NBA: Schröder shines at Thunder victory – Westbrook injured!

The Oklahoma City Thunder (5-4) could win their fifth win in a row at home against the New Orleans Pelicans (4-6). They thus extended their defeat series to six games.

MVP candidate Anthony Davis was forced to continue without his Point Guard Elfrid Payton, who was not yet ready for action due to his sprained right ankle. On the Thunder side Andre Roberson was still missing, the shooting guard tore his patella tendon.

Early in this match it should become clear who is in charge, but the Pelicans could not be written off so easily. In the first quarter the tempo was very high, especially the Western Conference Player of the Week Russell Westbrook attacked the basket aggressively right at the beginning, so we know it from him. Steven Adams supported him actively and met him three times in a row.

Dennis Schröder only entered the pitch after nine minutes, but was able to continue where Russ had left off and kept the playing speed high. After the first twelve minutes, the Thunder led 36-28, hitting 71.4 percent out of the field.

However, the Pelicans got back on track quite quickly, there was a lot of coughing on both sides and the strong physical commitment of the teams made the game worth seeing. Julius Randle took New Orleans off the bench and was their best half time scorer with 11 points. Davis hasn’t been given anything so far, but his team still managed to take the lead at the end of the first half, partly because they finally met some of their threes. Jrue Holiday also distributed 9 assists so far, while Westbrook brought 16 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists on paper.

Furthermore the duel remained exciting, the intensity was a bit high and there were some spectacular dunks of the Thunder to marvel at. Now they regained their lead, convincing with a good defense under the basket, while Adams and Paul George worked hard offensively.

Suddenly Westbrook goes down with a loud scream, Davis scores after an offensive rebound over him. The Point Guard had to be helped directly from the pitch to the changing room. Apparently he landed on the foot of Davis during the rebound attempt and folded over.

After that the party seemed to tip over quickly, but the Thunder caught up directly, Jerami Grant scorte back to back with furious transition dunks. The momentum remained on Oklahoma’s side, they were already two-digit ahead and finished the third quarter confidently with a 13:2 run.

In the last section Davis (20 points) should finally get into gear, there was again support from Randle (26 points, 8 rebounds), who stayed perfectly off the field and Holiday (22 points) with a new season best of 14 assists. But the Thunder didn’t let anything burn any more, George (23 points) got his problems with the Effizient and New Orleans on six points, but then Schröder (22 points) stepped in.

The Backup-Point Guard scored the next seven points for his team and converted two important free throws in Crunch Time. Adams finished the game with 18 points and 8 rebounds, Westbrook left the field in the third quarter with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans 122:116 (BOXSCORE)

Dennis Schröder. After Russel Westbrook had to leave the field injured, the German took the lead of the team and scored when it mattered. In the second half alone the Point Guard scored 16 points and secured the victory for the Thunder. He did not shirk responsibility, kept up the game speed and the season’s best performance of 22 points is the result.

Anthony Davis. Flop may sound a bit exaggerated with 20 points, but the Big Man never really got into the game. In Crunch Time he lacked a certain determination and the belief that he could still shoot the game. Davis also lost the ball five times and only kicked 35 percent out of the field. The worst plus/minus value with -18 speaks volumes.

Billy Donovan stayed calm after his MVP Point Guard went down injured. His team also impressed with good defense, including 15 steals, and made it difficult for Anthony Davis to get to the basket during the entire season. In addition, they defended their three-point line very well.