Gallinari, OKC deliver in clutch again
Danilo Gallinari followed the 3-point line's curve. That was where he usually did the most damage on offense. But then, Gallinari turned.
Cutting down the lane, the Thunder f orward caught a pass and threw down a dunk.
Gallinri uncharacteristically struggled from the 3- point l i ne, but he made up f or i t from other spots on the floor. That was also the blueprint for a 111-107 win Friday night at Phoenix. Gallinari paced the Thunder with 27 points, despite shooting 1-of-6 from downtown. The Thunder won despite shooting 22.6 percent from 3.
Turnovers were also an issue for the Thunder early in the game. Phoenix scored nine points off turnovers in the first half, compared to OKC's two. But the Thunder still kept the game close.
With just seconds left in the first half, a pass slipped out of center Nerlens Noel's grasp.
A game of hot potato ensued, with the cluster of Suns players around Noel tipping the ball between each other. The ball squirted out to the perimeter, and Thunder guard Chris Paul scooped it off the floor.
Paul passed the ball to Dennis Sch rod er, who launched a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Crisis averted. The shot fell through the hoop to give the Thunder a one-point lead with just nine seconds left in the first half.
OKC extended its lead in the third quarter to as many as 10 points. Halfway through the period, Gallinari lingered in the backcourt as Paul grabbed an offensive rebound. The veteran point guard picked his head up immediately to find Gallinari. Paul launched a pass to the other end of the court, where two Suns defenders closed in on Gallinari.
Gallinari hesitated to get Kelly Oubre Jr. to fly by him. Then the veteran forward drew a foul from Bridges as he tossed in a shot at the rim. GallinAri had only made one 3-point shot, but this old fashioned 3-point play gave the Thunder an eight-point lead.
But the Thunder' s poor 3- point shooting — and the Suns' efficiency from the 3-point line — began to really affect it as the Suns stormed back with a 14-2 run to close the period.
The lead changed hands three times in the fourth quarter. But the Thunder, which had already won 20 clutchtime games, closed the game strong.
With about two minutes left, Schroder drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 99 apiece.
Then, Paul made a jump shot to give the Thunder the lead.
With 25 seconds togo, Gall in ari grabbed along defensive rebound off a 3- point shot, and the Suns were forced to foul him. He again impacted the game inside the 3-point line, making two free throws to give the Thunder a 104-99 lead.
The Thunder made the mistake of fouling Devin Booker in two consecutive possessions. Then the 3 came into play again. Oubre drained a shot from deep with 9.5 seconds on the clock, cutting the Thunder's lead to one point.
The two teams traded free throws. Oubre intentionally missed his second, but he was called for a lane violation as he went for the rebound.
Gal lin ari made two free throws with 3.6 seconds, giving the Thunder a four-point lead to seal the Thunder's win.