Ten times over the first four and a half minutes of the game, the Minnesota Timberwolves got a shot off at the rim. All ten times, the Thunder’s defense forced a miss.
In a 113-93 victory for the Thunder on Friday night, it was a smothering defensive performance by Head Coach Billy Donovan’s group that set the tone for the night, guiding Oklahoma City to its third straight victory and 18th win in its last 21 tries.
It wasn’t until 7:38 remained in the first quarter that the Timberwolves finally scored their first bucket, and the defensive pressure, intensity and communication the Thunder displayed during that stretch permeated throughout most of the rest of the contest.
For the night, the Thunder held Minnesota to 40 percent shooting, including just 12 three-point attempts. While not a prolific long-distance shooting team, preventing attempts from behind the arc has been a point of emphasis for the Thunder of late, so it was a positive step in the right direction.
On the offensive end, it was beautiful, selfless basketball throughout the night, and that was initiated by the stellar performances of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. The duo combined for 17 of the Thunder’s 31 total assists on the night, working to get their teammates involved early before the open space on the floor allowed them to get going themselves.
The Thunder shot 52.8 percent from the field as six different players scored in double figures, aided by pushing the tempo in the open court and using spacing and movement to generate shots in the half court. Durant led the way with 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds while Dion Waiters scored 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting off the bench.
Westbrook’ Sensational Triple-Double
Westbrook tracked down a loose defensive rebound near the sideline and spun around an opponent. Before he even got to mid-court, he’d already picked out a receiver. Andre Roberson was streaking down the right hand side of the court, unbeknownst to the Timberwolves defender who was sprinting back on defense. A second later, it wouldn’t matter, because Westbrook used two hands to lob a pass from beyond half-court that dropped right in Roberson’s alley-oop wheelhouse.
It capped a big third quarter spurt for the Thunder, which put Donovan’s club up 75-54 with just over four minutes left in the quarter. It also marked Westbrook’s tenth assist on the night, and fourth triple double of the season, tied for the second most in the NBA. On a night where Westbrook eclipsed the 4,000 career assists mark, it was appropriate that he dominated by dishing the ball to teammates while racking up his 23rd career triple double. Westbrook scored 12 points to go with 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 27 minutes.
By the Numbers
31- Assists for the Thunder on the night, leading to seven different players scoring at least eight points
40.0- Field goal percentage allowed by the Thunder, aided by a 4:22 scoreless start for the Timberwolves
72-42- The Thunder’s advantage in points in the paint on the night, fueled by 19 fast break points
