OKLAHOMA CITY -- The pregame ceremony inside Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday was supposed to feature Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook being presented with their All-Star jerseys.

Instead, it was a somber, reflective moment of silence to recognize the tragic death of Ingrid Williams, the wife of assistant coach Monty Williams, who died Wednesday after a car accident.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the New Orleans Pelicans, where Williams spent five years coaching before being fired and joining Billy Donovan's staff over the summer, both teams were heavy-hearted and seemed unsure of themselves from tipoff. There was an obvious lack of energy and intensity, with even the normally raucous Thunder crowd quiet and reserved.

It was Westbrook who kind of peeled the lid off that uncertainty, hammering down a two-handed dunk in the first quarter and unleashing a patented roar to the baseline crowd afterward. There was a game to be played, competition to take part in, and if anything, a welcome reprieve, an "escape" as Durant called it, from the emotions leading into it.

That was the message from veteran Nick Collison before the game: We've got a couple of hours to play basketball. Let's just do that.

"That's what we did," said Durant, who scored 23 points in the Thunder's 121-95 win. "We went out there and just forgot everything that's going on around us and played the game of basketball. It was still kind of tough, it was still fresh on our minds, but with the love from the crowd we leaned on each other for that love. Coaches, we all just leaned on each other and just played. So it was definitely a tough last couple of days, and it's still tough right now. But basketball, the effect it has, it allows you to just forget about things for a little bit and it also brings you together as a group. I'm thankful for that."

Thursday morning following shootaround, an emotional Durant could only say a couple sentences before having to excuse himself. And during the moment of silence, he tilted his head back to the rafters with his eyes closed. He, like his teammates, was trying to get mentally prepared to play. Eventually, they all settled in, letting loose late in the fourth quarter when Steve Novak hit a pair of garbage time 3-pointers.

"I just want to say I really appreciated all of our guys, the way they all have handled a really difficult situation these last 24 hours," Donovan said. "To see joy on their face and happiness when obviously the last 24 hours for all of us was a lot of sadness and heartache. I really appreciated the way they played the entire game. We didn't get the best of starts, which I was a little concerned about, but we regrouped.

"And I don't think there's anything wrong with them having joy at that time," he said. "There's been time for all of us to mourn and grieve and everybody handles that in their own way, but I think in the heart of the game it was good to see them have that kind of enjoyment."

Monty Williams has had a strong influence on the team in his short time with it, particularly on Durant, who immediately bonded with him two summers ago at USA Basketball camp. Both grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland, and Durant connected with Williams' fatherly demeanor and spiritual outlook. It's why on a night when the Thunder improved to 40-14, for Durant, the win seemed far less meaningful than the big picture.

"Basketball is great and we love the game so much, but that's not really what's important," he said. "Relationships and family, those things, that's what's most important in life. Not the latest trends, or the fashion world. All that stuff is cool, but the stuff that lasts forever is relationships, family and love. Love is something that's going to last a lifetime. Those things we have to hold on to. Monty exemplifies that every single day, just love and caring and serving people. We love him for that and definitely feel for him right now."

The team has eight days off as the league breaks for All-Star Weekend, a time not to just rest and recover, but to also heal. The game on Thursday provided the first step in that, as well as a strong reminder.

“People talk about keeping things in perspective,” Donovan said. “Monty already had things in perspective.”