The game tonight was back and forth, even though the Thunder rarely gave up the lead during the course of the game. Several times the Pacers took the lead back but the Thunder kept Indiana far away enough towards the end of the game to secure the win.
David West scored 10 quick points to keep the game close in the first quarter, ending in the Thunder leading 25-22. Kevin Martin would hit a few shots and free throws and then the real fun would begin. Kevin Martin would go on to score 20 points in the quarter, going 4 of 5 from the field, 3 of 4 from the arch, and 7-8 from the line all within 11 minutes spread over the two quarters. Indiana would keep up with the Thunder, however, trailing only 1 at half time, 57-56
The Thunder and the Pacers would go back and forth for most of the 3rd quarter, with Indiana and Oklahoma City trading baskets and the lead, with Indiana ahead for a few minutes during the 3rd. The game would then fall into a miss festival, with a two minute period where neither team made a shot and the score stayed at 79-72 until late in the 3rd quarter when both teams would make shots, ending the quarter at 82-74.
The game would stay close for most of the forth quarter, with the Pacers staying within 3-4 points until 6 minutes into the quarter, when the Thunder started to press the pace. With Russell Westbrook hitting several shots in a row and Kevin Durant adding to the late scoring, the Thunder would break the lead open to 11 where it would stay for a 104-93 Thunder win.
The Thunder shot fairly well, regardless of Kevin Durant's "off night", shooting nearly 50% from the field and 83% from the line. However the Thunder would shoot horrendously from outside the arch, with KD going 1-5 from the arch, Russell going 1-3 and the team shooting 5-19 (26%). The Thunder rebounded well, however, out-rebounding the Pacers 40 to 36. Oklahoma City took care of the ball tonight, keeping their turnovers to 9.
Oklahoma City's defense was sparse at times tonight, letting the whole starting 5 score 10+ points and letting the Pacers make runs throughout the game, keeping the game close until the end. The Thunder showed strength late in the game, though, holding the Pacers to 5 points in the last 6 minutes and effectively stemming the threat from Indiana.
Analysis: Scott Brooks will continue confuse me and aggravate with by being completely stubborn with his rotations. Kevin Martin looked sure to go off for 30-35+ points tonight, having one of his signature games of his Thunder tenure. However, Scott brooks subbed him out for a cold Westbrook, who struggled to get his shot going till late in the game. Scott Brooks would then proceed to leave Martin out until later in the 3rd quarter which would effectively leave Martin cold and prevent him from continuing the scoring mark that he was headed for in the 1st half. People can argue all they want about the non-existence of being "cold" but when you leave shooter that relies so much on rhythm, taking said player out of the game for a large amount of time will destroy the rhythm and prevent the player from getting back into the rhythm. Fortunately, Scott Brooks and his stubborn nature did not negatively effect the team, but Scott Brooks will need to learn to be more free with his rotations if he wants to compete for championships against coaches who have no problem leaving the player with the "hot" hand in. The Thunder won their 8th straight game and equaled the best record in the NBA, so all is well. The Thunder play New Orleans and Sacramento in their next two games, and barring any rare losses to teams well under the Thunders elite nature, Oklahoma City will play San Antonio in the Chesapeake Arena riding a 10-game winning streak. Gotta love it.
DNP: DeAndre Liggins.
Tulsa 66ers: Daniel Orton, Jeremy Lamb, and Reggie Jackson all played for the D-league affiliate of the Thunder tonight, the Tulsa 66ers. The 66ers won tonight 109 to 98 with Orton Lamb, and Reggie scoring 18, 12, and 20 respectively.
Player of the Game: Kevin Martin. Regardless of his lack of playing time in the 2nd quarter, Kevin Martin was smoking hot from the field. Martin would end up going 7-12 from the field, 3 of 6 from the arch, and 7-8 from the line. Martin registered 24 points and the second-best plus/minus for the Thunder, second only to the plus/minus master, Nick Collison.
Stat of the Game: 83%. The Thunder once again shot over 82% from the line tonight, going 25-30. The Thunder are the best free throw shooting team in the league and showed as much tonight against the Pacers.
Next Game: The Thunder play the Hornets for the 3rd time this season in the Chesapeake Arean on Wednesday, December 12. The game is @ 7PM CT, and you can watch the game on Fox Sports Oklahoma or listen to the game on WWLS The Sports Animal.
(Credit: ESPN Stats and Information)
( Credit; Layne Murdoch | NBAE via Getty Images)
I think you are very solid already but maybe find a recap guy at one of the major networks and look at a set of their work and ask if there is anything he does that you what to emulate. Just an option that might be worth the effort.
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