Thunder wins! Now 6-1, 4-0 at home. 400th win since starting in OKC in 2008. #ThunderBasketball pic.twitter.com/DDiGx4D7ln — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2016

The Thunder picked up a 97-85 win over the Miami Heat tonight to earn their sixth win of the season. The team is now 4-0 at home this year, and earned their 400th win since the franchise moved here in 2008. The 6-1 record is the best start to a season in franchise history.

Oklahoma City proved once again tonight that they can play unselfish team basketball. The Thunder had four guys in double-digit scoring led by Enes Kanter who had 24 points. The team got off to one of the best offensive starts of the season, but gave up too much on defense in the first quarter. After a bit of a rough start, the team made up for it by having the best defensive outings of the season. OKC never lost the lead after starting off down 2-0.

Team Ball

This game tonight was a thing of beauty for Thunder fans who have watched this team live or die by one or two players over the last eight years. Not only did the team have four guys in double-digits tonight, three of those guys had over 15 points. Domantas Sabonis had an amazing night with 15 points, all which came by 3’s. The win tonight is credited to this team as a whole, as nearly everyone contributed in one way or another.

Having big nights like this as a team is not only good for taking the load off of Westbrook’s back, but it’s also good for his mentality going forward. Russ needs to know that he can trust the guys around him to pick up some of the slack. When everyone is playing well together, this is one of the most entertaining basketball teams I’ve ever watched.

Bench Comes Up Huge

The Thunder bench came up huge tonight scoring a combined 40 points. Enes Kanter proved just how much he is worth, recording another double-double and shooting an outstanding 10-12 from the floor.

Semaj Christon found a way to make an impact on this game even though his shooting wasn’t there. Despite only having two points, he recorded 6 assists and had four rebounds. Christon’s ability to distribute the ball was a huge key in the success of the bench.

Alex Abrines 👌! He’s scored 5 in 2 minutes. #ThunderUp. pic.twitter.com/aexPTRrLXz — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2016

Defense Shines

Oklahoma City looked great as a team tonight on defense as they held Miami to just 37% shooting. The Heat shot only 24% from beyond the arc, which is huge for the Thunder perimeter defense as it has been an area of struggle for this team in the past. The team came up with 8 steals tonight led by Roberson and Adams who each had three. If they can keep this pace on defense throughout the year, the Thunder should find themselves on the up side of the scoreboard a majority of games.

Up Next

The Thunder will be back in action next against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. The game will take place here in Oklahoma City and will tip-off at 7:00 PM CST. It will be televised on FSOK and broadcast on the radio at WWLS 98.1 FM.

Article written by Craig Hofeld. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram.