By Michael Doutey
The Oklahoma City Thunder go on the road and win a crucial game over the New Orleans Pelicans 109-104. The Thunder had a tumultuous week last week, losing to Portland, San Antonio and Denver all in frustrating fashion. The Thunder needed this game in the absolute worst way and they found a way to get it done. The Thunder were able to close out this game and make plays down the stretch, something they have struggled with over the past couple of weeks. This was a big and needed win. Here are tonight’s five observations.
1. Russell Westbrook Bounces Back
Russ had a tough week last week, especially in the game in San Antonio. But he had his stuff together for the most part today. He scored 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out 13 assists. It was another triple-double for Russ, which usually results in a Thunder win. Russ only took one three, which he missed, after taking nine Friday night against Denver. The three did come in the last couple minutes of the game. The offense had no movement on the possession, Russ stepped back and took a three and OKC didn’t get back on defense and Darius Miller hit a three to cut the Thunder lead to five. Now, OKC made some plays after that, including a huge three from PG. Then the Thunder were fortunate that the Pelicans mismanaged the final few possessions. Russ also did a great job of getting to the free throw line at a good number going 8-11 from the line.
2. Paul George Was Great
Paul George really got off to a hot start before losing his shooting touch for a while in the second half. But PG hit a huge corner three in front of the Pelicans bench to answer the Pels run which had cut the OKC lead to five. PG did a great job scoring, leading the Thunder with 27 points, eight rebounds and had three steals. He shot 9-24, which isn’t great. He also went 3-11 from three, which really isn’t good as he continues to struggle from three. But he made plays and got to the line six times, making all six. He was big in today’s win. He also had his rotation change. He came out midway through the first and third quarters instead of playing the whole quarter. We’ll see if Billy Donovan continues with that.
3. Melo was Good
If you’ve read this before, you know I’m not a big Melo fan. I enjoy him as a person, but his game frustrates me. But for what Melo needs to be for this team to succeed was exactly what Melo was today. He scored 16 points on 6-16 shooting. Now, that isn’t very good, but he was 4-8 from three which is perfect for what his role is. He grabbed six boards, which is a couple shy of where I’d like him. But it was a solid night from Melo.
4. Jerami Grant was Great
Grant is a player who the Thunder need to play like he did today every night. He scored 12 points in 17 minutes of action on 5-5 shooting and was 2-2 from the line. He was great in his role. He had a couple nice plays on defense, grabbing a steal and had two blocks. Now, Grant only had one rebound. He really needs to work on that aspect of his game. Other than that, Grant was great.
5. Adams Played Well
Steven really struggled the past two games. He was clearly hobbled from an ankle injury he’s been fighting through on Friday night. It didn’t seem to bother him too much tonight. However, as the game wore on the more it seemed to become a small issue. Steven scored 16 points on 6-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds, seven on the offensive glass. He did a nice job on Anthony Davis too, who scored 25 points on 8-17 shooting.
The Thunder’s tough schedule continues into Tuesday when the Thunder host the evil Golden State Warriors. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. inside the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
