3 Takeaways From OKC Thunder's Stunning 4th Quarter Comeback Past Miami Heat

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn't seem in position to make a comeback over the Miami Heat Wednesday night. But then again, who's to count the Thunder out in situations like these?

After a staggering 24-0 run to start the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City was able to comeback from a 93-83 deficit to take an eventual 115-101 win. That brought it to a league-best 44-9 record and yet another stamp on a dominant regular season campaign.

It was far from the Thunder's prettiest win of the season — it put itself in a tough position after the first quarter, and the Miami Heat are far from a threat — but its ability to consistently come out with wins despite adversity is a big strength. Without Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, some key pieces stepped up in their place.

Even this far into the season, Oklahoma City finds ways to impress. This was debatably one of its most compellling wins thus far.

Here are three takeaways from the 14-point victory:

A Remarkable Fourth Quarter

Last night was won and lost by the fourth quarter. While the Thunder is used to finding ways to pull off comeback wins, this was the most astonishing case.

Oklahoma City scored 24 straight points to open the final quarter of action, climbing from a 93-83 deficit to leading 107-93 by the 6:27 mark after a 3-point jumper from Isaiah Joe. This is the first time a team has accomplished that feat in more than 20 years, adding another piece of history to its resumé.

By the time the clock hit zero, Miami had only mustered up a grand total of eight points in the fourth quarter. That was entirely the result of Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins, while the rest of the Heat provided zero sources of offense.

Throughout the first three quarters, it looked in all likelihood that the Thunder was going to a drop a game that it shouldn't. Its 10th loss of the season ultimately wouldn't have changed much, but by displaying resiliency and fighting its way back, that possibility came far away from being a reality.

Being together as a unit for so long has shaped Oklahoma City to be able to rise back from big deficits — it has dealt with plenty of these situations before.

"That's what makes us good - we've had both ends of the spectrum, so we know what that feels like," Jalen Williams said. "We know that being in that position that we can inflict that on another team."

Dort Shines on Both Ends

Luguentz Dort is no stranger to disrupting the lives of opposing guards, but Tyler Herro got the brunt of that attack during Miami's loss.

In the fourth quarter of the comeback, Dort held Herro to zero points and three turnovers on 0-of-2 shooting — completely rendering him useless. Eliminating the Heat's leading scorer from the equation put a stop to its offensive momentum, which played a key role in the Thunder's eventual win.

"He's the best in the league at it. He's done it for so many years now,"Gilgeous-Alexander said on Dort's point of attack defense. "He's our anchor defensively. He has his imprints all over this group, all over this rebuild, all over our success."

The success for Dort didn't just stop there, either. The guard finished the game with 17 points, two rebounds, three steals and a block on 7-of-10 shooting. His second 3-pointer of the night was the first bucket of the 24-0 run before Gilgeous-Alexander went on to take over offensively.

Though the dirty work Dort does might go under the radar at times, there's no doubt he's one of the most pivotal contributors towards Oklahoma City's dominant season. When his defense and shot-making is clicking, there's not too many other role players as valuable in the NBA.

Veteran Impact

Kenrich Williams doesn't always get the credit he deserves. The 30-year-old's role has diminished as the Thunder has progressed, only receiving an average of 14.6 minutes per game this year.

However, Williams was ever present in an important way for Oklahoma City on Wednesday. In 20 minutes of action, the forward dropped 14 points and four rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from deep off the bench. This included a big 3-pointer that put the Thunder up 104-93 with 7:03 remaining.

Alongside Dort, Williams also brought an ample amount of defensive energy that helped instill come confidence for Oklahoma City. Coach Mark Daigneault credited him with shifting the game in its favor.

"He was the first one that really tried to bring an edge to the game and get us turned around," Daigneault said. "He was, I thought, the first guy to be stubborn about it and really try to bring some juice to the game."

Williams doesn't always fill up the stat sheet or get the spotllight, but he was unquestionably a significant part of the Thunder's comeback. As one of its longest-tenured players, the veteran always provides value both on and off the court.

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