By Michael Doutey
The Oklahoma City Thunder started the game in dominating fashion, jumping out to a 32-13 first quarter lead. The Thunder continued their domination of the Suns into the second half, taking a 28 point lead early in the third quarter.
So, you’d think the starters would likely get to sit the fourth quarter and watch the scrubs dual for the remainder of the game. Well, that did not happen. At least not right away. Instead, the Suns caught fire and while the Thunder lulled themselves to sleep, the Suns cut the Thunder lead to seven points at one point in the fourth quarter. The Thunder were reeling but they found a way to stabilize themselves and get back to their game plan.
The Thunder got stops on defense and lead to easy baskets on offense. That was how the Thunder built their big lead in the first half and that was how they closed off the Suns second half rally and put the game away with ease. The Thunder went on to win 118-101. Here are tonight’s five observations.
ONE: Steven Adams Set the Tone
Adams completely showed up rookie DeAndre Ayton the whole game, but the Thunder used that to their advantage in the first quarter. Adams scored 10 points in the first quarter on 5-7 shooting. It was his physicality that really helped the Thunder on both ends. Ayton had no points on 0-4 shooting and had zero rebounds. However, the Thunder ignored Adams in the third quarter and I don’t think that’s a coincidence that the Suns went on a run when Adams was not used. He got more involve in the fourth quarter when OKC righted the ship. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds (five offensive), grabbed three steals, two blocks and one assist.
TWO: Paul George’s Hot Shooting Night
Paul has played well this year but he hasn’t shot the ball well. That is one thing he hasn’t done, at least not consistently. But from the get-go tonight, PG was on fire. He dropped a game-high 32 points on 11-19 shooting and 6-10 from three. We’ve seen him get hot in short stretches, but not like tonight. He was very good throughout. He was well rounded, as he always is. He grabbed eight rebounds, dished out six assists and grabbed one steal. Overall, it was a great game from PG and hopefully we see more of that as we go along in the season.
THREE: Dennis Schröder Hangs Tough
It was a rough shooting start for Schröder in this game. He started 1-12 shooting and he had several shots dance on the rim and somehow rolled out. But then Schröder got it going, hitting three straight shots, including two back-to-back threes. Schröder ended up scoring 20 points in the game. Schröder scored 16 of his 20 in the second half on 5-9 shooting and 2-2 from three. He also finished with nine assists compared to one turnover, five rebound and had four steals. Schröder hung tough and didn’t let his tough shooting night affect his overall game. His shot eventually came and he was big for the Thunder in tonight’s win.
FOUR: OKC Held Booker in Check
The Thunder did an excellent job on Booker all night. Booker is one of the best scorers in the league and can ignite at any moment. But OKC’s defense never let him breathe. Whether it was PG or Terrance Ferguson, they both made it tough for Booker to get any daylight. Booker scored 19 points but did it on 18 shots. Booker was 7-18 from the floor and was just 1-4 from three. Booker was frustrated all night and the Thunder played him really, really tough. He didn’t respond well at all to the physicality. He was a minus-32 in the game. So, even when the Suns made a run in the second half, he wasn’t really part of it.
FIVE: No Lead is Safe in the NBA
The Thunder went from leading by 28 to just seven in a matter of moments. The Thunder got bored with this game. As soon as the tip went up the Thunder owned the Suns. But OKC got bored. It is hard to be dominant for a complete 48 minutes. The Suns get things going late in the third, forcing OKC into a few turnovers and got the momentum. If this was any other team OKC was playing tonight, the Thunder might not win this game. But the Thunder quickly refocused and started playing their game again and defending at a high level. But the Thunder can’t really afford to do this against good teams. You might be able to close out the Suns. They have a truly terrible team whose defense was on par with OU or OSU’s in Bedlam. The Thunder do deserve credit for slamming the door shut, winning the game by 17. But it just goes to show that no lead is ever safe in the NBA.
The Thunder have now won eight of their last nine games, improving their record to 8-5 on the season. The Thunder next host the New York Knicks on Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
