Thunder vs Hawks, final score: OKC survives 4th quarter scare, defeats Atlanta 102-99

box score | Peachtree Hoops

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Atlanta Hawks on the road, 102-99. In another slightly inconsistent performance that is yet becoming consistently good enough to take down other clubs, OKC used a big 3rd quarter push to take a 14 point lead into the 4th and then barely hung on in the end. Once again, Russell Westbrook paved the way, recording his 6th triple-double (“I’m coming for you, MJ”) in a row with 32 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, and this time, only 4 turnovers. This means that, in a span of about 24 hours, Westbrook recorded 50 points, 30 rebounds, 24 assists, and two victories. (Wilt Chamberlain - “you needed TWO games to do that?”)

The Thunder were once again on point for most of the night, despite the rare letdown in the 4th quarter. As a team, 5 players finished in double-figures, they shot 46% from the floor, recorded 26 assists, and a win in the rebounding column, 43-36. Dwight Howard, the big import in the off-season, was held to only 6 points in 19 minutes of play. Then again, that might also be because of what Victor Oladipo did to Dwight:

The Hawks don’t have the firepower that they have had in past seasons due to the loss of Jeff Teague and Al Horford, but they showed that they still are a resilient bunch who can run an effective offense, but the Thunder consistently showed that they had too much talent on the interior and Westbrook playing at a level never seen before by a point guard.

Despite their advantages, the Thunder nearly gave the game away in the 4th as the Hawks stormed back into the game. OKC got a little sloppy with the ball, took too many 3’s, and before you knew it, Atlanta had the ball with 10 seconds to go and a shot to tie. Fortunately, Andre Roberson blanketed sharpshooter Kyle Korver, and Oladipo pushed Tim Hardaway beyond the arc for a long, contested three that fell way short.

Another win in the books for OKC, and their streak continues to bring them to 14-8, earning them some much needed rest to get ready for a rematch with the Rockets on Friday.

Next game: vs Houston Rockets at 7PM CST on Friday, Dec. 9.