Thunder use runs of 17-0 and 13-0 to beat Heat 128-120

 (AP)

At 25-11, Oklahoma City is off to its best 36-game start since 2015-16 — a season when Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder wound up making the West finals.

“What's put us in this position is we've improved continuously,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We prepare for the next game. We execute as best we can. We do our best. We compete together. We understand it's not perfect and then we learn from the good, the bad. And we just rinse and repeat that 82 times ... wherever that lands us.”

I like everything he said there.

“I think it was around the third quarter, the start of the fourth, we had a really big run defensively,” Williams said. “I think that kind of turned the tide in the game.”

I love that. Spo loves that.


Miami used its 20th different starting lineup of the season, in only 37 games. Jimmy Butler (toe, foot) and Caleb Martin (ankle) remained out, and Kyle Lowry was out with the sprained left hand that he suffered Monday night against Houston.

That was an odd starting lineup.

Miami led 69-65 after a statistically odd first half, one where the Thunder shot 69.2% and didn’t lead. History said that shouldn’t have happened.

Since…1996-97, there had been 130 instances of a team shooting 69.2% or better in a first half —…but trailed at the break anyway.
 

I like everything about OKC. They have the culture. They are going to win multiple titles with it.