|
 And the Thunder had more than enough volunteers to get the job done.
Kyle Singler, D.J. Augustin and Anthony Morrow all hit 3-pointers
during a 13-0 Oklahoma City run early the fourth quarter Sunday, and
the Thunder held the Suns to 35 second-half points to win going
away, 109-97.
"We played a scrappy brand of basketball," Thunder coach Scott
Brooks said. "We have to do that. We're short-handed. We have a lot
of good players (Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison) who are
out. That first half, we played too relaxed. If you do that, you get
beat.
"But then we fought for every loose ball, we fought for every pass,
we started making some threes, and that was the ballgame."
The Thunder (42-32) trailed 54-34 with 6:27 left in the first half,
but tjey outscored Phoenix 75-43 the rest of the way to complete
their largest comeback of the year. The win moved them four full
games ahead of the Suns (38-36) and kept them 2 1/2 games ahead of
the New Orleans Pelicans in the fight for the eighth and final
Western Conference playoff spot.
Guard Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 33 points, but he
scored just four in the fourth quarter and was on the bench resting
when his teammates took control of the game. Center Steven Adams had
a huge game with 13 points and 16 rebounds, his fourth straight
double-double.
"Once they got up, we made the decision to defend or go home," said
Westbrook, made only 10 of 29 shots from the floor but contributed
nine rebounds and seven assists. "It was great to sit there and
watch guys make huge shots -- D.J., A-Mo, Kyle -- that really fueled
our run.
"It was a huge game, and we played with a mindset as if the playoffs
were today. That's what we need to do for the rest of the season."
With a small lineup on the floor, Morrow, a guard, hit two
3-pointers and forward Singler and guard Augustin one each to turn
an 83-82 Suns lead into a 95-83 Thunder advantage with 6:45 left.
Augustin finished with 19 points, and guard Dion Waiters scored nine
of his 18 in the third quarter. The Thunder shot 4-for-14 from
3-point range in the first three quarters but hit six of 12 in the
fourth quarter to put the game away.
"We were able to leave the guys on the floor that were playing well,
and we caught a rhythm," Singler said. "We were knocking down shots
and getting stops on defense. That small lineup was good for us. We
had to do it out of necessity, and it opened up the floor for our
playmakers.
The Suns scored 62 points in the first half but managed just 13
baskets and 35 points in the second half. Forward Markieff Morris
had 24 points to lead the Suns, but he scored only four in the
second half as Phoenix all but gave away its last chance to stay in
the postseason race.
"They made five threes in a row, contested," Morris said. "We were
up 20 points. When you get up like that, you've got to really crush
them, and we didn't do it. It's been happening all year. We have to
find a way to finish teams off.
"We just have to stick together and finish the season strong. We're
still not out of it. Anything is possible. Just got to keep
fighting."
Rookie forward T.J. Warren had 18 points, and forward Marcus Morris
and guard Eric Bledsoe had 15 each for the Suns, who lost guard
Brandon Knight when he re-injured his right ankle in the third
quarter.
[to top of second column] |
"We were good in the first half. We really moved the ball," Suns
coach Jeff Hornacek said. "Then for whatever reason, we looked like
we ran out of gas. We had turnovers and they were getting easy
baskets. I don't know if the guys felt demoralized when that
happened, but you've got to keep playing.
"We've had stretches all year when we miss two or three (shots) and
all of sudden it becomes five, eight, 10, 12 and guys are tentative
about shooting."
Markieff Morris got the Suns off to a fast start, scoring the first
11 Phoenix points in 2:26. He finished with 16 points in the
quarter, and his dunk off a Marcus Morris feed gave the Suns a 21-10
lead.
Westbrook was just the opposite. He picked up a technical foul 57
seconds into the game, missed his first five shots from the field
and finished 2-for-9 in the quarter.
Up 35-24 after one quarter, the Suns outscored Oklahoma City 19-10
in the first 5:33 of the second quarter and pushed their lead to
54-34 on two Marcus Morris free throws.
However, Westbrook finished the half with a flourish. He scored
Oklahoma City's final 15 points, starting with a 3-pointer and
ending with a 14-foot jumper to pull the Thunder within 62-54 at the
half. He finished the half with 23 points but needed 19 shots to get
them.
The Suns missed 17 of 24 shots in the third quarter, while Waiters
had nine points for the Thunder and capped a 16-6 run with a
fastbreak layup to tie the game at 71. Westbrook was 2-for-7 in the
quarter, but his teammates were 7-for-13, and Oklahoma City trailed
just 79-76 heading to the final 12 minutes.
NOTES: Phoenix G Brandon Knight played for the first time since
spraining his left ankle March 9. He scored six points in 16 minutes
before he was re-injured. ... Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks on
having C Steven Adams face athletic players such as Suns F Markieff
Morris and F Marcus Morris with several Thunder big men injured: "We
have no other choice right now," Brooks said. "Steven is going to
have to learn how to guard perimeter players while we're down a few
guys. These are all new experience for him, (but) I think he's done
a pretty good job." ... The Suns were struggling offensively, but
their defense was strong over the previous six games. Phoenix held
opponents to an average of 91.7 points per game, and its 93.4 points
allowed per 100 possessions over that span was the best in the NBA.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
