Talking points from Oklahoma City Thunder's win over the Spurs on Christmas day

It was a hard fought game

Both teams needed a win

The two powerhouses of the Western Conference that are not in their usual spots of the standings have faced each other yesterday as a part of the Christmas schedule in the NBA.

OKC Thunder lost 2 of it’s last 3 games coming into this game and they were once again forced to play without Durant who has ankle sprain.

San Antonio Spurs lost to Memphis and Portland Trail Blazers at home consecutively in 3 Overtime games ( first time in 60 years) coming into this game didn’t have Leonard who is out with injury like Durant.

Westbrook ripped Spurs’ defense apart

Russell Westbrook is having an amazing season and much were expected of him and he delivered against the Spurs.Spurs were once again unable to stop Westbrook who finished the game with an impressive stat line of : 34 points with 50 % shooting on the floor, 11 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. He was the focal point of OKC Thunder’s offense all game long, constantly attacking the rim with restless abandon. 

Without Leonard Spurs were unable to stop Westbrook, Cory Joseph who did a good job slowing Westbrook down couldn’t stop him entirely which is an impossible task to do.Joseph did a good job defensively and he contributed to the offense with 14 points and 5 assists off the bench. Tony Parker was particularly lost who couldn’t have any impact on the game with 10 points and 5 assists.

Other than Westbrook, Adams, Morrow and Ibaka stepped up offensively who had 52 points combined with 18 of 32 field goal attempts on the floor. Westbrook’s drive led to those guys having an open shot. As a distributor and scorer Westbrook excelled especially in the second half. In the first half he struggled on the floor, made only 1 of 8 of his shots, turned the ball over and made bad decisions. He stepped up his game in the second half , constantly overpowering Parker and Josheph and getting to the line time and time again.

Bonner was used to drag Ibaka away

Coach Pop started Bonner in place of Splitter to drag Ibaka away from the rim. It worked as Bonner had 17 points and Spurs moved the ball out of the pick and rolls well enough to lead the game before the 4th quarter started. 

However, without Splitter, Spurs lacked defensive coverage – help defense – to stop Westbrook’s drive as Tim Duncan was neutralized most of the game by an impressive Steven Adams. 

Notes from the game

Going to the post to Duncan to get buckets didn’t work well as Adams stopped Duncan on many occasions.

With Parker’s ineffective night, Manu was the orchestrator of the offense and he had season-high 13 assists to go along with 11 points. However, in the last 6 to 7 minutes to the end, OKC started doubling the ball handler of pick and rolls which led to several San Antonio turnovers and out of rhytm shots. Spurs did the same to Jackson and Westbrook but it was quite late ( 2 minutes to go ) to alter their situation. 

Athletic OKC defense also took away Spurs’ 3 point shots, limiting them to 7 pointers made on 23 shots – 30 % – . OKC is so athletic that they can rotate more quickly to the shooters than other teams which affects San Antonio’s offensive effectiveness.

Spurs always struggled against OKC who have two unstoppable athletic scoring duo in Westbrook and Durant. If they had Leonard, they’d put Westbrook on him to limit his impact but who would’ve guarded Durant then ? Diaw ? Probably.. 

Athletic OKC is still a big problem for the Spurs

OKC continues to be San Antonio’s kryptonie and it remains to be seen if they would meet in the playoffs once again. One thing is for sure; If Westbrook keeps his form, he’ll be the favorite to win the MVP.