Andre Roberson tracked the ball on its flight up from the referee’s hand, then instinctually darted into the backcourt. The balls squirted away towards the sideline in between two Heat players, but Roberson dove headfirst onto the floor to grab the ball and force another jump ball. The Thunder won the jump ball, then went on to win the game.
In a 99-74 home victory over the Heat on Sunday night, the Thunder’s energy, intensity and defensive focus was evident from the very outset. Even after falling behind by six points early in the first quarter, the Thunder didn’t falter, running off a 15-2 burst to take control of the game.
Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club didn’t relinquish the lead after that, although Miami kept it close throughout the entirety of the first half and into the early stages of the third quarter. The tenacious defense was marked by the Thunder forcing 21 turnovers that led to 20 Thunder points, which helped lead to advantages of 46-28 in points in the paint and 14-4 in fast break points.
In fact, the Thunder’s defense was so stifling that the Heat scored the fewest opposing points of the season, as the Thunder managed to attempt 16 more field goal attempts than Miami. A combination of length, quickness, physicality and a commitment to clearing the defensive glass ensured that Miami got few, if any, easy baskets around the rim.
The offense didn’t flow easily early, but the sharpshooting of Serge Ibaka around the elbows (19 points on 9-for-15) helped open things up for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who each impacted the game in a variety of ways. Durant scored 24 points, grabbed ten rebounds, made three assists and three steals in 31 minutes, while Westbrook chipped in 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists in 34 minutes of action for his fifth triple-double of the season.
Off the bench, Dion Waiters was the aggressor throughout the night, chipping in 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting, most of which were drives to the rim through contact. For the night, the Thunder racked up 24 assists on 40 made baskets, shooting 45.5 percent from the floor.
Third Quarter Eruption
The Heat put some pressure on the Thunder, but a burst in the third quarter completely changed the complexion of the game. It looked like this one would come down to the wire, but quickly flipped into one that the Thunder dominated in an emphatic way, sparked by a 17-2 run. It started with the Thunder ahead just 49-48, when Westbrook hit Ibaka for a 19-footer, then Steven Adams dropped the ball into Andre Roberson’s hands for a floater.
After a herky-jerky sequence for both teams, Donovan called a timeout to settle his troops. There was a sharpness to the Thunder after that break, as Westbrook immediately hit Roberson for a well-executed back-door cut alley-oop in the half court, then found him again for a fast break layup after a Durant steal. Donovan’s group used that fuel to turn on the jets after a Chris Bosh make, rattling off the next nine points on three consecutive three-pointers – one apiece from Durant, Ibaka and Westbrook.
After that, the game was never close, and the Thunder cruised to victory.
