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BOX SCORE | SHOT CARDS
The Oklahoma City Thunder (42-26) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (36-34) on Wednesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena by a final score of 108-96. The Thunder was reckless in the first half – 17 points behind, but took advantage of a big third quarter push to get back into the game. The Thunder ended the game with a 14-0 record midway through the fourth period to get away late. Russell Westbrook recorded his 26th triple-double of the season with 31 points (12/23 FG, 4/8 3P), 12 rebounds, 11 assists and three interceptions. Paul George overcame his recent economic crisis with a burst in the third quarter, totaling 25 points (9/18 FG, 3/6 3P) in the night. Spencer Dinwiddie carried the charge for the visiting Nets, scoring 25 points in the loss.
The Thunder were not in the first quarter, their first basket not having arrived before 7:56 with the Westbrook pointer. OKC scored 0 of 8 before Westbrook and Brooklyn capitalized by starting the game with a 11-1 record. The attack was almost nothing outside Brodie's 10 points, the rest of the Thunder pulling 18.8% from the field in the neighborhood. Brooklyn led 27-19 after one.
The defense of the 2 or 3 zones of Brooklyn prevented the Thunder from being defeated in the second, while the offensive struggles of the OKC continued. If you needed to look further into how bad the Thunder offensive was, Westbrook's first-half help did not come until the 4:20 mark of the second quarter. The Thunder did not do much better on the other side of the world, Brooklyn getting far too many easy aspects on the rim due to poor pick-and-roll coverage. The Nets had a considerable advantage of 30-16 in points in the paint. The Thunder showed signs of life. He finished the first half with four points in the final seven seconds after Terrance Ferguson stole the pass in the game following a Westbrook layup. The Nets took a lead of 52-42 with them until the break.
After struggling to find his shot in the first period, George became alive in third. Thunder threw 20-6 to start the quarter, George threw three consecutive shots to give OKC four goals at 8:19. The Thunder's onslaught continued as Westbrook's rock-the-baby-and-one kicked off an OKC 11-1 run to comfort his lead at seven with a time remaining at 2:15 of the quarter. George brought back the Thunder by scoring 13 points (5/7 FG, 2/3 3P) during the quarter and the Thunder led 80-78 before being in fourth position.
Spencer Dinwiddie's lay-up brought the Nets back at 19:40, marking the start of the game, and that's when the Thunder came to work. After setting up Nerlens Noel, Westbrook found Steven Adams with identical lanes, and blocking Big Kiwi on Jarrett Allen led to Jerami Grant's three transition, which extended the Thunder's lead to ten. On the next descent, the ball found Russ with a diminishing clock after Thunder's possession of thunder, and Brodie responded by nailing a three at the top of the key and returning to the field.
The Adams limited the 14-0 run for the Thunder and their lead was 15 with 4:21 on the clock. The Thunder was in cruise control during the final minutes, winning the double-digit victory.
Statistics
Strong points
Westbrook and George:
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Mr. Triple Double: Let's face it: the days following the Salt Lake incident on Monday night were tumultuous. With stronger emotions than usual, Westbrook responded with one of his best performances of the season. After registering only one assist in the first half, The Brodie moved the situation one step into the second half. Westbrook played with the Brooklyn area defense 10 assists in the second half, frequently beating his man from the dribble and attacking the assist. In total, Westbrook recorded 31 points (12/23 FG, 4/8 3P, 3/5 FT), 12 rebounds, 11 assists and three interceptions.
Burton Over Pat-Pat: While Markieff Morris has not treated his neck, Billy Donovan has chosen to give the rookie of the state of Iowa a long time tonight. Deonte Burton rewarded Donovan's confidence as his buckets back-to-back starting for the fourth helped the Thunder get away. Burton played a total of 15 minutes tonight, scoring 7 points (3/7 FG, 1/2 3P), two rebounds, one steal. It will be interesting to see if Burton continues to receive the backup – four minutes while Morris is away.
Attack the area: The Brooklyn area blocked the Thunder offense in the first period, but Westbrook and Donovan made the necessary adjustments at half-time. After struggling with a goal percentage of only 35.6 in the first half, the Thunder regained its pace and generated 66 points in the second half on 49% of the field. Westbrook deserves the most, if not all, credit from it. He operated the switch in the second half and Brooklyn had no answer for him. OKC outclassed Brooklyn by 22 after halftime.
Transforming the defense into an offense: The Thunder forced only two turnovers in the first quarter, but it went into gear, forcing 15 turnovers in Brooklyn over the last three quarters, for a total of 22 points. This team has gradually regained its defensive identity and tonight was another step in the right direction.
Back to the: Thunder returns to action tomorrow night in Indiana. This match will be broadcast at 18:00 CET and will be televised on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
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