National Basketball Association
Oklahoma City 114, Washington 98
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, February 1, 2016
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Officials:
#44 Eli Roe, #49 Tom Washington, #60 James Williams
Attendance:
18203
By The Sports Xchange
OKLAHOMA CITY -- For Serge Ibaka, playing alongside the likes of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook means going unnoticed many nights. No matter what the 6-foot-10 power forward does, it gets overshadowed by the exploits of his teammates.
However, on a night when Westbrook collected a triple-double and Durant was the leading scorer, it was Ibaka who made the plays down the stretch to key the Thunder's 114-98 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Ibaka finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of fourth-quarter blocked shots.
"I thought Serge was great tonight," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "He scored the ball and made some shots. But I really thought he was active defensively. I thought Serge overall had a really, really great game."
Durant scored 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting to go with nine rebounds and four assists for the Thunder (37-13).
Westbrook collected his seventh triple-double of the season with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. He is now two behind league leader Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors in triple-doubles this season.
"My teammates do a great job of getting open," Westbrook said.
Oklahoma City center Enes Kanter came off the bench to score 14.
Guard Bradley Beal came off the bench to score 18 points for Washington (21-25). Center Marcin Gortat had 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and guard John Wall added 17 points and eight assists.
The Wizards were outrebounded 53-27, and they shot only 7-for-26 from 3-point range.
"We were timid from the beginning," Washington forward Jared Dudley said. "When that happens against a good team, it sets the tone. From there, we're in an uphill battle."
After leading by as much as 18, the Thunder held a 106-96 advantage with 3:15 left in the game. Ibaka hit a jumper on the next possession to push the margin back to 12.
Ibaka then came up with back-to-back blocks at the rim to keep the Wizards from getting closer.
Durant, who was visibly frustrated all night with lack of foul calls, went to the free-throw line and buried a pair to give Oklahoma City a 14-point lead. Both teams then emptied their benches.
Led by their two All-Stars, the Thunder came out firing. Durant and Westbrook were a combined 8-for-9 from the field in the first quarter. Combined with Ibaka, the trio scored 28 of the team's 36 first-quarter points as Oklahoma City led by 10.
Unlike the first time the teams met, the Wizards had the services of both Beal and center Nene, who came off the bench. Neither had much of an impact in the first half, though, as the offense ran through Wall and Gortat.
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field in the first half. However, the Thunder dominated on second-chance points 12-0, and they led 64-52 at intermission.
Washington came on strong in the second half and cut the deficit to five midway through the third quarter. However, that just seemed to only make Oklahoma City upset.
The Thunder outscored the Wizards 18-9 the rest of the quarter to take a 92-76 advantage into the fourth.
"Westbrook, Durant, they said we're not going to be shown up," Washington assistant coach Don Newman said. "And they showed us."
NOTES: Oklahoma City F Kevin Durant was selected the Western Conference Players of the Week. His league-best average of 34.7 points for the week helped the Thunder to a 3-0 record. He ranked fourth in the conference with 11.7 rebounds, contributed 4.3 assists and averaged a conference-high 40.0 minutes. It is the 22nd time in his career Durant has earned the honor and the fourth time this season. ... Wizards coach Randy Wittman was not on the bench Monday after his brother, Rick, died late Friday night in Indianapolis, the team announced. Wittman is also scheduled to miss Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors before returning for Friday's contest against the Philadelphia 76ers. ... After missing one game with concussion symptoms, Thunder G Cameron Payne was back in the lineup Monday. He scored eight points in 13 minutes. "I feel good about where he is at right now," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.
Top Game Performances
Washington |
|
Oklahoma City |
Bradley Beal 18 |
Scoring |
Kevin Durant 28 |
John Wall 8 |
Assists |
Russell Westbrook 11 |
Marcin Gortat 6 |
Rebounds |
Russell Westbrook 13 |
Jared Dudley 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Kevin Durant 8 |
John Wall 2 |
Steals |
Dion Waiters 3 |
John Wall 3 |
Blocks |
Serge Ibaka 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Washington
|
98 |
46.5 |
7-26 |
11-15 |
20 |
27 |
3 |
8 |
13 |
Oklahoma City
|
114 |
51.8 |
7-22 |
21-27 |
25 |
53 |
5 |
9 |
20 |
Upcoming Games
-
Oklahoma City will play their next game at home against Orlando. The Thunder have a W/L % of .757 after a win and .692 after a loss.
-
Washington will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Wizards have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .480 after a loss.