With the new guys contributing, Thunder top the Hornets, 110-103

Royce Young -

BOX SCORE

Let’s start with the guy who once again, put together the kind of performance that really doesn’t stun you anymore because he’s just doing it so consistently. Another dominant, frenetic, fantastic game, on a night where the Thunder had to lean on someone else again, with Kevin Durant sidelined for the 28th time this season, resting his sore right foot.

In 15 minutes, Mitch McGary put up nine points and 10 rebounds, playing with the kind of energy just kidding.

Russell Westbrook. Man. This guy. This dude. Another unstoppable effort — 33 points on 12-27 shooting, seven rebounds and 10 assists — as he guided the Thunder to an important win on the road against a decent-ish Hornets team. It wasn’t the kind of game that would’ve been devastating to lose, but it would’ve felt like a certain step back.

Instead, the Thunder continue their climb, winning their fifth straight and seventh of eight, getting to five games over .500 and now a full game clear of the Suns. It wasn’t a pretty performance, but it was effective. Westbrook switched gears all night, balancing between relentless attacker and smooth operator, running a ton of screen-and-roll with new guy Enes Kanter. Westbrook got to the rim at will, and when the Hornets helped off, he made the simple play.

Here’s what Westbrook’s February has looked like (eight games): 31.8 points on 48 percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds and 9.3 assists in 35.8 minutes. Related: The Thunder are 7-1. I’m not going to sit here and make a case he should be the MVP, because Harden and Curry have been ridiculous, they haven’t missed significant time and their teams are in a better position. But Westbrook needs to be in the conversation at least. He’s missed 14 games, yes, but as you can see, the impact felt in those 14 games — the Thunder went 4-10 without him — and the way he’s play in revitalizing the team the past two months is something else. Westbrook has been flat out incredible.

Another thing: With three new players seeing rotation minutes tonight, two of them starting, Westbrook was excellent in helping ease that transition. Like I said, him and Kanter appear to already have a decent chemistry in the pick-and-roll, and him and D.J. Augustin played a bunch of minutes together, including in crunchtime.

The Thunder are finally Thundering in the way we all expected them to in January. They’re putting that challenging month behind them and pushing on. Things are clicking, Westbrook is player better than anyone in the NBA right now, and there’s a new, obvious energy with the team.

Now, just get that Durant guy back and totally healthy things could really start looking good.

NOTES:

  • On the new guys:
  • Kanter: A double-double in your debut ain’t bad — 10 points and 13 rebounds (five offensive) in 32 minutes. Kanter obviously is a solid pick-and-roll threat, and he played with a bunch of energy on the offensive glass. He had the opportunity for two or three more buckets, but either didn’t catch a Westbrook bullet, or couldn’t finish. He took two midrange jumpers, hitting one. I don’t know what his role is going forward, but for a first game where he’s feeling out new teammates and trying to control emotions, I thought he was excellent.
  • Kyle Singler: He started in place of Durant and was solid. I think it was a pretty prototypical Singler game, if I understand him correctly. He played decent defense, hit a couple 3s, could’ve hit a couple more and played really hard for his 18 minutes on the floor. I’ve always liked Singler as a swingman glue guy, and my first impression of him is that he’s going to be a tremendous addition. Not in that he’s going to be putting up numbers, but for what the Thunder needed more of — depth, shooting, perimeter defense, toughness, character, energy — Singler is a great fit.
  • D.J. Augustin: He played 23 minutes, scoring 12 points (3-9 shooting), with two assists and three rebounds. His line doesn’t necessarily grab you, but then again, that’s similar to what Reggie Jackson has been giving the Thunder this season, and Augustin did it with, well, a better spirit. His ability to attack the paint is useful and he’s clearly a willing passer and unselfish player in general. He’s a veteran that knows who he is, and knows what his role is going forward. He can hit an open 3 (like the dagger he canned with a couple minutes left) and can interchange handling with Westbrook. I don’t know if he’ll be closing routinely, but he’s at least another wrinkle to use.
  • Steve Novak: He did a good job getting off the bench and high-fiving teammates during timeouts and then sitting back down during the game.
  • Three Thunderers hit double-digit rebounds: Kanter (13), Ibaka (12) and McGary (10).
  • Related: 19 offensive rebounds for the Thunder.
  • Dion Waiters went 4-15 for 10 points in 32 minutes with an assist and two rebounds. A lot of bad shots, but also, there was a lot of good stuff that he didn’t finish. He’s not good at that, which is obviously an issue, but Waiters at least seems to be getting the right idea in attacking off the dribble instead of just settling into those step-back pull-ups.
  • After posting his 21-22 game against the Mavs, Serge Ibaka put up another double-double: 16 points and 12 rebounds (plus three blocks). Not an overwhelming game, but a very good one. Ibaka playing like that makes him a difference-maker.
  • Kanter’s time practicing with Al Jefferson in Utah paid off some tonight. Jefferson still did some work, because he’s a good player, but I don’t think Kanter bit on a single pump fake.
  • The Thunder go 10 deep with really good players. Their depth could be impressive the rest of the way. 43 points from the bench tonight.
  • Russell Westbrook had his fifth game with at least 30 points and 10 assists, the most in the NBA. Also, he’s missed 14 games.
  • McGary almost got another double-double, coming up with nine points and 10 boards in just 15 minutes. But he had seven and seven his first three minutes on the floor.
  • I wonder what Perry Jones thought when he saw Singler’s name on the starting lineup sheet.
  • My preference for the closing lineup: No Waiters, yes Singler. At least that’s what I thought it should’ve been tonight. With the way crunchtime offense often goes, with Westbrook handling in the pick-and-roll, it’s going to create a lot of spot-up shots. That happened a few times down the stretch. Westbrook would beat his man, attack the paint, draw defenders and kick to a corner. Ibaka would make a good extra, and it would find Waiters, who, for whatever reason, is just a terrible catch-and-shoot guy. And yet he seems to get so many of them.
  • Wearing the alternate uniform, Nick Collison looks like his name should be Dolph.
  • How about the Westbrook one-legged floater? That was neat.
  • What the hell was Brian Davis talking about? Just in general I mean.
  • D.J. Augustin sure let that buzzer heave fly, didn’t he?
  • Nothing really new on Durant (don’t know if he’ll play tomorrow) but any noise you’re hearing about him re-injuring his foot isn’t true. It is definitely just soreness and discomfort he’s dealing with, and while that might affect him and it could be an issue going forward unless it improves, it’s not a serious injury.

Next up: Home against the Nuggets on Sunday