DENVER – NBA teams can have a game plan coming into a contest, but on the road, it’s not always easy to execute. In the first quarter on Tuesday night it struggled, but over the final three periods, the Thunder righted its own ship and was able to snag a hard-fought 110-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Against a team that loves to crash the offensive glass, run in transition and knock down three-pointers, the Thunder had its work cut out for it against Denver. Thanks to strong communication on defense, selfless offensive play that led to 30 assists and some timely second chance opportunities, the Thunder pulled away down the stretch to rack up its fifth straight victory.
It was 91-87 Thunder when Enes Kanter snagged an offensive rebound, drew a foul and hit a free throw. A possession later, Durant pushed the pace in the secondary break and scored on a runner, plus the foul. Westbrook then hit Kanter on a roll to the rim after a stop, and the Turkish big man somehow managed to snag it off the ground and finish a tough layup. That put the Thunder up 96-87 with 6:26 remaining, representing Donovan’s club’s biggest lead to that point.
Two Westbrook free throws pushed the Thunder’s lead to 11, but five straight Nuggets points made it 98-93 with 3:57 remaining. On the ensuing offensive possession, Serge Ibaka tipped out an offensive board that Russell Westbrook grabbed, drawing a foul that resulted in a free throws, then a Durant three-pointer off of a Steven Adams offensive rebound.
The Nuggets pulled back within 106-102 with 1:26 to go on two free throws, but the Thunder once again had an answer, as Kanter snagged an offensive rebound and made two shots from the foul line. To seal the win, Durant corralled a defensive rebound and made two free throws, putting this one out of reach.
The Thunder made all the hustle plays in the fourth quarter, and still managed to execute its offense the way it wanted to even when there was some game pressure put on them by Denver.
Durant finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds, Westbrook registered 27 points and 12 assists, while Kanter, with whom Denver was concerned heading into the game, chipping in a season-high 25 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Second Quarter Change-Up
Through the first 13 minutes of the game, the Thunder didn’t have control of the things it was concerned about coming into the game – second chance points, the three-point line and live-ball turnovers leading to fast breaks. After a timeout with 10:51 to go in the first half, the Thunder emerged as a different team.
The Thunder trailed 37-25 at the timeout, then proceeded to outscore the Nuggets 32-16 the rest of the period. The catalysts offensively for the Thunder were Cameron Payne and Enes Kanter, with the former racking up five assists, sparking a 12-4 burst where the Thunder registered assists on all five of its baskets. The Thunder proceeded to make assists on its next three buckets as well, eventually totaling 19 helpers in the first half alone.
On the other end of the floor, the Thunder prevented the Nuggets from getting loose in transition and on the offensive glass. Donovan’s group allowed zero second chance points after the early timeout, and just four fast break points and three points off turnovers in the period.
