Coming into this game the hype was all about Paul George playing against his former team the Indiana Pacers. On the flip side the hype was also surrounding Victor Oladipo coming back to OKC after being traded for Paul George. The Thunder started the game off trying to make sure that PG-13 got the ball and was able to flourish in the offense. The only problem is early in the game the George was hit with two quick fouls that got him out of the game and on the bench to cheer on his team. The beauty of the build for this Thunder team is the fact that George has two all stars in Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to lean on when he struggles. The Thunder were able to attack the paint all night and were able to establish Steven Adams near the rim all night against Domantas Sabonis who played in OKC last year. Adams finished the game with 17 points and 11 rebounds on the night. Russell Westbrook was making it look easy on the entry passes to Adams for easy buckets.
The Thunder were handling business in the paint and on the offensive end but they needed some help trying to conatin Victor Oladipo. The way that Victor was playing was like he had something to prove to the Thunder fans and the orgnaization. Victor Oladipo had 35 points on the night and was attacking the rim and making majority of his jumpers that he put up. The Thunder weren’t able to stop him from attacking as much when Paul George went out the game it was clear they needed to help. The rest of the really didn’t step up to the plate and help Victor because of the amazing team defense from OKC. The Thunder had 8 blocked shots against the Pacers and were making sure that the defense turned into offense for them all night long.
Russell Westbrook recorded his 2nd triple double of the evening with 28 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. Overall when Russell Westbrook has one of these monster games it results in a win. Westbrook has shown leadership and also has shown that he can share the ball with the best of them in the league. Carmelo Anthony had 28 points and 10 rebounds on the night as he was instant offense from the field and couldn’t be stopped at all. Carmelo Anthony is the defintion of bully ball as he can score inside, outside, and pretty much anywhere he is on the court. Paul George was in foul trouble and both Westbrook/Anthony picked him up on the evening. They will all have nights like George did where he was in foul trouble and scored only 10 points but their brotherhood is going to keep the chemistry going. The way they all play together is extrememly loose and you can tell that they want the best for each other.
Next up for the OKC Thunder is the Timberwolves who they lost too on Sunday. They will be looking to make up for that loss and try to let the Timberwolves know that they run the division.
Photo Credit: Layne Murdoch/Getty Images
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