Thunder Bounces Spurs Behind Solid Bench Play and Russell Westbrook

The Thunder picked up a big win on Saturday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena, taking a 104-94 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Russell Westbrook dropped 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists for his 19th triple-double of the season. The Thunder bench was outstanding, contributing 50 points on 59.4 percent shooting.

Although OKC picked up an important win in regard to the playoff race, it came at a price. Steven Adams left with a sprained ankle in the third quarter and did not return. There was no immediate update on his status after the game.

Full Highlights:

The win pushes the Thunder record to 39-29 and puts OKC a half-game up on Minnesota for fifth-place in the Western Conference. San Antonio slides to seventh-place with the loss.

Now for some notes.

Numbers

45.3: OKC shot 45.3 percent from the floor, compared to 46.5 percent for the Spurs.

35.7: The Thunder hit 10-of-28 from downtown, good for 35.7 percent. The Spurs went 10-of-20 from deep.

+7: OKC won the rebounding battle 50-43, including 12-6 on the offensive end.

+14: OKC turned the rebounding advantage into a 21-7 edge in second-chance points.

50: The Thunder bench erupted for 50 points. Season-average is 25.9 PPG from the reserves.

+17: The Thunder took 24 free throws to San Antonio’s seven. OKC hit just 66.7 percent of its attempts from the stripe but certainly enjoyed an advantage in opportunities.

4 & 1: There were four lead changes and one tie.

Russell Westbrook

Westbrook’s final stat line:

21 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 7/15 FG, 0/1 3P, 7/11 FT, +1

The triple-double is the 19th of his season and 98th in his career. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony combined for 13 points on 5-of-24 shooting, so it was important that Westbrook do his part. Luckily for the Thunder, he did.

His highlights:

Big Night for the Bench

The Thunder bench was the reason for victory against the Spurs. They shot 59.4 percent from the floor combined, hit 7-of-14 from downtown, and had some incredible plus-minus numbers.

Bench stat lines:

Grant: 15 pts, 8 reb, 5/5 FG, 20 min, +17

Abrines: 11 pts, 3/4 3P, 18 min, +7

Patterson: 10 pts, 4 reb, 2/4 3P, 21 min, +15

Collison: 7 pts, 2 reb, 3/5 FG, 6 min, -2

Huestis: 5 pts, 1 stl, 2/4 FG, 12 min, +17

Felton: 2 pts, 5 ast, 1/5 FG, 12 min, +9

The most fun was Nick Collison’s 7 points in six minutes. Still got it!

Steven Adams

As mentioned above, Steven Adams left in the third quarter due to a sprained left ankle.

Here’s the play:

There was no update on Adams after the game — that will presumably come sometime tomorrow. Ankle sprains are common, so there’s no reason for long-term concern. However, him missing any amount of time would be a massive blow in the Thunder’s playoff chase. He needs to be healthy.

In other news, the Spurs enjoyed life without Adams in the paint — perhaps a preview of what life without him would be like.

He finished his night with 8 points and one rebound in 17 minutes. He was a +3.

Notes 

PG & Melo. Paul George finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, but shot just 4-of-16 from the field and 1-of-7 from deep, finishing as a -7 in 37 minutes. Carmelo Anthony scored just 2 points on a 1-of-8 clip, wrapping up his night as a -13 in 32 minutes. Not great.

Corey Brewer. Brewer scored in double-figures for the third consecutive game. He had 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting — including 2-for-2 from deep. He was a +3 in 30 minutes. Good stuff.

No Dakari. Despite Adams going down in the third quarter, Billy Donovan did not roll out Dakari Johnson. He received a DNP while Patrick Patterson and others manned the minutes at backup five.

The Other Guys. Four Spurs scored in double-figures: Rudy Gay (14), Davis Bertans (14), LaMarcus Aldridge (11), and Bryn Forbes (10).

Back in action on Monday night against the Kings.