After a shaky first half, Thunder explode for 39 third quarter points.
The Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game without Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams in the lineup against the Dallas Mavericks. However, Paul George and Russell Westbrook carried the load offensively and led the Thunder to a 112-99 victory over the Mavericks on Sunday night.
Anthony missed tonight's game with a sore back and Adams missed his 2nd straight with a calf injury.
In the first half, the Thunder just did not have it going offensively. George and Westbrook specifically had rough first halves. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before a big Thunder surge against the lottery-bound Mavs, but shots would not fall. Westbrook and George shot 5-of-18 in the half and the Thunder took just a two-point lead into the locker room.
In the 3rd quarter, the Thunder turned up the defensive pressure and shots began to fall in bunches. George and Westbrook took control of the game and scored 32 points combined in the 3rd quarter.
Both guys caught fire from downtown, Westbrook connected on three 3s and George knocked down seven for the game. The Thunder led by as many as 21 in the 4th, after a three from George made the score 88-67.
The Thunder shot 50% from the field and hit a season-high 15 threes on 32 attempts. They got to the line 33 times and made 25 for 75.8% from the charity stripe. The Thunder forced the Mavs to 42% from the field and forced 20 turnovers.
George was outstanding once again tonight, scoring 37 points on 12-of-22 shooting. He also hit seven threes on 12 attempts. Westbrook (who celebrated his 29th birthday) scored 27 points with 5 assists and 6 rebounds.
Jerami Grant scored 10 points as he replaced Melo in the starting lineup. Josh Huestis knocked three treys for 9 points off the bench. Dakari Johnson was impressive in his 2nd consective start at center, knocking down both of his field goal attempts for 5 points. Patrick Patterson chipped in 7 points with 4 rebounds and is starting to look healthier by the game, especially on the defensive end.
Harrison Barnes led the Mavs with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Yogi Ferrell pitched in 18 points. Dennis Smith Jr. contributed 15 points with 5 rebounds.
The Thunder will look for their 3rd straight win on Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls.
Thunder vs Chicago Bulls
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Wednesday, 7PM cst