NBA
Thunder Finding Themselves
The Nets seemed to have this game in control all throughout the first half. Brooklyn was hustling to the ball, playing great defense, and knocking down their shots. They saw the lead build up to as much as 14 points in the first half of play. Paul George has been mightily struggling since he came back from his shoulder injury and without his play, this team doesn’t have much of a chance. The Thunder seemed out of control and not ready for this team.
Then the second half started, and the Thunder woke up. Suddenly, Russell Westbrook and George started hitting their shots and limiting turnovers. The Nets didn’t know how to respond, and those guys who caught fire early got cold. You didn’t see Brooklyn’s bench having as much fun as the first half. George killed them in the third quarter, and Westbrook finished the job in the fourth. The Oklahoma City Thunder went on to beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-96.
No Giving Up
It has been a season full of the same story for this Thunder team. Either they are blowing a team out and make it a close game, or they are the team getting blown-out and somehow make it a close game. The Thunder chose the latter and ended up making the comeback to win.
The Thunder couldn’t find their rhythm and seemed to find themselves down double-digits heading into the second half. George, since coming back from injury, hasn’t been the same on either end. What looked like a possibility at winning the MVP diminished into him being out of the race. He was missing his shots, and it was worrisome.
Maybe, the Thunder have regressed. Westbrook and the Thunder need every bit of MVP George out there. Suddenly, things changed.
Led by George’s eight points in the third quarter, the whole team changed direction. All of a sudden, you found guys like Steven Adams hitting layups, Dennis Schroder hitting some threes, and Jerami Grant getting involved. They found themselves with a two-point lead heading into the fourth. Then, Westbrook happened.
Westbrook has been on an absolute tear in fourth quarters. He must have heard what the media (and maybe even me) has been saying about his play. His shot has disappeared, and since All-Star break, he looks like an All-Star. He was “rock-a-bye babying” a couple of Nets players and iced the game on a three to take a 100-87 lead. By that point, it was over, and Westbrook was shimmying on the road to victory.
Just a Few Statistics
Westbrook finished with another triple-double: 31 points on 12/23 shooting from the field and 4/8 from three, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He was the most efficient possibly ever this season and had a +18 net rating, which is also possibly the highest this season. George finished the night at 25 points on 9/18 shooting, nine rebounds, and two steals and blocks. He looked somewhat like his old self again, especially defensively.
Adams contributed with 13 points and seven rebounds and played much better in the second half as well. Two guys that deserve recognition are Nerlens Noel and Deonte Burton. They didn’t have life-changing numbers, but when they came in for the fourth quarter, they helped seal the deal. Noel was catching lobs from Westbrook, and Burton was finding his way to the hole and being shifty in order to score.
The Thunder also held D’Angelo Russell to 14 points on 6/18 shooting from the field and 2/8 from three, including an air-ball in the fourth. Brooklyn was held to 18 points in the fourth quarter, and for the whole game, they shot 41.7 percent from the field. They shut down the Thunder completely and didn’t let them survive off the early lead in the first-half. Spencer Dinwiddie led the team with 25 points on 8/17 shooting and 7/10 from the free-throw line.
Continuing to Find a Way
The Thunder played a team in the Nets that is trying to stay alive for a playoff spot. Brooklyn was hungry and came out sharp in the first-half, but it turns out the Thunder, led by George and Westbrook, were much hungrier. These are games the Thunder need to win, and they have done just that lately. Beating playoff teams like the Blazers, Jazz, and Nets are prime examples as to why the Thunder are still in great position to get the second or third seed. They have shown the will to survive and advance anyway possible.
When your team is led by George and Westbrook, you will find yourselves being the hungrier team. Sure, there are times where things can get ugly, but overall, they come focused and prepared to win. Oklahoma City have now advanced to 42-26 and will play another playoff team in the Indiana Pacers on the road.
Follow us on Twitter: @T101Sports @T101SportsNBA
Follow us on YouTube
Photo Credit
@okcthunder via Twitter
Writer Brandan Verrastro
