ATLANTA – It wasn’t due to a hot shooting night or a cavalcade of fast break points off of turnovers, but with under three minutes remaining, the Thunder had managed to claw back from a 16-point deficit to take its first lead since 2-0.
Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club thought it had pulled off a dramatic comeback to kick off a two-game road swing, but the Atlanta Hawks had other ideas, using an 8-0 run in the final two minutes to hold on for a 106-100 victory.
On the back of Russell Westbrook’s 17 fourth quarter points, out of a total of 26 for the Thunder as a whole, Donovan’s group grinded its way to made baskets and free throws to keep the scoreboard moving.