Turnovers Doom Thunder In Loss To Atlanta

It was the same old story for the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night against Atlanta.

No, not the story about a high-flying, fast-paced scoring machine. The story about the turnover-prone team that couldn't rebound.

The Thunder gave up 12 offensive rebounds and committed 21 turnovers that led to 31 Atlanta points as the Hawks knocked off the Thunder 104-95 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Al Horford led the way for the Hawks, putting up a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Lou Williams added 19 off the bench.

Kevin Martin led the Thunder with 28 points off the bench, including a 6-for-8 performance from three-point range. Kevin Durant had his third consecutive double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and was just two assists from a triple-double.

Russell Westbrook had 14 points and nine assists, but was just 5-for-18 from the field. The lone bright spot for the Thunder was its passing, as OKC had 27 assists on 33 baskets.

The Thunder struggled out of the gate, but still managed to establish an early 16-11 lead. The Hawks responded by going on an 11-0 run, led mainly by point guard Jeff Teague. The Hawks outscored the Thunder 19-6 over the final five minutes of the first quarter, leading to a 30-22 lead after 12 minutes.

The Hawks efficient offensive play continued into the second quarter, with the Thunder helping their cause with sloppy play and several turnovers. However, Kevin Martin provided the spark off the bench the Thunder needed, scoring 22 points in the first half on 6-for-7 shooting, including 4-for-5 from three-point distance.

Atlanta refused to go away in the third quarter. After the Thunder built a 57-48 lead, the Hawks responded with an 11-2 run to tie the score at 59. After back-to-back Russell Westbrook three-pointers gave the Thunder a six-point cushion, Atlanta battled back, eventually taking a 75-74 lead at the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter was all about Hawks guard Lou Williams, who scored 14 points in the quarter, including 10 in a row for Atlanta that gave the Hawks a 91-84 lead with 4:43 remaining in the game. The Thunder cut the lead to five at 100-95, and had a chance to draw closer with 38 seconds remaining, but Westbrook missed a three-pointer, ending any last hope OKC had.

The Thunder take on Toronto at home Tuesday night, with tip time set for 7 p.m.