Playing against the Los Angeles Lakers will always hold special meaning for Derek Fisher, but on Tuesday it also meant a chance to get back into the lineup and contribute to a win.
After playing just five minutes in Friday’s loss in Denver that snapped a three-game winning streak, then sitting out Sunday’s win over the Clippers altogether, D-Fish was back in the rotation on Tuesday and showed his old team that there’s still plenty left in the tank.
Derek scored 10 points in OKC’s 122-105 victory over the Lakers (Getty Images).
No. 6 sank 3-of-4 shots, including both of his treys to tally 10 point and also grabbed two steals in just over 18 minutes of game action as the Thunder best the Lakers 122-105. Afterward, Thunder Coach Scott Brooks among other players off the OKC bench, which produced 39 points, nine assists, 11 rebounds and three steals.
“A lot of guys stepped up. I thought Brewer’s minutes were good. Hash’s (Thabeet) were good. Fish made big shots, Reggie was really good finishing around the basket and he got the nice dunk.”
Thanks to outstanding first quarter play by starters Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, who combined for 24 points in the opening frame, the Thunder already led by seven when Fish checked in with 3:38 to play in the frame. Late in the quarter he stole a Jodie Meeks pass and forced Steve Blake to foul to take away a fast break bucket. Derek’s free throws put OKC up 12 and they led by nine after one.
Oklahoma City pushed that lead in the second and when D-Fish knocked down a trey with under eight minutes left in the half, it staked the Thunder to a 15-point lead. OKC carried a double-digit lead for almost the entirety of the second frame and led by 16 at halftime.
Derek’s value showed up on the stat sheet and in the smaller things (Getty Images).
LA mounted a bit of a comeback in the third, getting the lead as low as six and entered the fourth down by just eight. But Fish stole the ball from Dwight Howard just 15 seconds in and was rewarded at the other end when Durant found him for a 18-footer to push the lead back to 10. Just over a minute later, Derek added a huge trey that put the Thunder up by 13 and though the Lakers cut the deficit as low as five with over six minutes to go, Oklahoma City ended the game on a 12-0 run to win going away.
“I think our bench was really good tonight,” Durant said. “Fish came in and made some good shots, Reggie was great on the pick and roll, Hasheem had a really great game, so our bench was really good and gave us the lift we needed when the first group struggled a little bit. It was a good win.”
While D-Fish did stuff the stat sheet with his 10 points and 7 percent shooting, it was the little things Derek did on Tuesday that caught the attention of Oklahoman Thunder beat man Darnell Mayberry:
Fisher does so many little things that you can see why any coach would be comfortable with throwing him out there. Even at 38. When the ball is on the opposite side, Fisher sags off Jodie Meeks and sandwiches Dwight Howard. When Westbrook needs some space from Kobe, Fisher flattens him with a screen. When Howard catches it deep in the paint, Fisher is there to strip it as soon as he turns toward the rim. All those little plays add up.
NEXT UP
The Thunder are back in action on Thursday night as they make the trip East to New York to face the Knicks for the first time this season.
Tip-off from Madison Square Garden is slated for 7 p.m. CST and the game can be seen on TNT.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Thunder Hold Off Lakers’ Charge (The Associated Press, March 5, 2013)
- Game in Review: Thunder vs. Lakers (OKC Thunder, March 5, 2013)
- Westbrook Scores 37 as Thunder downs Lakers (The Oklahoman, March 6, 2013)
- OKC routs Lakers at home, 122-105 (Welcome to Loud City, March 6, 2013)
- Rapid Reaction: Oklahoma City Lights Up the Lakers (The Oklahoman, March 5, 2013)
- Thunder Rumblings: Thunder 122, Lakers 105 (The Oklahoman, March 6, 2013)
- Thunder Stave Off Desperate Lakers, 122-105 (Daily Thunder, March 5, 2013)
- Thunder Bench Makes a Big Difference (The Oklahoman, March 6, 2013)
You are pathetic…How do you feel about being a ring chaser ? You don’t want to play for the Mavs because they are not contenders.. So you make up a lame excuse not to play for them. Now that the season is almost over you join the Thunder to try and get number 6….Fish save your reputation and retire instead of trying to win an undeserving ring that will not count .Stop riding the coat tails of Westbrook and Durant to try and one up Kobe because even if the Thunder win the title no one will ever give you credit for it. Thank Kobe and Shaq for the 5 you have gifted to u already you pathetic no class loser.