pass.

Another move I didn’t like from Brooks tonight: Perk should’ve only played a handful of minutes when Horford was on the floor, or maybe even got a DNP. The Hawks though use Pero Antic as their backup 5, and he’s almost exclusively a perimeter player. So Perk literally brought no defensive value. Perk is a really good pick-and-roll defender at laying off the screen and sagging back so to cover both the handler and the roller, but with Antic popping to the 3-point every time, that didn’t work. Felt like a night Perry Jones should’ve got all Perk’s minutes, or at least most of them.

And ahhh, people on the internet. The Thunder lost on the road to a team that’s now won 29 of their last 31 and of course I got like 40 tweets of “SCOTT BROOKS A GOOD COACH HUH???” I’m never writing anything again.

Sir Foster is a national treasure.

Steven Adams’ offensive rebound is becoming borderline excellent. He didn’t have a single board at halftime, but finished with seven, three coming on the offensive end. And he had a few more that he forced the Hawks to tip out of bounds or almost came up with.

By the way: Ibaka did not play well. Millsap killed him, particularly off the dribble, an area Ibaka has long struggled with. And while he shot just 6-16, he had a whole bunch of great looks that he missed.

Anthony Morrow is 8-33 from 3 in January. That’s 24 percent. Which means he’ll probably shoot 60 percent in February.

Westbrook’s inhale-exhale serenity now free throw routine kills me.

Jeremy Lamb is LIGHTING up garbage time you guys. At this point, who knows what the Thunder can get for him. Probably Marc Gasol.

It feels like the Thunder have to win every game the rest of the season because of the situation. They fell a game further behind the Suns tonight and oh no it could be all over now. But think about it this way: OKC went 28-13 over their final 41 games last season. If they do that again this year, they’ll finish with 49 wins, which will probably get them in the playoffs. Hang in there. Don’t lose your mind just yet.

Next up: At the Cavs on Sunday