Oladipo shines, Sabonis struggles in return to OKC

Domantas Sabonis would have time after the game for his hellos.

The former Thunder forward greeted a couple of coaches before his Indiana

Pacers played at Chesapeake

Energy Arena, but small talk with his former teammates would have to wait until after Oklahoma City’s 114-96 win.

“I was on the Thunder,” Sabonis said before the game. “I know how they roll. They don’t say hi to people. I’m not gonna go up there and get denied.”

That might not have gone over well, but Sabonis and

Victor Oladipo — traded to Indiana in the June deal that brought Paul George to Oklahoma City — got a warm greeting from the fans at The Peake when they were introduced with the Pacers’ starting lineup.

And then Oladipo did his best to upset the fans who cheered that introduction. He finished with 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting, making 5 of 8 3-pointers and all eight of his free-throw attempts.

It was the latest in a string of strong games against the Thunder for Oladipo, who in his Orlando Magic career averaged 22 points per game against OKC, still his best scoring average against any opponent.

The return might have been easier for the more seasoned Oladipo. He had been on the opposite side in the building before, dressing in the visitors’ locker room during his days with Orlando.

It was more jarring for Sabonis, whose only previous NBA season came as a rookie with the Thunder.

He said he’d “never seen” the visitors’ locker room before, and his play was out of sorts. He had 11 rebounds but finished with four points on 1-for-9 shooting. He’d entered the game shooting 72.4 percent from the floor.

And unlike Sabonis, Oladipo was comfortable enough to greet a former teammate. He chatted with longtime friend

Jerami Grant, he said, before the game.

It was “different,” Oladipo said, to be back with a new team, but he and Sabonis are settling in nicely in a new home. Oladipo entered Wednesday night averaging 23.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Sabonis was averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds.

“It’s been great,” Oladipo said. “They’ve been definitely welcoming, been treating me well. And I went (to Indiana) for school, so it’s a lot of familiar faces, a lot of familiar places. It’s been a great experience.”

Free throws foul

Despite a 28-point, 10-rebound, 16-assist triple-double

Russell Westbrook wasn’t without his shortcomings on Wednesday. He made 6 of 10 free throws, part of an 18-for26 night at the line by the Thunder, which entered the game last in the NBA in free-throw percentage at 66.7 percent.

Westbrook, a career 82.2 percent free-throw shooter entering Wednesday, is 16 of 28 from the line this season, 57.1 percent. He said it’s in part due to a new NBA delay-of-game rule that results in a penalty for free-throw shooters who walk behind the 3-point line between attempts.

“I usually shoot it and walk back behind the 3, and I’m not allowed to do that because of this new rule,” Westbrook said. “I been doing that (expletive) since high school. I just got to figure it out and figure out a different routine where I can take some time and take a deep breath and figure it out. But I’ll be all right.”

Rotation shakeup

Rookie Terrance Ferguson was cleared to play against the Pacers after missing the Thunder’s game on Sunday with a sprained ankle. But Billy Donovan opted to use

Josh Huestis in the first half.

With George limited by foul trouble, Huestis played a career-high 25 minutes, mostly at perimeter positions.

Donovan said he opted not to play Ferguson in part because he was limited in Tuesday’s practice, and he didn’t want to put the rookie, who’s played well early this season, into an uncomfortable situation.

He said Huestis has “really earned” additional playing time and “gave us some good minutes,” finishing with three points and three rebounds.