The help side defender had just barely started his move over to the right block when a whizzing, whirring sphere flashed through the lane. Russell Westbrook had recognized the incoming double-team on its way and Steven Adams stepped into the open space in the lane to catch the bullet pass and slam home the wide open dunk.
Of all the plays to define the Thunder’s 109-95 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, that one would be it, because Westbrook dazzled throughout. Racking up a game-high 15 assists, including 11 in the first half, Westbrook continually found teammates in high percentage scoring positions.
The Thunder never trailed after the first two minutes of the game, rolling out an 8-0 run behind a pull-up Kevin Durant three-pointer in transition and then back-to-back buckets at the rim, the first a Westbrook lefty layup plus the foul and the second a Westbrook to Roberson slam dunk.
With a stout defensive effort that held Charlotte to 42 percent shooting from the field and out-rebounded the Hornets 51-34, the Thunder maintained its lead between a half dozen and a dozen until the third quarter. It was a make or break time after halftime, and the Thunder made a push to ensure that the Hornets wouldn’t keep this one close in the fourth quarter.
Two separate 6-0 Thunder bursts thrust the lead out to 14, with the dagger effectively coming at the end of the period when Kyle Singler knocked down corner three-pointers one minute apart, putting the Thunder up 88-68.
The size, physicality and toughness of the Thunder was evident throughout the night, as the Thunder racked up 20 second chance points on 14 offensive rebounds. The interior play of Steven Adams and Enes Kanter continues to be a one-two punch that opponents struggle containing, as the duo combined for 22 points on 6-for-13 shooting and 16 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.
The catalyst for the Thunder on offense was Westbrook, whose box scores just don’t match up with any other players’ in the league. In just 27 minutes the Thunder point guard registered 16 points, eight rebounds, 15 assists and five steals, impacting the game on just about every level. The way he got his teammates involved early, with six assists in the first nine minutes of action, set the tone, helping to open up for the floor for his teammates.
The Thunder had six different players in double figures tonight, moving to 9-0 this season when that occurs. Durant led the way with 26 points, five rebounds and five assists and was aided by solid 11-point efforts from Serge Ibaka and Kyle Singler, the latter of whom went 4-for-4 from the field. That type of balanced attack is difficult to defend for 48 minutes, and it showed as the Thunder managed 28 assists on 39 made baskets.
