The OKC Thunder had four 20-point scorers in an overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies. One of them was Alex Abrines, who had a career-high 20 points.
The Oklahoma City Thunder went to overtime against the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night and ended up winning 102-101 thanks to two clutch free throws by Russell Westbrook. Westbrook ended the game for the OKC Thunder with a triple-double, recording 20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds.
The Thunder were down 20 points early in the game but they were able to turn the corner thanks to four players scoring 20 points. Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams had 21 apiece, while Alex Abrines and Westbrook had 20.
According to NBA.com, Westbrook said about the deficit:
"“We fought all night long. We were down big early. We stayed with it all game. It was a good win.”“Going into halftime we changed the tempo of the game, and changed our mentality. It carried over. We were playing faster, playing more physical, getting stops when we needed to and were being the aggressors.”"
Westbrook made the right decision in driving in the paint and drawing a foul in the closing minutes instead of shooting a 3, but the heroics of Alex Abrines were what led to OKC having a chance to win the game.
Abrines had a career-high 20 points and they came when he was penciled in as the starter with Paul George out with a calf injury.
This time around — in the second game with no George — Abrines put on a better showing than his five-point attempt in Mexico City against the Brooklyn Nets. The Thunder ended up losing that game 100-95.
Alex scored his 500th career point tonight. He becomes only 5th player in Thunder history with 500+ points, 37% shooting on 100+threes and 50 steals within first 100 games. #Senor pic.twitter.com/XqkrtRPeAn
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 10, 2017
Abrines did what he was out there to do: shoot 3s. He made 6-of-8 3-pointers and kept OKC close down the stretch.
In the fourth quarter Abrines hit a 3 off a pass from Westbrook that put the team up 88-86 with 2:47 left to go. In overtime with 3:50 left, he was able to hit a 3 that put the Thunder up 95-94. Again, the score was off a pass from Westbrook.
Finally, with 2:11, left the Thunder were down 98-95. OKC ran a play to get Abrines open and shoot a 3. After running around screens and getting free, Westbrook passed it to Abrines, who was able to make the shot and tie the game.
If not for Abrines, the Thunder do not win that game.
Head coach Billy Donovan talked about how the shooting guard was able to get himself into a rhythm and contribute to a good win.
"“It’s good to see him back to that level,” Donovan said, referencing Abrines working his way back into rhythm from injury. “Everybody knew he was too good of a worker, and he’s too good of a shooter that you knew it was going to turn soon.”"
In the midst of his best game as a pro, Abrines was just happy to be a part of the winning effort. He noted that he was ready to score when Westbrook passed him the ball.
"“I’m more happy about the comeback and the effort that my teammates put out,” Abrines said. “We just took our time to find the open man and I just had to be ready. Russ and Melo were able to find me when I was wide open.”"
Abrines was a big part of the win, but Patrick Patterson also hit two 3s. Josh Huestis added one too. If the Thunder want to get a long winning streak going, it will take a complete effort from everybody on the roster.
Next: 2017-18 Week 8 NBA Power Rankings
This is a good start in the right direction.