OKC Thunder 100 — LA Clippers 99
It wasn’t pretty, but sometimes it’s just about making plays and finding a way to win at the end. Which is what Kevin Durant did by making a two pointer with 5.8 seconds left to give the Thunder a one point lead. Then clinching the game by blocking a Chris Paul shot to preserve a road victory over the Clippers.
Important ending for both teams because OKC now has a 3.5 game lead over the Clippers in the standings which could loom big as far as first and second round matchups and such later in the season.
It was a sloppy game, but still it might qualify as the biggest Thunder road win of the season to date for the previously stated reasons.
For the late game heroics Kevin Durant is my No. 1 Star of the Game, but Russell Westbrook is right there as well with a 33 point evening and five points of his own in the last minute of the game. Serge Ibaka had 17 points and was the only other Thunder player in double figures.
OKC’s Big Three scored 74 points combined on the night which means the rest of the roster scored 26 points. OKC’s bench only produced 18 points and yet OKC found a way to win on the road against what is probably the West’s fourth best team.
Steven Adams led the Thunder with 11 rebounds, while as a team — OKC had 21 assists to 10 turnovers.
Chris Paul was excellent scoring 32 points on the night in what turned out to be a point guard dual between the two best point guards in the West or in the entire league for that matter.
Tough night for Blake Griffin who went 7-21 from the field scoring only 15 points.
As far as revealing anything about the Thunder—it revealed what we already knew in that Durant and Westbrook are exceptionally talented players and did what your stars need to do at the end of games to be an elite team.
So in the end, an exciting road win over a team which most experts predicted as the fifth best overall team in the league before the start of the season.
Mike Jackson