ATLANTA – Zero-for-five shooting from the floor with three turnovers wasn’t exactly the offensive start the Thunder hoped to zoom out to on the second night of a home-road back-to-back. No matter, because the team’s defense did the work to stay in the game until a third quarter onslaught gave Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club enough cushion to hold onto victory.
It took a timely three-pointer from Victor Oladipo, a ridiculous play where Russell Westbrook bounced the ball off of Atlanta Hawks guard Thabo Sefolosha before draining a 19-foot jumper, a Westbrook and-one fadeaway jumper in the corner and then a Westbrook coast-to-coast layup, but the Thunder managed to score enough points down the stretch to force the Hawks into a desperation situation.