Magic 98, Thunder 89
A few notes from the day….
* As soon as Russell Westbrook learns a little more control and develops better decision-making he’s going to be a serious all-around threat. This is the second time he’s bounced back from a terrible game and had an extremely solid performance. He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals in 33 minutes, one game after scoring 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting with five assists and five turnovers against Charlotte. When he went 3-for-19 against Orlando on Nov. 12, he notched his first career double-double two nights later against New York with 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. That says a lot about the kid’s heart.
“I was just trying to come in and be aggressive,” Westbrook said. “The last game I wasn’t aggressive on the defensive end and put my team in good position. That’s what I tried to do today was play defense and get us in transition and rebound the ball, which I haven’t been doing.”
I asked Thunder coach Scott Brooks why he sat Westbrook for nearly a 12-minute stretch from the six-minute mark of the third quarter to the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter, a span in which the Magic turned a 3-point advantage into a nine-point lead.
“It’s just the rotation,” Brook said. “Russell needed a break. When he plays the way we want him to play he’s going to get tired. The way he was pressuring the ball and going up and down he needed some blows tonight. It’s tough to play a lot of minutes when you’re playing hard like that.”
* Hats off Johan Petro for his performance tonight, without a doubt the best effort after Westbrook’s and perhaps even better given the shock factor of his number being called. Entering Friday’s game, Petro had played just 12 minutes in the Scott Brooks era, all of them coming in one game. He’s walked around the locker room lately looking like he knows he won’t play. So for him to score 15 points off the bench on 7-for-9 shooting in 19 minutes says a lot. Early foul trouble by Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison, coupled with Jeff Green having to briefly leave the game in the first half after being hit in the midsection, presented an opportunity for Petro. And he responded, not only by scoring against All-World defensive center Dwight Howard, but by getting in the passing lanes and coming up with two steals. Granted, he needs to work on his two rebounds.
“I’m proud of him,” Brook said. “I’ve been in that position many times and I’ve laid an egg as a player. He came in (and contributed). That’s hard to do…But this is the NBA. You might have to get out there and play 25 minutes.”
* Green said he is OK after getting hit in the midsection, a play in which he was called for an offensive foul. Obviously, he returned to the game. But what fans didn’t see was him rolling around on the Amway Arena floor for several minutes while the telecast was on commercial break.
“I’m fine now,” Green said after the game. “It was an accident. It hurt for a little while. It was tough that I couldn’t play. Being out of the game, I hate doing that. But it’s nothing big. I got hit in the wrong section.”
* Kevin Durant said he’s also OK after falling hard on the floor and having his momentum run him into the goal’s cushion late in the third quarter. Durant said the fall was worse than the impact against the cushion because he landed on his hip before hitting his back. But it’s something that’s worth keeping in mind, especially with the Thunder headed for a back-to-back Saturday night in Miami.
* Paging Nick Collison. Four minutes tonight. Two rebounds. Two fouls. 0-for-1 shooting.
-DM-
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Comments
Darnell, I think the team really improved last night. I think they are really coming together and really clicking right now. Really firing on all cylinders. The offense is humming and the defensive improvement is really improving. Johan Petro really improved his improving skills last night, and showed why he has serious potential for future development. The Thunder is gelling as a unit and are about to break through. This team has such a bright future I have to wear Ray-Bans when I watch games on TV. The potential upside for this team is mind-blowing. There is literally nowhere to go but up, which is a benefit of being the worst team in the league. Getting lit up every night is only going to make it that much sweeter when we eventually someday turn it around due to our potential for improvement in the long run after several years provided we can hold on to our good players and attract new ones. I can’t wait until that might become a not-too-distant possibility.
I’m a die hard lakers fan that moved here from LA and I can’t believe what great fans there are here. They cut leads down to 20 and its as if they took the lead at game 7 of the finals.. at staples center if the lakers don’t come out and immediately blow out the opponent the fans let the team know it. With a fanbase like this it won’t be long before OKC is competitive…as for right now the d-league would be more suitable competition. Go lakers.