Westbrook did the same, taking just four shots to four assists in the first quarter, opening the game with back-to-back assists to Steven Adams. “I try not to come into a game and say, “All right, I’ve got to score 30 points” or ‘I’ve got to get 10 assists.’ I’ve just got to play how the game is being played and see what happens”.
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Kevin Durant’s triple-double saw the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association on Thursday.
The Thunder out-rebounded the Hawks by a decisive 52-34 margin on the night, and while their shooting cooled, OKC still knocked down almost 49% of their field goal attempts including better than 50% from beyond the arc.
For Atlanta, reserve Kent Bazemore’s 22 points led the way. One player who has been consistently good is power forward Paul Millsap, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds against Dallas for his sixth double-double in the last 10 games and 11th of the season.
Forward Durant shot eight-of-14 from the field en route to 25 points, and added 10 assists and 12 rebounds in front of a crowd of 18,200 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Later in the quarter, the Hawks were able to slash the advantage back to one at 76-75, but the Thunder closed the period with seven straight points and an 83-75 lead was their prize.
Oklahoma City opened a 69-51 lead less than four minutes into the third, causing Memphis to call timeout. Yet the Thunder regained control and managed to get the lead back up to double digits in the final minutes of the fourth. Later in the quarter, Durant pulled in a defensive rebound, then dribbled up the court and pulled up to make a transition 3-pointer that made it 95-85. I think they understand that in order to do that they’ve got to make the people around them better. “At times, we weren’t playing that well, and Oklahoma City was playing at a very high level”. But there’s little doubt that Durant and Westbrook can carry a heavy load, because they’ve proven it time and time again.
Bazemore posted the fourth-highest scoring total of his career, and his second-best of the season.
QUOTABLE: Center Al Horford, on Bazemore: He kept us in the game with his aggressiveness. “It’s fun seeing the game slow down for you, things start to get really fun”. “He stepped up, he was solid for us, and that allowed us to come out in the second half and be more competitive”.
Thunder: Durant presented a $35,000 check on Wednesday to Positive Tomorrows to fund the school’s kitchen renovation project.
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Look for Oklahoma City to try and return the favour while the Hawks go for the series sweep away from home. Westbrook and Durant, two of the league’s top six scorers, combined for six assists before either scored a basket.
