A brief reminder: Oklahoma newspaper columnists aren't the only thing Russell Westbrook doesn't like. He's also not such a big fan of rims, which is why he always seems so dead-set on destroying them all the time:
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Even for as committed an explosion artist as Westbrook, this fast-break throwdown during the Oklahoma City Thunder's Sunday meeting with the Orlando Magic was pretty special. Head at the rim, the cradle-rocking pump and reverse ... I mean, even running buddy and assister Kevin Durant couldn't contain himself, leaping into the air with excitement as he trailed the play:
The runout reverse flash wasn't Westbrook's only gravity-defying highlight-reel moment during Sunday's matchup, though. Check out this tremendous mid-air transformation of a misplaced Durant lob into a no-look, over-the-shoulder, behind-the-head feed to a trailing Kendrick Perkins, who finished the break with a dunk:
... and this long-distance connection with a streaking and soaring Durant on the very next Thunder possession, less than 30 seconds later:
If all these fast-break finishes (and those numbers at the bottom of the screen) suggest to you that Oklahoma City had its way with the Magic on Sunday, well, congratulations on being so perceptive. The Thunder cruised to a 127-99 win over Orlando, turning the tables on the newly pace-pushing Magic to the tune of 26 points off 20 Orlando turnovers, a 16-8 edge in fast-break points and a +10 mark (56-46) in points in the paint.
Fresh off their impressive bounce-back win over the West-leading Golden State Warriors on Friday, the Thunder got just about everything they wanted offensively in Central Florida on Sunday and made the Magic pay dearly, especially in a first half that saw Orlando allow a franchise-high 79 points on just 44 shots. OKC's first-half shot chart has to be seen to be believed:
(If only they weren't such bums from the corner.)
The Thunder didn't make everything — defense-first shooting guard Andre Roberson airballed a free-throw, just to keep everybody humble — but it sure felt like they did, tying their season-high point total in a regulation game (which they set Friday against Golden State) while leading from wire-to-wire, building a lead that reached as high as 38 points, and regularly exploiting the Magic's utter lack of defensive resistance with plays like this split, drive and two-handed hammer from Durant:
Durant led seven Thunder players in double-figures with 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting, 11 rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block in just 27 1/2 minutes of work. Westbrook added 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting and six assists, while Serge Ibaka (4-for-8 from 3-point land, eight rebounds) and Dion Waiters (7-for-9 from the field, two assists, two steals in 21 minutes off the bench) each chipped in 16 points.
Oklahoma City reached the .500 mark for just the second time this season after beginning the campaign hamstrung by injuries to Durant, Westbrook, free-agent signing Anthony Morrow, first-round draft pick Mitch McGary and a slew of other contributors. The Thunder join their fellow Sunday winners, the New Orleans Pelicans, at 20-20, three games behind the Phoenix Suns for the No. 8 seed out West.
The never-in-doubt blowout got the Thunder off to a good start on their five-game East Coast road trip, and after the game, Westbrook offered a bit of a stance switch from his awkward Friday night stonewalling. This time, he did answer reporters' questions, but when it came to an inquiry about his soaring cuff-and-reverse, he didn't really know what to say.
"It wasn’t planned," Westbrook said after the game, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. "I didn’t know what I was going to do. That’s what happened. I just jumped and figured it out later."
Getting into the air without a plan doesn't work out for a lot of people. But Russell Westbrook — as you've probably gathered by now, for better or for worse — isn't "a lot of people," and on Sunday, that spelled bad news for the Magic.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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