The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 111-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday could not have happened without the third-quarter outburst from Darius Bazley. The second-year forward scored the first 11 points of the quarter and 15 of the Thunder’s first 18 as he pushed Oklahoma City ahead 72-61 almost single-handedly.
“That was a huge spark for us in the third quarter. He came out, he was aggressive, hit a couple 3s, pushed it in transition,” Thunder big Mike Muscala said. “He’s such a skilled player, and so athletic, hard to guard. It was fun to see that for him.”
Bazley finished the night with 20 points and 12 rebounds while defending Zion Williamson much of the night.
Here are the highlights from Bazley’s third quarter:
“He’s done that recently, where he’s gone on these little flurries and gotten into a nice rhythm,” head coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s learning how to become a consistent player.”
As Daigneault referenced, this wasn’t the first time Bazley has gone on a run by himself. He scored eight straight points in the third quarter against the Miami Heat on Monday, a run that helped the Thunder cut the deficit to four before they eventually fell apart.
“We always talk about in the locker room, the first five minutes is important,” Bazley said. “It kind of sets the tone going into the second half of the game.”
While the Pelicans did catch back up, these baskets proved vital for the final outcome of the Thunder’s third victory of the season.
