The Oklahoma City Thunder finally broke into the win column on Tuesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena, as Scott Brooks' team pulled off a 120-98 victory over Charlotte for its first preseason victory.
Reserve guard Andy Rautins led all Oklahoma City players with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the win, while stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook each contributed 13 and 11 points respectively. Rookie forward Perry Jones III continued his strong preseason with 17 points, five assists and four rebounds over a team-high 30 minutes, and could very well be a steal after dropping all the way to Oklahoma City at the 28th overall pick in June.
Despite taking a narrow four-point advantage into halftime, the Thunder came out and held Charlotte's offense to a meager 14 points in the third quarter to take full command of the game. Along with hitting eight of their 15 three-point attempts, the Thunder also managed to finish the night with a sparkling 64 percent field goal percentage as a team. Eager to pull back to .500 in exhibition play after Tuesday's momentum-building win, Oklahoma City will next hit the court on Friday for a date with the Phoenix Suns at the BOK Center.