Chris Paul's Dominance Powers Thunder Past Nets in 111-103 Overtime Win

The Oklahoma City Thunder got back to their winning ways with a 111-103 defeat of the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Tuesday.

The 21-16 Thunder have won six of their last seven. Their five-game winning streak had been snapped in a 120-113 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. 

This contest bounced back and forth between a one-possession and two-possession game down the stretch before Thunder All-Star point guard Chris Paul hit a jumper to tie it at 101 with 47.4 seconds remaining in regulation and force overtime.

Spencer Dinwiddie missed a go-ahead free throw with 11.7 seconds left and a floater with 0.7 seconds that would have won it for the Nets. "This one's on me, for sure," Dinwiddie told reporters afterward.

Paul, the game's leading scorer, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accounted for all 10 of OKC's overtime points to secure the victory.

The 16-20 Nets have dropped seven straight outings. All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving has not played since Nov. 14 with a right shoulder injury, and Brooklyn is 12-13 without him. 

The Thunder's win came without starting forward Danilo Gallinari (right calf contusion) and reserve center Nerlens Noel (left ankle sprain). Rookie first-round pick Darius Bazley started for Gallinari.

Notable Performances

OKC G Chris Paul: 28 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

OKC G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

OKC G Dennis Schroder: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

OKC C Steven Adams: 10 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

BKN F Taurean Prince: 21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

BKN G Caris LeVert: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

BKN G Spencer Dinwiddie: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists

BKN C Jarrett Allen: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks

Chris Paul Takes Over in 4th Quarter and Overtime

Remember when it seemed imminent that the Thunder were going to trade CP3?

Good thing they didn't.

Paul scored 16 fourth-quarter points to prevent the Nets from pulling away. A prime example came midway through the final period when Brooklyn's Garrett Temple hit a three-pointer followed by a layup to give the Nets a 90-83 lead. Momentum immediately halted when Paul sunk a 26-foot three to pull OKC back within four:

The Nets should have seen it coming, especially considering Brooklyn is minus-42 in the fourth quarter of its last four games (h/t Anthony Puccio). Paul, meanwhile, has been the most clutch player in the NBA this season:

And Paul's clutch gene has affected the rest of the Thunder:

The 34-year-old nine-time All-Star has served as a veteran presence for a team averaging 25.5 years in age. His influence has been especially evident in how 21-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander has come on so far this season. 

Forbes' Shane Young wrote Monday:

"OKC's deal with Houston ensured that Gilgeous-Alexander would share backcourt duties with one of the golden basketball intellectuals of the decade. It was also vital for [general manager Sam] Presti to put his new long-term project in the best position to learn. Westbrook is still a top-20 player in the league and improves teams in a different manner than Paul, but his preferred method of attack isn’t exactly a positive fit next to a sophomore guard that needs an abundance of ball-handling reps."

Gilgeous-Alexander has developed into the Thunder's leading scorer (19.8 points per game) and complemented Paul well in overtime:

When Paul's performance was described to him as a "flashback" on the court after the game, he dismissed that there's any difference between his earlier years and now.

"The devil is a liar," he said, also touching on sharing the backcourt with Gilgeous-Alexander and 26-year-old Schroder:

Entering this game, according to HoopsHype's Bryan Kalbrosky, no team other than the league-leading 32-6 Milwaukee Bucks had won more games since Dec. 1 than the Thunder's 13.

"Paul, Gilgeous-Alexander and Schroder have played 206 minutes together so far," Kalbrosky wrote. "During that time, they have outscored opponents by a ridiculous 26.7 points per 100 possessions. Their offensive rating (125.9) has been the best in the NBA among all three-man lineups with as much playing time together."

Prior to this season, the Thunder were assumed to be entering a rebuild. Approaching the midway point, it's apparent that Paul will not let that happen.

It may be time to talk about OKC as a serious playoff contender.

Taurean Prince Provides Unexpected Scoring Spark, But Nets Continue to Sputter

Prince entered Tuesday averaging 11.9 points, ranked fifth among all Nets scorers. 

The 25-year-old forward bucketed 14 points and went 4-of-4 from three in the first quarter against the Thunder:

Outside of Prince, Brooklyn went just 6-of-27 from deep. That followed a 10-of-47 (21.3 percent) performance from three-point range in the Nets' 101-89 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night. 

Prince's hot first quarter was negated by yet another stale finish to a game by the Nets. During this losing streak, according to Field Level Media (h/t ESPN), Brooklyn has been outscored 185-145 in the fourth quarter. Entering Tuesday night, the Nets had shot 32.2 percent from the field in those fourth-quarter outings.

LeVert's slow reintegration into the rotation from a mid-November thumb surgery is partially to blame, and that came under fire down the stretch against the Thunder:

Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters LeVert's omission from overtime is "just how we operate. ... Thinking about long-term health and long-term plan."

With Irving missing his 25th game to a shoulder injury and Kevin Durant not set to make his Nets debut until next season, Brooklyn is undoubtedly playing the long game. However, something has to change immediately if the team is going to break out from a seven-game skid and set a new tone moving forward.

What's Next? 

OKC will return home from a four-game road trip to host the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Brooklyn will stay home to host the Miami Heat on Friday.