Russell Westbrook sure picked a good time to hit a few key shots.
The Thunder point guard entered the fourth quarter on Sunday with just 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field, including 2-of-8 from beyond the arc as his team trailed by eight points.
But, Westbrook stepped up in the fourth quarter.
He recorded 12 of his 22 total points in the period, including a 3-pointer to tie the game up at 93 apiece with just 1:04 left. On the ensuing possession, Westbrook drained a 19-footer to give OKC its first lead since the 3:16 mark of the second quarter.
From there, the Thunder held on to pick up the 99-95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies to snap a four-game losing streak. The win came at a crucial time for Oklahoma City as the team begins a four-game road trip Tuesday night in Minnesota.
Playing without Paul George for the third straight game, the Thunder struggled for most of the night against a Memphis team that entered the game with a 25-39 record. The Thunder shot just 35.5 percent from the field during the game but some timely stops down the stretch gave the team a chance to win.
Dennis Schroder earned the start in place of George and recorded 17 points for the Thunder while Abdel Nader chipped in 10 of his 15 points off of the bench in the first half to help OKC keep the game within striking distance in the early going.
Steven Adams turned in another stellar game on the glass, too. The 7-footer recorded 13 points and 22 rebounds with eight of those coming on the offensive end of the floor. His 22 rebounds were just one shy of tying his career-high of 23 set earlier this season against the Sacramento Kings.
The victory certainly wasn’t a pretty one for the Thunder but a win is a win and the team will surely take it at this point of the season given its recent struggles.
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