Thunder execute the Magic, 127-99
Before the game, I said this was the biggest Thunder game of the season to date.
My reasoning was pretty simple: It wasn’t just a chance to get back to .500, but coming off the impressive performance against the Warriors, if the Thunder followed that up with a dud, then you could go back to worrying about the true quality of this team. It would be a massive step in the wrong direction, and the kind of loss that might dearly cost them in the long run of it all.
Well, it seems as if they realized all of that.
By the time all of us had flipped over from the NFC Championship game it was 13-0, and Andre Roberson had even hit a 3. They led 37-20 after a quarter, and rolled on to a 79-point first half, leading by a cool 34 points. The offense picked up where it left off against the Warriors, with flawless ball movement and near perfect execution. In the first half, the Thunder shot 32-44 (72.7 percent), with assists on 18 of those buckets.
The second half had the kind of slow down you’d expect, but in terms of 48 minutes of basketball, the Thunder were fantastic. To lead wire-to-wire never leading by less than 20 after the first quarter, was incredibly impressive. The Thunder had that kind of confidence and rhythm that they’ve been missing some, particularly on the road.
They’re back to .500, and it feels like this is the time they’re set to make their push. The way they played tonight was similar to what they had going during that seven-game streak before Durant rolled his ankle. Overwhelming starts leading to them obliterating inferior opponents. That’s the way they’re built to play, but like Scott Brooks talked about after the game, it is just two good games played. They haven’t necessarily fixed anything, other than they’ve shown what they’re capable of.
What’s held the Thunder back this season is the two steps forward, two steps back kind of stuff. This what the biggest game of the season because they needed to continue to build and push ahead, but it just leads into Tuesday’s game in Miami, another should-win game, with a chance to get on the high side of .500 finally.
NOTES:
- Russell Westbrook’s dunk. It was well executed IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
- Durant in 28 minutes: 21 points on 7-10 shooting, eight assists, 11 rebounds and a +25.
- Durant’s first half was perfection, too. He had 16 and seven assists, finding an absolutely ideal balance between scoring and distributing.
- Serge Ibaka kept it going with 16 points and eight rebounds, which included four more 3s. That’s now 60 on the season.
- Andre Roberson played his best game in weeks, on both ends. He finally did something on the offensive end, scoring 10 points, which included two 3s, but his defense was exceptional. Active, energetic, destructive. That’s the kind of player that deserves to remain the starter.
- Although, Roberson might’ve had the worst airball I’ve ever seen. Pretty sure it was three feet short. And here’s the worst part about it: It prevented the Thunder from getting 80.
- Dion Waiters with an extremely solid game: 16 points on 7-9 shooting, two assists and two steals.
- Sidebar on Waiters: You know what’s really annoying? When people say things like, “HEY I SAW HIM PASS!” Yes, he has a reputation, but the only reason it persists is because of dumb stuff like that. Especially Thunder fans that are just going off what they’ve seen on Twitter from other people. Waiters is a gunner and often a complete hog, but he’s a solid pick-and-roll creator and passer. That dish he had dropping off to Nick Collison in the fourth is a good example.
- Kendrick Perkins putting up a Don’t-Trade-Me game with 11 points and nine boards in 22 minutes. A bit of a shame Scott Brooks didn’t leave him out there long enough to get another rebound and secure his first double-double since April 13, 2012.
- How is KD an awesome teammate? In the first half, he pulled down a rebound over Perk, and upon realizing he took it from him, turned around and apologized. I hope KD feels real bad, though. Because that cost Perk his double-double.
- Durant could’ve had a triple-double easily, but his 21-11-8 wasn’t bad. In fact, it’s only been done six times since 1985.
- Durant’s last two games: 57 points on 21-28 shooting. Decent.
- Reggie Jackson played a nice game, scoring 13 in 20 minutes on 4-6 shooting. He seemed more comfortable and settled than in previous games.
- Roberson’s two 3s stand out, but I also liked his baseline cut in the first quarter when Elfrid Payton left him to double on Adams. That’s the kind of intelligent offense Roberson can play that adds to what they’re doing. He doesn’t just need to stand unguarded in the corner. Those well-timed cuts can do almost as much damage to a defense as knocking down 3s.
- Real talk: Devyn Marble? Never heard of him.
- Via Evan Dunlap: OKC shot 27-of-30 (90 percent) on two-pointers in the first half.
- Hardest part about a Thunder blowout: Brian Davis and Michael Cage shooting the breeze, filling time.
- Remember when Perk beat Aaron Gordon for a jump ball? And then went to work on the block like his first name is Hakeem?
- Hard to pick the play of the game tonight. Westbrook’s dunk, Westbrook’s pass, one of Roberson’s 3 or Perk’s postup.
- Jeremy Lamb with a solid troll 3 with a few seconds left, hitting from 30 feet.
Next up: At the Heat on Tuesday
