The Oklahoma City Thunder were playing quite well before the All-Star break, and it appears that the team has continued that stellar performance when it came back for the stretch run of the season.
In their first game back from the break on Thursday, the Thunder were facing off against the Sacramento Kings. During the first quarter, the Thunder set a franchise record in assists when they had 14 in total, with Paul George being responsible for seven of those dimes, per the team's official Twitter account.
After all the trades that brought George and Carmelo Anthony to the Thunder, there were some that thought there wasn't enough basketball to go around for the team's three stars that included Russell Westbrook. But lately, the Thunder have done a solid job of sharing the ball and playing together.
Nothing proves that notion more than their 14 first-quarter assists. That's on pace for 52 assists in one game, which is just plain silly. The assist rate will likely slow, but it's still a good indicator of things to come from this team.
Westbrook has to get some credit for the passing culture. He averaged a triple-double last season and has also had plenty of games this year in which he has recorded more than 10 assists. When there is even one player passing like that, it becomes contagious.
George is one of those players that can do everything, including pass the ball. And Anthony has proven time and time again that he can be an effective passer when he wants to be.
It appears all three of those players have galvanized the rest of the team.
Follow Us
Subscribe
