LOS ANGELES – Kevin Durant drove right with a defender on his hip trying desperately to get back in front of him. As the Thunder forward got to just above the elbow he stopped on a dime, rose up and lingered in the air to get his body squared to the rim. That moment of hesitation gave him a clear look at the basket. From there, the muscle-memory of hours upon hours of practice taking contested, real-game shots paid off. Swish.
The bucket came with 5.8 seconds remaining and was the final one of the Thunder’s 100-99 heart-stopping victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. It wasn’t a perfect showing, as chip shots weren’t falling and the Thunder had to make second half corrections on defense and on the boards. Regardless, Head Coach Billy Donovan’s group stuck with it and grinded out a road win with incredible shot making and suffocating defense.
“We stayed together, we hung in there and knew we were going to have to battle on the road,” Donovan said. “We came up and did some things that I would consider winning plays that we needed to make.”
The Clippers led by as many as 10 in the game, and held a six-point advantage mid-way through the fourth quarter before the Thunder closed out the game on a slow-burn 17-10 run. Through sheer grit and determination, the Thunder managed to claw back to tie the game at 93, but trailed 95-93 with exactly a minute remaining.
Out of a timeout, Donovan drew up a flare screen for Russell Westbrook on the left side of the floor, and as a two defenders trapped Durant, he zipped the ball over to the point guard, who calmly knocked down a three-pointer to give the Thunder the lead. Despite having missed 13 of its previous 16 three-point attempts, Durant trusted Westbrook in that moment, and the Thunder’s fourth triple couldn’t have come at a better time.
“If you’re open, I’m going to pass you the ball,” Durant said. “That’s how I feel and my teammates feel the same way. I believe in Russ. He is a big game player. He takes those shots late in the game because he wants that. He has that gene.”
“It was a good play call and Kevin made a good pass,” Westbrook said. “I just tried to concentrate on making the shot and staying into my shot and knocking it down.”
There was still plenty of drama left, however, despite there being just 48.8 seconds to go. Blake Griffin responded with a dunk on a roll to the rim, then Westbrook punched back with a pull-up 11-foot jumper, also helping to get the Thunder a two-for-one situation. On the ensuing defensive stand, Andre Roberson did a marvelous job chasing J.J. Redick around multiple screens, stopping him in the lane with nowhere to go until Westbrook could crash over to make a steal.
“Defensively I tried to find a way to muck some things up and go for a steal, and I got it,” Westbrook said.
After a timeout the Thunder attempted to in-bound the ball, but the exchange between Dion Waiters and Russell Westbrook misfired, resulting in a Chris Paul layup with 10.9 seconds to go. It could have been a stomach punch, but Donovan’s group pulled together, and that set the stage for Durant’s pull-up game-winner.
“It’s the most carefree I feel the whole game. I try not to think about it,” Durant said of the shot. “When I get the ball, just be me.”
“That’s what he does,” Westbrook said. “Regardless of how the game is going, we can always count on him in closing moments to make shots like that.”
Perhaps just as big as the jumper was the defensive play that Durant made on the game’s final possession. Paul had the ball out top and was isolated against Serge Ibaka. Sensing that there wouldn’t be enough time for a pass, catch and shot, Durant quickly blitzed over to Paul and used his wingspan and 6-foot-11 frame to reach out and deflect Paul’s shot attempt, sealing the victory. A massive wave of emotion swept over the court as the Thunder mobbed Durant at mid-court in celebration of the win.
“We did a good job of closing this game out,” Westbrook said. “It’s a great feeling when you know that you fought and put yourself in position to win the game. When you get the opportunity to finish a game like that, as a team and as a unit, you feel good about it.”
Second Quarter Rally
The Clippers were in control for just about the entirety of the first half, but the Thunder finally started to make some headway and gain momentum with a crucial burst. Los Angeles had built a 47-37 lead with 4:01 left in the second quarter, but Russell Westbrook cleaned up a loose ball situation in the backcourt and finished a layup.
After a defensive stop a minute later, Westbrook raced down court and made an incredible play in transition to score at the rim with the foul shot to go with it. After another defensive stand, Durant hit a leaner in the lane to cut it to 47-44 to cap a quick 7-0 Thunder run. The teams traded buckets for a few possessions, but ultimately would make four free throws over the final 30 seconds to make it 52-50 at halftime, finishing off a 13-5 burst heading into the locker room.
“The game was full of runs. I thought we did a good job of staying with it and staying locked in,” Westbrook said. “We did a good job of sticking together.”
After halftime, the Thunder tied the game on a Durant to Westbrook transition three, then take the lead on a Westbrook layup. The Clippers regained the lead shortly thereafter, and didn’t relinquish it until the final minute.
By the Numbers
8-for-13 – Shooting numbers for Serge Ibaka, who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds
19-8 – The Thunder’s advantage in fast break points, aided by forcing 13 turnovers that led to 11 points
57 – Combined points for Russell Westbrook (33) and Kevin Durant (24) on the night, in addition to a combined 14 rebounds, 14 assists, five steals and two blocks
The Last Word
“I just like how we stuck together. We didn’t stray apart. We stayed together as a group. No matter what we believe in each other.” – forward Kevin Durant
