Steven Adams was falling down and losing control. So was the Thunder. Down by a dozen at home in the third quarter, the Thunder needed a moment of brilliance to kickstart a comeback. In a moment of quick thinking, Russell Westbrook called a timeout, giving his team a chance to regroup in the huddle, preventing an Adams turnover.
The heads-up timeout by the Thunder’s captain may not have generated a conscious response or a Knute Rockne-style speech on the sideline, but nonetheless there was a physical reaction on the court to overturn a poor defensive start. Over the ensuing 12 minutes precisely, the Thunder outscored the Orlando Magic 44-18 to turn at 12-point deficit into a 14-point lead.