Kevin Durant scores on layup during Game 3 against Houston. He finished with 41 in the game, including a crucial 3-pointer that gave the Thunder the lead in the final minute.
Without Westbrook, Oklahoma City staggers to the finish line of a Game 3 win
After time expired at Houston’s Toyota Center on Saturday night, Oklahoma City guard Derek Fisher said this to a Fox Sports Oklahoma reporter: “This was a big win. We’ll leave it to the critics to talk about how it happened.” For the first time since the team moved to Oklahoma in 2008, the Thunder played a basketball game without All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook.
In Game 3 of a best-of-seven, NBA Western Conference first-round series against Houston, OKC squandered every bit of a 26-point lead, but the Thunder escaped with a 104-101 victory. Kevin Durant converted on the game’s biggest shot – a top-of-the-key 3-pointer that bounced high off of the back of the rim, then bounced on the rim twice more before splashing through the net to give OKC a 100-99 lead with 36.9 seconds left.
During the final 12 seconds, Fisher and Reggie Jackson each connected on two free throws. The Rockets had a chance to tie, but Carlos Delfino misfired on a last-second 3-point attempt. In advance of Monday’s Game 4, OKC has a 3-0 series lead. In NBA history, no team has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.
Thunder at its best: The first quarter
Saturday’s first quarter was among Oklahoma City’s best quarters of the entire season. After the Rockets bolted to 9-3 lead, the Thunder answered with 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Kevin Martin and Durant were good on late 3-pointers, lifting OKC to a 39-19 lead. The total of 39 points tied Oklahoma City’s high for a quarter this season. The Thunder shot 62 percent from the field overall and Durant had 17 points. In bench points, the Thunder had a 12-0 advantage.
Thunder at its worst: The third quarter
During the third period – after having led by 26 points during the first half and by 17 (66-49) at halftime, Oklahoma City was outscored 27-14 and shot 5-of-25 from the field. During one particularly dismal possession, Thabo Sefolosha had the ball about 28 feet from the basket. His teammates did nothing to make themselves available for a pass, so Sefolosha wound up hoisting and missing on a deep 3-point attempt. Durant had a final total of 41 points, but he scored only two during the third period while Houston’s James Harden scored 11. During the third quarter, Durant and Serge Ibaka were a combined 3-of-13 from the field.
Player of the game
Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant scored a playoff career-high total of 41 points and collected 14 rebounds. As he played for the first time without teammate Russell Westbrook in a postseason contest, Durant was on the court for all but 44 seconds.
Turning point
With 45 seconds left, Francisco Garcia was good on a 3-point shot, giving Houston a 99-97 advantage. At that point, OKC was only 2-of-12 on 3-pointers in the second half. But instead of driving for a tying 2-point basket, Durant knocked down one of the more significant shots of the Thunder season – a 3-pointer that gave OKC a 100-99 lead with 36.9 seconds left.
Looking ahead
The series stays in Houston for Game 4, scheduled for Monday at 8:30 p.m. and televised on TNT-29. If a Game 5 is necessary, it would be played in OKC on Wednesday.
Three in the key
Reggie Jackson’s big free throwsIn his first playoff start, second-year Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson played 25 minutes and totaled 14 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 on free throws. With eight seconds left and the Thunder leading by one point, Jackson coolly swished two free throws. To replace Westbrook in the starting lineup, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said, “is not an easy task in a playoff game. It’s a great testament to (Jackson’s) character.”
Derek Fisher a contributor
As Kevin Martin and Nick Collison were a combined 5-of-20 on shots of the field, 38-year-old point guard Derek Fisher was the most efficient of Oklahoma City’s bench players. Fisher was 3-of-6 overall from the field, scoring nine points in 24 minutes. And with 12.5 seconds left, he also connected on two important free throws. “Fish stepped up tonight,” Brooks said. “He made timely plays. Him and Reggie did a great job of manning that position.”
Ibaka responds with big performance
Durant clearly was the player of the game, but Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka deserves honorable mention. Ibaka had Game 3 totals of 17 points and 11 rebounds (seven of which were grabbed at the offensive end). With 1:25 left to play, and with the shot clock about to expire, OKC’s Kevin Martin drove into the lane and dished the basketball to Ibaka. Converting on a twisting, awkward layup, Ibaka gave Oklahoma City a 97-94 lead.
