The signs of solidarity were everywhere. Thunder assistant coach Monty Williams was grieving the loss of his wife Ingrid with his family on Thursday night, but he had 18,203 family members in the stands and a team full of players and coaches showing that they are with him in hearts and minds.
Flowers and notes from fans lined the walls inside and outside of Chesapeake Energy Arena, there was a moment of silence pregame and the invocation was given by Williams’ own pastor. During the national anthem, the Thunder coaching staff left a space empty where Williams would normally stand. Serge Ibaka walked slowly through the line of teammates during the starting lineup introductions instead of his typical, ferocious entrance. For the first few minutes of action, Williams’ seat on the bench remained empty.
Despite the heavy emotions and minds wandering to send thoughts and prayers, the reality was that the Thunder had a game to play against the New Orleans Pelicans. Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club won going away, 121-95, in the team’s final game before the All-Star Break. With the victory, the Thunder reached 40 wins to join the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs at that benchmark, becoming the first trio of teams from the same conference to reach 40 wins by the break. In fact, Billy Donovan is the just second first-year coach to reach 40 wins before the All-Star Break, the only other one was Steve Kerr, last year with the Warriors.
“We did a great job. We have 40 wins now, which is great,” point guard Russell Westbrook said. “That’s a good mark for us. We’ll try to get better and get ready for the rest of the season.”
“We know we have to keep moving,” guard Anthony Morrow said. “We can’t rest on this. We’re going to enjoy this win going into the All-Star Break. It’s a big win and it’s great to have 40 wins but we know we have to keep the train rolling. We have to continue to stay locked in.”
Even though the mood was somber and the energy subdued early on, the team’s instincts kicked in as the game moved along, fueled by two huge runs, one in the second quarter and another in the third period to break the game open and ensure that the Thunder starters didn’t have to play in the second half.
“(The game) can be an escape,” said forward Kevin Durant. “Nick [Collison] said it before the game, we’ve got a couple hours to play basketball and let’s just do that. That’s what we did. We went out there and just forgot everything that’s going on around us and played the game of basketball. It’s still kind of tough, still fresh in our minds but with the love from the crowd and we leaned on each other for that love.”
Over the final 24 minutes, the Thunder defense held New Orleans to 33.3 percent shooting, including an 0-for-8 mark from the three-point line. On the other end, the Thunder racked up 28 assists on 52.3 percent shooting, with five players scoring in double figures.
“We kind of regrouped and I thought in the second half we played really, really good defense,” Donovan said. “We stopped the three-point line. We got them to take the kind of shots we wanted them to take. And I thought offensively in that second half we really moved the ball very well and created and generated a lot of good shots. It was, I thought, a good overall win for us in a very difficult time.”
It was all tied up at 29 apiece with 10:13 to go in the second quarter, as Russell Westbrook returned to the floor after a brief spell off of it. He immediately helped the Thunder ignite a 16-3 run that changed the game drastically because of the defensive tenor, offensive tempo and rhythm that the burst created.
Anthony Morrow started it with a tough jumper, but it was a Kyle Singler straightaway three-pointer that really got the team as a whole going. Westbrook’s tenacity showed up on the ensuing three plays, as he hammered home a dunk, then finished with a layup before drawing a foul to sink two free throws.
To cap the run, Westbrook hit Morrow on the wing for a three, then slipped an absurd one-handed, lefty bounce pass in transition to Enes Kanter for an easy finish, putting the Thunder up 45-32 with 6:59 to go. Those were two of Westbrook’s ten assists, as he finished with a near triple-double of 23 points (8-for-14 shooting) and nine rebounds.
The game was clearly put away midway through the third quarter, and it was again a combination of players who were forces on both ends of the floor. A major catalyst during the Thunder’s 15-3 run was Serge Ibaka, who during one sequence knocked down a corner three-pointer, then blocked a dunk attempt at the rim that led to a Dion Waiters layup in the secondary break on the other end of the floor. By the time Kevin Durant splashed a three-pointer, part of his own 23-point night, the Thunder’s lead was 86-66, and the team could easily close out the win.
As the team headed to the locker room victorious, its minds were surely set on enjoying the well-deserved rest that the All-Star Break provides. Nonetheless, the entire Thunder family can be sure that the players, coaches, staff and fans will all be with the Williams family, physically, mentally and spiritually.
“It says a lot about this organization and the players that we have here and the resiliency,” Morrow said. “We still have a lot on our mind and a lot on our plates, but we’re going to stay in prayer for Coach Williams, his family, his friends and his children. It was great to come out here and get this win. He texted me back. I didn’t expect him to, but he told me that he loved me and to be great. That’s all I needed to hear.”
By the Numbers
2 – Players for the Thunder who scored 23 points, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who will also be heading to Toronto to start for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game
22-8 – The Thunder’s advantage in second chance points thanks to a 50-31 rebounding edge
40 – Wins for the Thunder before the All-Star Break
The Last Word
“I really appreciate all of our guys and the way they’ve all handled a really, really difficult situation these last 24 hours. To be able to go out there and play and, for those guys, to see joy on their face and happiness playing when obviously the last 24 hours for all of us was a lot of sadness and heartache.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan
