The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to impress this preseason as Kevin Durant has slid back into the Thunder roster seamlessly, as a team performance by the Thunder ensured that this match was never in doubt.
As in their pre-season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Thunder got out to a fast start in the first quarter with their elite starting line up dominating the European powerhouse. Coming off a rough game against the Wolves, Dion Waiters stepped up for the Thunder, illustrating just how many weapons the deep Thunder roster has. Waiters finished with a game-high 19 points in just 18 minutes of action, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
The Thunder had an uncharacteristically balanced offense with Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams, and Mitch McGary all finishing with double figures. Steven Adams also looked impressive after sitting out the first game of preseason, finishing with five offensive rebounds.
For Fenerbahce, former NBA lottery pick Jan Vesely was the top scorer with 17 points. However, the team as a whole struggled to generate any consistent offense, shooting just 37.5 percent from the field.
Coming off of a win against the Brooklyn Nets just a few days prior, Fenerbahce would have been confident in their chances of repeating against the Thunder. From tip off, however, it was clear that the Thunder was not taking this game lightly as the pre-season provides a perfect forum for the team to develop and adjust to Coach Billy Donovan's style of play.
The Thunder opened the scoring with an Andre Roberson three-pointer, a positive sign for Thunder fans as Roberson, despite his elite defensive skills, has struggled mightely to find any consistency with his perimeter shot. After a quick start, Fenerbahce did take the lead briefly, but the Thunder, who finished the quarter on a 14-2 run, led 32-21. Kevin Durant finished the quarter with eight points and three assists, showing no signs of restraint or rust after sitting out the majority of last season.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter but again it was the Thunder who finished the quarter strongly to take a commanding lead into the second half. Dion Waiters scored 10 points in the final 3:22, including a deep buzzer-beater three to finish the half in style.
With so much competition for minutes at the shooting guard position, performances such as this in pre-season could see Waiters beginning the season as the Thunder's starting two guard. Following an impressive display in the first half, the Thunder went back to the changing rooms with a 58-41 lead.
It was much of the same in the second half as Fenerbahce managed to keep the deficit from increasing, only to allow the Thunder to go on another run as they scored just one point in the final 4:46 of the quarter. As Thunder fans have witnessed on many occasions, Russell Westbrook raged out of the changing rooms, scoring eight points in the first four minutes of the second half with the quickness and aggressiveness that not even NBA teams can stop. Westbrook put the exclamation point on yet another dominate quarter with a classic Westbrook dunk that rattled the rim. As the third quarter ended, the Thunder's lead had ballooned to 29 points.
By the fourth quarter, the result was a foregone conclusion and Coach Donovan went deep into his bench to provide minutes for some of the players vying for a spot on the Thunder's roster. Three of the Thunder's projected second unit; Enes Kanter, Mitch McGary and Cameron Payne all looked impressive and worked well together. This bodes well for the Thunder who has traditionally struggled to find consistent offense in the absence of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. The game ended at 111-81 with a comprehensive Thunder win.