It wasn’t always perfect against the new-look, faster-paced, division rival Portland Trail Blazers, but the Thunder played its brand of basketball, and when it does that, the final score often looks beautiful.
It was a 106-90 runaway victory for the Thunder against the Blazers tonight, as Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club put together nearly 48 full minutes of dominant defensive play while manufacturing points on the offensive end.
By forcing Portland into 34.8 percent shooting from the field and 18 turnovers, the Thunder prevented the Blazers from getting into any sort of rhythm other than a few short spurts from C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard. On offense, the Thunder made a parade route to the free throw line while also generating 48 points in the paint through its relentless, attacking style.
It was a back and forth first quarter, with the Thunder and the Blazers both making runs. The turning point in terms of momentum, however, came not long after with the Thunder’s reserves on the floor. A 12-2 burst spanned the end of the first and start of the second quarters, fueled by a wing jumper by Dion Waiters and an Enes Kanter put-back layup.
Lillard drained three three-pointers in a row to end the first half, however, pulling the Blazers within seven points after the Thunder had led by as many as 15 just a minute and change before that. Out of halftime, however, Donovan’s group showed incredible focus and resolve, knocking Portland back on its heels with a 10-2 run right out of the gates, with all five Thunder starters scoring during the burst.
From there, it was just a matter of holding on to the double-digit advantage and Kevin Durant was the perfect man for the job during that third period. The do-it-all forward scored 15 of the Thunder’s 36 points in the period in a variety of seemingly effortless ways, including a mid-range jumper to end the quarter after a dazzling dribbling display.
That was the final bucket of Durant’s night, and the Thunder’s final push to end the third ensured that no player saw more than 29 minutes on the night – a welcome sight considering the team’s long flight to Cleveland tonight prior to Thursday’s battle against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
March to the Line
The Thunder didn’t get much going from the three-point line tonight, but it made up for it at the free throw line, where it attempted 37 shots on the night. In the second quarter alone, the Thunder went to the free throw line 20 times. For the night, the Thunder scored 28 of its 106 points at the free throw line, with eight different players going to the line.
The reason for all of the free shots was the way the Thunder attacked in the half-court, rather than settling for jumpers. Drives to the rim and dump off passes in the paint led to Portland defenders being out of position. It wasn’t just in the flow of the offense, but also in transition that the Thunder managed to generate a high number of free throws. In fact, the Thunder scored 16 fast break points on the night on just 3-for-4 field goal shooting, meaning the rest of their transition points came from the free throw stripe.
By the Numbers
4-0 – The Thunder’s record this season when six different players score in double figures
11 – The number of points and the number of rebounds for Steven Adams on the night, who helped set the tone on both ends of the floor with his physicality
41 – Bench points by the Thunder on the night, led by Dion Waiters’ 18 on an efficient 6-for-10 shooting and Enes Kanter’s 12-point, 13-rebound double-double
