By Paris Lawson | Broadcast and Digital Reporter | okcthunder.com
Atlanta took the reins early in the ball game behind its high-powered offense. Though the Hawks built up a comfortable lead in the first two quarters, OKC rerouted at halftime and outscored Atlanta by nine points in the second half. Both of OKC’s rookie two-way players in Lindy Waters III and Olivier Sarr posted career nights in scoring as the Thunder dished out over 30 assists for the second consecutive night.
Atlanta’s High-Powered Offense
The Hawks’ offense played as advertised from the jump against the Thunder on Wednesday night. After jumping out to a 14-2 advantage in the opening minutes of the game, the number three offense in the league hardly looked back for the rest of the night.
Atlanta poured in 40-plus points in each of the first two frames to build up a lead of as many as 34 points. The 3-point line and transition played the biggest roles in fueling Atlanta’s offense in addition to leading scorer Trae Young who poured in 30 points by halftime.
“I thought we let them get comfortable early in the game and it took us a long time to get some traction after that,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. “Just the focus to start the game, get back and have a high sense of urgency against that team that we didn’t have.”
While OKC didn’t keep pace with the Hawks in terms of scoring, the team did go toe-to-toe from behind the 3-point line throughout the night. In the first half, the Thunder drained 10 3-pointers behind the efforts of Thunder rookie two-way Lindy Waters III cashed in four of his own. Meanwhile, Atlanta drained 12.
By the end of the night, OKC shot 41 percent from the 3-point line and logged 17 triples while the Hawks made 18.
Though the Thunder fell behind early, the team ran through the finish line in the second half. The Thunder outscored Atlanta 31-30 in the third frame and even shaved its 34-point margin down to 14 points in the fourth quarter thanks to an extended 21-9 run in the final minutes. By the end of the game, OKC fell by 18 but outscored Atlanta by nine points in the second half.
“We made some corrections at halftime defensively in the pick and roll game,” said Thunder forward Aleksej Pokuševski. “Just playing the whole game to the end.”
For the night, the Thunder shot at an efficient 47-percent clip from the field and cashed in 17 3-pointers. The efficient scoring numbers came as a result of the style that the Thunder worked to play with offensively which hinges greatly on ball movement.
Oklahoma City dished out 31 assists for the night which marks the second consecutive game with 30-plus assists for the first time in three years for the Thunder. Aleksej Pokuševski and Théo Maledon led the way with eight dimes a piece, but all eight Thunder player registered at least one for the night.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” said Pokuševski. “We understand that when we play like that, we have a chance to score easier and more efficient.”
Thunder rookie two-way rookie Lindy Waters III got out to a hot start offensively against the Hawks. The Norman native posted 14 points at halftime with four made 3-pointers. By the end of the night, Waters III logged a career-high with 25 points as well as a career high seven made 3-pointers on 13 attempts.
The effort marked Waters’ third consecutive game with four or more made 3-pointers making him the first rookie in OKC history to do so.
“At this point in the season we’re looking for like relevance and I thought the shots he got tonight were relevant,” said Daigneault. “Obviously he had a loud night because he made seven, but it’s been impressive that he’s been ticking up his attempts without sacrificing quality it means he’s moving and finding those shots.”
Thunder rookie two-way center Olivier Sarr also logged a career high with 17 points on an efficient 6-for-9 from the field. The 7-footer demonstrated not only his ability around the rim, but also his ability to face up on his catch and shoot over his opponent.
“The face up game, that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing in college for a long time,” said Sarr. “It’s just something that I have in my game, and I thought that tonight was a good opportunity to use it and it went in so I felt pretty good.”
“He had a nice night tonight offensively finished some plays, made a couple shots, but it doesn’t deter his style of play,” said Daigneault. “I think that’s a sign of a mature player and it’s impressive that he’s a young player that can kind of keep his head on straight when he’s having a good night like that or when he’s having a bad night.”
A couple of Oklahoma natives and former teammates took the court against each other on Wednesday night. Former Oklahoma Sooner Trae Young and former Oklahoma State guard Lindy Waters III faced off in Paycom Center. The two locals both grew up in Norman and even attended the same high school, Norman North where they were teammates.
On Wednesday night, the duo put on a show in front of their hometown crowd combining for 66 points and leading their respective teams in scoring. After the game, the two embraced and caught up before returning back to the locker room.
“It was a cool moment for sure,” said Waters III. “Two kids from Norman, meeting back up in the league, it’s amazing.”
“We have a really good relationship with our fans and the state and obviously our fan base is taken to Lindy because of the local dynamic there and I know Trae Young coming back is a big deal for fans of basketball in Oklahoma,” said Daigneault. “So I think it’s great for the state and great for those two guys.”
“Competing, helping the team win the game, that’s the main focus for us and it showed. That’s why we get 30 assists in the game, we enjoy playing with each other. We got a chance to play with each other in the G-League for most of us and the coaching staff is really helping and talking a lot to us.”
—Thunder forward Olivier Sarr on the Thunder’s mentality
The Thunder will have a day of practice on Thursday before its second matchup of its four-game homestand. The team will host another Eastern Conference opponent in the Detroit Pistons on Friday before welcoming the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.