Thunder Views: Windmills, Cardi B, and Terrance Ferguson - a Wednesday Night in L.A.

Wednesday night had it all. The Thunder shot 60%, Terrance Ferguson was dunking all over the Staples Center, and Mark Jackson was quoting Cardi B mid-broadcast. It was tremendous.

Speaking of tremendous, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony continued to flow well together as they combined for 65 points on 27/45 shooting. The trio played 28, 27, and 27 minutes, respectively. Steven Adams finished with 12 points, 6 boards, and 3 blocks of his own in just 26 minutes. These four playing under 30 minutes each is extremely beneficial in the front-end of a back-to-back.

Defeating the Lakers 133-96 is a great way to snap the 2-game skid, but the numbers behind it were equally as satisfying. The Thunder shot 60.2% from the field, 46.7% from beyond the arc, had 36 assists (compared to their season average of 20.7 APG), forced 17 turnovers, and outscored L.A. 66-44 in the paint.

Those numbers are great and all, but I’d be remiss if we didn’t focus on Terrance Ferguson.

Spotlight

Ferguson got the start in place of the injured Andre Roberson, and the rookie made it count. The 19-year-old finished with a career-high 24 points on 9/12 shooting, including 6 threes. This all took place in the second half.

He showcased his freakish hops in the fourth quarter as he started dunking all over the place. It was amazing. I really don’t know how else to explain it. The bench was going absolutely insane, while Ferguson was disrespecting the Staples Center rims. My words can’t really do it justice, so I’ll put some highlights below.

First there was this:

Then we had this:

Followed by his reaction:

With Roberson still nursing his left knee for at least two more games, Ferguson seems to have a nice opportunity to pick up where he left off last night.

Quick Rumbles

• Westbrook finished with 20-6-12 (10/17 FG), while George and Anthony had 24 (9/14) and 21 (8/14), respectively.
• Last night was the largest margin of victory (37 points) for the Thunder this season.
• Ferguson received plenty of praise from the OKC bench:

• He also wanted to look like Carmelo Anthony when he was a kid:

• Russ debuted his signature shoe last night. They did not disappoint.

• Mark Jackson quoted Cardi B lyrics during the fourth quarter of last night’s broadcast on ESPN. For a blowout, this game remained entertaining until the very end (though Lakers fans were not amused).

A Look Ahead

OKC will be back at the Staples Center tonight as they face off against the Clippers on TNT. Roberson will be out once again, and after Ferguson’s performance on Wednesday, one would assume he’d be back in the starting five again tonight.