Russell Westbrook dropped another triple-double. Yawn. What speaks most to his greatness? The fact that he makes it look effortless. Well, effortless in a nine turnover sense. Westbrook had a number of live-ball turnovers throughout the game. Almost every one of them was by trying to make a pass in tight quarters. The Raptors did an exceptional job trapping and forcing the Thunder into difficult passing lanes throughout the first half, but once the Thunder got into the paint, there was little push back from Toronto.
Enes Kanter set the tone in the first quarter. The Turkish big man got off to a great start, hitting his first seven shots of the night. He recorded his second 20 and 10 game in his brief history in Oklahoma City. The Thunder continually relied on Kanter down the stretch. Three straight possessions Russell Westbrook would begin with a post-up and run the side pick 'n roll with Kanter, and it resulted in points three straight times. One of the biggest possessions of the night was a Kanter offensive rebound, and he kicked it out immediately to D.J. Augustin who then sank a three to extend the lead to six.
The Kanter and Steven Adams dynamic will be interesting going forward. Tonight, Brooks went with Kanter, and if he continues to start Andre Roberson, it would be good to bet on Kanter starting. Adams is decent offensively, but he's not Kanter. With Adams and Roberson in the lineup, the Thunder is essentially playing three on five on offense. With Kanter, this changes. Roberson is an underrated cutter, and a couple of times tonight, Kanter was able to find Roberson cutting while the big man posted up. Kanter recorded four assists on the night, and the Thunder could've legitimately run the offense through him all night long.
Except, they have another guy they run the offense through. Russell Westbrook was tremendous once again, scoring 30 points, dishing 17 assists, and nabbing 11 rebounds for his fifth triple-double in six games. He's launched himself into the MVP discussion by doing things no one else can do. He buried a long dagger and sunk the two free throws that officially closed the door on Toronto. The way he's playing, you have to wonder if OKC would even be in this playoff predicament at all if he hadn't missed fifteen games along with Kevin Durant. But now, the Thunder has two consecutive days off and the days will now consist of waiting and wondering whether KD will make his return. This is the stretch run.
With nineteen games remaining, the Thunder holds a one game lead over the pesky Pelicans. Up next for Oklahoma City, the Clippers on Wednesday where we'll be treated to a Chris Paul versus Russell Westbrook showdown, and perhaps the return of Kevin Durant.