The Thunder were down 3-1 coming into Game 5 against the Utah Jazz at home. Everyone knew how huge of a game this would be for Russell Westbrook and the Thunder organization after losing two straight in Utah. The Thunder and the Jazz both started off the game very nervous it seemed as it took about 3 to 4 minutes before any team scored. Donovan Mitchell was leading the charge against the Thunder as he’s played like a 10-year veteran instead of a rookie. Mitchell has been the one player that has been able to set the tone for the Jazz but with Billy Donovan making the proper adjustments and putting Paul George on him that slowed him down a bit. Mitchell was being contained but what OKC didn’t do in the first half was communicate on the defensive end. They allowed Jae Crowder and Joe Ingles to get hot from the 3 point line and were looking lost on the defensive end. Every time the Thunder were playing defense they collapsed to Rudy Gobert like he was Shaq in the early 2000’s. While the Thunder were giving all that attention to Rudy Gobert he was able to find the open player when OKC gave him multiple defenders. The Thunder were getting sucked into the paint leaving players on the Jazz roster open for anything they wanted in the 1st half. Jae Crowder made a huge difference as he finished the game with 27 points for Utah but OKC quickly caught on to what he was doing on the offensive end. The Thunder weren’t able to shut down Utah’s 3 point ball in that first half and that was something that really hurt OKC as they trailed going into the 3rd quarter. Donovan Mitchell finished the game with 23 points and was able to get to his spots but PG-13 wasn’t letting him go off how he did in this series.
Coming out in the second half of the Jazz were going for the haymaker as they scored a quick 5 points putting OKC down by 25 points. At this point, fans in the Chesapeake Energy Arena were getting worried. The one person that wasn’t worried about being down and counted out was Russell Westbrook. The MVP came out of that timeout and knocked down back to back 3 pointers that gave OKC fans hope. After Westbrook hit those three-pointers the Thunder locked in defensively swarming the Jazz like they haven’t done all series. The Thunder were in the passing gaps and were playing like a brand new team. The defense led to offense as Paul George was able to get a 3 point play off a Jazz turnover and you can feel the momentum shifting in the arena. Another huge difference in this game was the fact that OKC got Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert in foul trouble as both weren’t able to be aggressive at all or in the game. Russell Westbrook and Paul George took full advantage of that and punished any defender in front of them. The Utah Jazz was losing that lead and it seemed as though every timeout that Snyder called made things worse because Westbrook/PG-13 were feeding off the crowd energy. Russell Westbrook had a look in his eyes like I’m not to be denied and was willing this team to the victory. This was the breakout game that everyone expected from Russell Westbrook coming into the series against Ricky Rubio. Once Westbrook hit that 3 pointer to tie the game at 78 heading into the 4th quarter the roof came off the arena.
The Jazz wasn’t able to get any type of offense going as the Thunder were playing championship caliber defense in that 4th. Paul George was locking down Mitchell and Westbrook was doing the same with Rubio. Westbrook and Paul George finished with a combined 79 points and took over the game. Both Westbrook and George were able to do anything they wanted from 3 pointers, layups, and mid-range. If they can play with this intensity in Utah and take the crowd out of the game early anything is possible. This team has been fighting all season and series so it will be nothing but spectacular if they bring it back for Game 7. Billy Donovan had Carmelo Anthony on the bench during the 32-7 comeback to get OKC back in the game but Melo is due for a breakout game as well. The Thunder will need a huge effort from the Big 3 in Utah for them to stay alive. Utah has been playing their game it’s just the fact that OKC showed up on the defensive end in that second half and changed this series completely from a momentum standpoint. Both Westbrook and Paul George played the whole second half so they will be ready to continue to fight.
Game 6 will be on Friday at 9:30 CT
Recent Comments