Thunder-Rockets Pregame Notes
* Desmond Mason is battling a sore back after taking a charge on Minnesota’s Ryan Gomes on Wednesday night. Mason will be a game-time decision. He said he hardly can run because of pain in his back and will evaluate it when he gets to the arena. Coach Scott Brooks said he would start Nick Collison if Mason is unable to go in an attempt to better match up with the Rockets’ size. That would move Kevin Durant to shooting guard and Jeff Green to small forward, giving the Thunder a starting lineup of Russell Westbrook, Durant, Green, Collison and Robert Swift.
* Chucky Atkins will wear No. 8. He met the media this morning but will not be active tonight. Brooks, however, was impressed with Atkins’ knowledge of the game and his eagerness to play.
“Point guards are smart. They can pick plays up. They’re smarter than the bigs. And so he’s able to pick things up quickly. We went through the offense with him after practice. You could tell him one thing and he knows it. He picks it up and he understands positioning, angles and where he needs to be. But it’s still going to take a little bit of time to get him fully adjusted and comfortable to what we’re doing.”
* Johan Petro, meanwhile, is super happy to go from last to first (in the Northwest Division).
* Nenad Krstic could receive more minutes tonight than the 15 he played Wednesday at Minnesota.
“He’s feeling comfortable with what we’re doing and vice versa, we’re doing the same with him,” said Brooks. “We’re finding our way with him.”
* Kevin Durant is expected to wear his signature shoes for the second time this season tonight, this time the home white pair after debuting the black pair in Washington, D.C.
* Brooks said he is eager to see how his team responds following Wednesday’s drubbing in Minnesota, a loss that he said he couldn’t find any positives in.
“This team has the ability to bounce back through some tough losses,” Brooks said. ”And we had a good practice yesterday and today was good. I expect us to come back and play with a lot of effort and play with a lot of determination like we’ve shown this last month or so.”
* GM Sam Presti clarified the status of the team’s draft picks following the Chucky Atkins trade. The team gave up its own second-round pick to Denver and will receive the Nuggets’ own first-round selection. The Thunder, in last summer’s Kyle Weaver trade, gave Charlotte the second-round pick it had from the Mikki Moore trade. The Thunder now has no second-round picks in this year’s draft and could have three first-round selection if the Nuggets make the playoffs — its own, San Antonio’s and Denver’s.
“The asset that we were able to obtain in the deal gives us an additional first-round pick,” Presti said. “And for our team and how we’re positioned and the transition that we’re making as a ball club, having those assets is important to us. Especially with the trade deadline coming up, it gives us the ability to facilitate trades and get involved with different scenarios. And we also may use the pick to continue to add talent to our roster. So the flexibility from the picks is something that we look at as a benefit.”
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