Thunder Grind Out Comeback Win in Denver

Let’s be candid moving forward with this Thunder basketball season. This team in no way is a legitimate contender of any sort in the post Kevin Durant era in Oklahoma City unless Sam Presti has a deal up his sleeve to bring either Anthony Davis or Blake Griffin to the Thunder. And even then—there’s that Oakland AAU All-Star team Durant now plays on.

If OKC could possibly win the Northwest Division and maybe finish as a fourth or fifth seed in the West my cup overfloweth. I still think both of those ‘could’ be attainable if Cam Payne comes back fairly soon and gives the Thunder some legit backup point guard play. I also think down the road Presti needs to deal Enes Kanter and replace him with a two way small forward who can actually play on both ends of the floor. If Presti can attach Kyle Singler’s departure in that trade as well—so be it.

Putting all this aside OKC won a tough, grinding come from behind 132-129 OT win on the road against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night inside the Pepsi Center. OKC is not a pretty basketball team. They’re currently flawed in their construction so it’s not like these games are going to be pretty or artistic. But there will be spurts of pure brilliance by Russell Westbrook which makes you hope some of this team will make sense at some point. Add to that, Westbrook alone on most nights is worth the price of a ticket or taking the time to watch the games on television.

This night was no exception. With five minutes left in regulation, the Thunder were down by 13 points and apparently headed for their fourth straight loss. Truth be known if not for a bad foul by Steven Adams on rookie Jamal Murray with 8.3 seconds left in regulation the Thunder would have won this one in regulation. Three Murray makes from the free throw line sent this one to overtime where Westbrook and his super young Thunder hung on for a 132-129 win which was a huge win for this team given where they appeared headed after a sequence of tough luck late game narrow losses followed by the blowout loss in Sacramento. OKC could very well still be headed for that lonely dark spot as this season unfolds, but I’m holding some hope in Cam Payne’s return along with a Presti deal which brings the team a legit small forward.

For the Westbrook File on this night it was his sixth triple double of the season and forty-third of his career. The numbers are just giddy audacious as I type 36-12-18. For the record, those 18 assists are the most in a sxingle game by any player in the NBA this season.

But it wasn’t just Westbrook. Victor Oladipo once again mini-Westbrooked with 26-4-7. I could care less whay some of the white millennial bloggers write, at some point Victor Oldipo is going to become a helluva basketball player—I’m just not sure when. But he will.These periodic flashes of mini Westbrook-like play from Oladipo give some silver lining hope to my notion this Thunder team will hold off Utah and Portland to win yet another Northwest Division banner.

Other silver linings. Rookie Domas Sabonis and newcomer Joffery Lauvergne both had solid games on the road—which is very encouraging coming from young role players. They were a combined 6-7 from three and that’s the primary reason Presti was able to trade Ersan Ilyasova for Jerami Grant. Another silver lining—Anthony Morrow scored 10 points, made both of his three point attempts and is showing some signs of possibly waking from his coma and coming back to life. Jerami Grant’s play as a small four forward in the waning minutes as Billy Donovan finally went small as it made a defensive difference for the Thunder is what I’d describe as a baby silver lining in this ball game.

Granted—this win came against an injury decimated Nugget team which isn’t much even when healthy, but any way this Thunder team can win against any city with an NBA franchise needs to be the mantra in those sideline huddles currently. Since none of us will ever know what the Trump Doctrine is, let’s just focus on the Billy Donovan Doctrine right now…namely win ugly, but just find a way to win more games than the Rockets, Grizzlies, Trailblazers, and Jazz. But especially the Jazz and Trailblazers.

OKC improves to 9-8 with the Detroit Pistons coming to town tomorrow evening. I have no idea if Reggie Jackson is playing or not. The Pistons aren’t a team I watch all that much. But know this—I didn’t boo Reggie Jackson last time he returned to Oklahoma City and I’m hopeful the OKC home crowd has come to a more benevolent understanding of Reggie Jackson and the NBA as a whole.

10-8 and first place in the Northwest Division is all I’m thinking going into tomorrow night. Find a way, Thunder–find a way.

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