Westbrook and the Thunder ambush the Wolves, 111-92
It only took a couple minutes to see what was happening Friday against the Wolves. The Thunder jumped out to a 6-0 lead, then took it to 14-4 before the first media timeout. By the time it ballooned to 30-12 with three minutes left in the quarter, it wasn’t only clear that the Thunder would probably be coasting to their fifth straight win, but that they’re also starting to regain that dominant, suffocating, overwhelming form.
It’s been a little more than a week and a half since the Thunder got whole again and while they’re 5-1 in that span, the first three wins were a bit unconvincing against bad to slightly better than bad teams. They needed most of the 48 to get by the horrible 76ers, and survived a Josh Smith 3 to hang on in Detroit by two. They handled the Bucks and were pretty good against the best team they’ve beat last night, but on Friday, even with it being the young, raw Wolves, the Thunder just looked good. All that inconsistency and sloppiness that they had to sort through against the Sixers and Pistons was gone and the Thunder did what they were supposed to do — beat up on a bad team.
It started up front as Russell Westbrook continued his assault on the world, completely obliterating 19-year-old Zach LaVine. It was like throwing a Dachshund in a cage with a Rottweiler. The young kid was in for right from tipoff as Westbrook hounded him, knocking the ball away twice on the Wolves opening possession. And then it was all downhill attacks from there as Westbrook never let up, giving what some people think might be the next Russell Westbrook a lesson in what the current Russell Westbrook does.
As scrappy young teams tend to do, though, the Wolves continued to play with energy and effort, cutting the Thunder’s 24-point lead down to 11 with six minutes left. Not that there was any genuine fear the Thunder would let it slip away entirely, but a few more sloppy possessions and you might have had to start squirming a bit. Instead, Scott Brooks called timeout and Durant nailed a straightaway 3 right out of it, killing the run and essentially making it known that this thing was over. I know we’ve seen him do that a lot of times, but it’s still remarkable the uncanny knack he has for that.
Yeah, the Thunder had some lapses and let the Wolves hang around more than they probably should’ve, but it never got under 11. It was kind of like watching a lion letting the zebra he just took down live a little while longer. You just hope you don’t mess around long enough for it to get up and run away. And before it had the chance, Durant went for the killshot.
Durant’s about to come off this minute restriction soon and the Thunder will be entirely uncaged. And right on time, it looks like they’re starting to really click. The rhythm Westbrook keeps talking about seems to be there as the sets are looking more precise and the defense, while still sometimes sloppy, is mostly on point. The role guys are adding exactly the kinds of things they need to to support the two-headed monster and with the Thunder now inching back towards .500, it might not take long before we take our eyes off the 8-seed, and start looking higher up the list.
NOTES:
- Westbrook now has scored at least 20-5-5 in seven straight games, all coming since his return from injury. His line tonight: 34 points on 12 of 19 shooting, six rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes. Absurd, y’all.
- Durant was smooth and steady, being keen not to force much of anything. In 28 minutes he added 16 on 5 of 8 and five assists, though he had six turnovers.
- Kendrick Adams had another big game, but the Adams part of it was especially good: 16 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Adams was involved early, scoring in the pick-and-roll and attacking the basket with more force. And of his 11 boards, seven were on the offensive end.
- There’s been some light griping about Adams as of late, but something to keep in mind: He has three double-doubles the last two seasons. Perk’s last double-double: April 13, 2012. Adams is just 21.
- The Thunder dropped 39 on the Wolves in the first quarter. Highest scoring quarter this season. And had 70 at half, four off their highest OKC total ever.
- On a day he got appropriate dap, Andre Roberson was a menace on the defensive end. His rebounding was terrific and he was extremely disruptive with those crazy long arms.
- However, man, he’s still such an offensive liability. He had a few good moments attacking the basket and finishing with a dunk or a good assist, but the Wolves defended the Thunder 5-on-4 in the fourth quarter with Roberson on the floor. I think they were defending Grant Jerrett closer than him, and Jerrett is in the D-League right now.
- It’s tough when the defense is actively not defending you. It doesn’t do good things for your confidence, which is already not all that high. What Roberson has to do is twofold: 1) He can’t just stand there. He has to cut those open lanes created by the sagging defenses and doubles coming off him and 2) he has to shoot when he’s open. He can’t hesitate. Gotta fire them if they’re giving them to you. Otherwise, what’s all the practice for?
- Those Wolves sleeved jerseys are truly horrible.
- I don’t like some of what I see out of Reggie Jackson right now. There was a possession early in the fourth where the ball was tipped late in the shot clock, and Jackson scrambled to recover it a little past halfcourt. He looked up, saw it was winding down but instead of launching from 40 feet, he just held it. Durant even gave a look like, “Really bro?”
- When Westbrook elevates, it’s like he hits the dead eye button from Red Dead Redemption. Seems like he stays in the air forever.
- Jeremy Lamb: 1-7 ad 0-6 from 3 in 16 minutes. Regression is mean.
- The Wolves ran so much of their offense through mid-postups for wing guys. Wiggins is pretty good at them, Thad Young obviously is very good at them, and Muhammad is pretty good. But they didn’t move the ball a whole awful lot.
- Shouts out to Westbrook for taking what appeared to be an uncalled foul in the first quarter, and instead of holding his face under the basket for 10 seconds, busted it to get back on defense. Hopefully that’s a new thing.
- The officiating crew either had pity for the Wolves, or were just terrible. Because man, there were some horrible calls, especially in the first half. Even Roberson got a tech!
- Anthony Morrow had 14, all coming in the first half. He finished 6-14 and 2-7 from 3, but was way hot early and gave the Thunder the perfect bench punch.
- I don’t know how long it will be for the Wolves to start to turn the corner, but some of their young pieces are pretty nice. Especially Wiggins, obviously, who really has the look of a guy that could be special. His jumper already looks way better than it was at Kansas and he’s got really nice poise when facing up or posting.
Next up: Home against the Suns on Sunday
