From the tip, Chesapeake Energy Arena was lit akin to bygone playoff matches. The OKC Thunder recognizing the relevance of this game beyond Russell Westbrook‘s return fed off the crowd early jumping out to an early 20-12 lead midway through the first.
By the end of the first quarter, OKC was ahead 37-21 registering their highest-scoring opening frame this season. For a club that struggles to get off to strong starts, this felt like a precursor to what would happen over the course of the game.
Westbrook was fired up and led his team in scoring with 18 at the half joined only by James Harden who got five of his 10 points at the charity stripe.