By Michael Doutey
The Oklahoma City Thunder hang on for their fifth win in a row, taking down the New Orleans Pelicans 122-166 Monday night in Oklahoma City. The Thunder were without star Russell Westbrook, who injured his ankle in the third quarter and did not return. For a moment the Thunder were stunned but the second unit went on a big run to extend their lead to 14 going into the final quarter.
Without Westbrook, the Pelicans attempted a furious comeback, but OKC found a way to hang on without their stud closer. Guys had to step up in crucial times. But now the Thunder have a winning record for the first time all season, moving to 5-4 on the season. Here are tonight’s five observations.
ONE: Westbrook’s Injury
Russell Westbrook rose to contest an Anthony Davis shot deep in the third quarter. It was just a routine play that ended up sucking the life out of the entire state of Oklahoma. Westbrook’s left foot landed on top of Davis’ and Russell’s ankle turned. And when I say turned, it turned all the way over. If you’ve been around the game of basketball then you’ve seen it happen and it is gut wrenching every time. It looked really painful and bad while looking at the replay. Russell went down immediately in pain. He tried to get up and walk to the bench but was heavily limping. He needed assistance to make it to the locker room. The Thunder officially said it is a left ankle sprain for Westbrook. There is no word on when he might return.
TWO: OKC Responds After Westbrook Injury
The Thunder were in a back-and-forth affair in the third quarter when Westbrook went down. OKC held a small lead and the Pels made a run, cutting the Thunder lead to two. But the Thunder bench responded, finishing the quarter on a massive 16-4 run. The run was highlighted by back-to-back steals and dunks by Hamidou Diallo, igniting the Peake and blowing the roof off the building. The Thunder ended up dominating the third quarter 38-17. That big 16-4 run helped the Thunder in the fourth quarter, where OKC had to hold on for dear life for the win.
THREE: Dennis Schröder Shows Up Big Down the Stretch
Schröder is a luxury the Thunder have not had in many years. So when the Thunder were in a situation like tonight, where Russ is down with an injury, Schröder is a huge bonus for the Thunder. Tonight, he was a life saver. He was huge down the stretch, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter, including a big three and some clutch free throws late in the game. Schröder finished with 22 points and was really solid for the Thunder all night long. But once Russ went out, he was the stabilizing force for OKC. Without him, the Thunder lose this game. Game ball goes to Schröder.
FOUR: 0 2nd Half Offensive Boards
The Pelicans bigs are a load to deal with. Trying to block out Anthony Davis and Julius Randle is a bear to try and stop. In the first half, OKC did a bad job with it. Well, that puts it nicely. The Thunder were awful stopping the Pelicans from getting offensive rebounds. The Pels had 11 first half offensive rebounds which lead to 11 second chance points. The Thunder responded in a big way in the second half making that a huge priority. The Pels had zero offensive rebounds in the second half and zero second chance points. The Thunder got after it and made it a point to limit the Pelicans in the second half. That was a huge adjustment OKC made and one that really aided the Thunder in winning this game.
FIVE: Adams Joins History while Having Big Game on AD
Per the Thunder PR staff, Steven Adams is now one of five players in NBA history to have scored 3,500 points, grabbed 2,700 rebounds in 400 games with at least 58 percent shooting, joining. He joins Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Cedric Maxwell and Artis Gilmore. Adams crossed the 3,500 point mark of his career in the first half. But Adams was awesome in this game. He scored 18 points on 9-12 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and made life a living hell for Anthony Davis. He did an incredible job on Davis all night, holding him to 20 points on 7-20 shooting, eight rebounds and five turnovers. Adams was just superb on Davis all night.
The Thunder have a day off tomorrow before taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Tip is set for 6 p.m. inside the Quicken Loans Arena.
