Back To Back To Back A Breeze For OKC
So much for the Thunder’s three games in three nights being some big test of endurance and mental toughness.
Not only did the Thunder become the first team this season to sweep its back-to-back-to-back set, but Oklahoma City also won by an average margin of 10 points. The Thunder led by as many as 27 on Friday against Houston and by as many as 25 on Sunday against San Antonio.
Blowout city.
When the schedule was announced, it certainly appeared Oklahoma City got a favorable draw for its three in three. Two games were at home, and the lone road trip was a 90-minute flight to Houston. Then the Thunder pounced on injury-plagued Rockets and Spurs squads and turned the triple dip into a breeze.
In the end, the head-kickings prevented some potential headaches for Thunder coach Scott Brooks. With such large leads in two of the three games, Brooks didn’t have to worry about limiting playing time to keep his players fresh. He was able to sit his starters for the entire fourth quarter twice. And that rest resulted in a preseason-like distribution of minutes over the three-game stretch.
The Thunder’s starters averaged just 25.1 minutes in the three in three. Throw in sixth man James Harden and super sub Nick Collison and the total for the Thunder’s top seven players in minutes played rises by only 0.2 minutes.
Furthermore, no Thunder player averaged more than Kevin Durant’s 30.6 minutes. Russell Westbrook logged an even 30 a night. Here’s a look at the entire top seven’s game-by-game minutes and their three-game average.
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