Thunder 126 – Wizards 115 |Rapid Recap

The Thunder GuysDecember 1, 2016 No Comments

The Thunder pulled off another nail biting win tonight in overtime 126-115 against the Washington Wizards. After having the lead for a majority of the game, the Thunder began to let it slip away in the fourth. The team managed to dig their way out of a seven point deficit that they created for themselves which led to overtime. Right from the start of overtime the Thunder seemed to be in control. Russell Westbrook set a franchise record with 14 points in OT which sealed the deal for Oklahoma City.

Oladipo Key in OT Win

Victor Oladipo did exactly what he was brought to this team to do tonight, which was key to the Thunder coming out on top. I actually start to think that my prediction of Dipo being an All-Star this season isn’t so crazy when he puts up 25 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. He shot an outstanding 10-16 from the field and had an incredibly clutch 3 towards the end of the game.

Dipo was able to shoot extremely well from the floor in a game where Russell Westbrook was struggling. His ability to knock down outside shots opened up the Wizard’s defense, which allowed Westbrook to continue to attack. The Thunder will be hard to beat when this duo combines for 60 points like they did tonight.

Russell Westbrook Show

Russell Westbrook continued to campaign for being the best player in the world tonight as he recorded his fourth straight triple-double of the season. He finished the night with 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Russ did struggle a bit from the floor where he shot 12-35. If you chose to critic his poor shooting you are missing out on the bigger picture here. Even though he was having a rough night he did what was necessary to give his team a win.

Starters Take Over

The Thunder have been relying strongly on their bench over the last few games due to several starters struggling a bit. However, tonight it seemed as if every starter played their role to perfection. In a majority of games this season Oklahoma City has relied on one or two guys to do the scoring. Every starter scored in double digits for the Thunder, which was a major factor in this win.

Andre Roberson, Domantas Sabonis, and Steven Adams combined for 32 points on 12-17 shooting. When these guys can produce some points it opens up a lot of opportunities for both Westbrook and Oladipo. Once the Thunder found these guys in rhythm they could then set up the offense for a Dipo 3 or a drive to the rim for Russ.

Next Up

The Thunder will be back in action at home on Sunday as they take on the New Orleans Pelicans. The game will start at 6 PM CST and will be televised on FSOK. It will also be broadcast on the radio at WWLS 98.1 FM.

Article written by Craig Hofeld. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram. 

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