Thunder 119, Raptors 99
News, notes and observations from Sunday’s 119-99 win over Toronto…
- The Thunder’s defense is to be commended even if the Raptors played without Chris Bosh. Toronto still has plenty of weapons in Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack, Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu, but OKC held the Raptors to 43 percent shooting and 6-for-15 from beyond the 3-point arc.
- I thought the Thunder set the tone early by scoring in transition and off of the Raptors’ turnovers. Oklahoma City’s 12 points off Toronto’s five first-quarter turnovers were huge. It became the theme of the evening, as the Thunder scored 29 points off 18 Toronto turnovers.
- That explains how the Thunder shot 51.8 percent.
- OKC had 12 steals, seven blocked shots and held the Raptors to 15 assists and forced them into 18 turnovers, all numbers that show how the Thunder is getting after it defensively.
- The Thunder lead by as many as 28 points.
- Because of the blowout, Kevin Durant needed to play only 32 minutes, tied for his second lowest of the season. It was a much-needed break after Durant played 40 minutes or more in five of the previous six games.
- When Raptors rookie DeMar DeRozan came out checking Durant, I thought KD was about to go off for 50.
- Instead, Durant just posterized DeRozan early on a fast break. It was nice for two reasons. 1) It’s always fun to see someone get dunked on. 2) Durant actually finished the break this time, throwing it down rather than getting stuffed or stripped like he has so many times this season in similar situations.
- DeRozan’s improvisation moments later was not too shabby either. When a teammate airballed a layup attempt, DeRozan came out of nowhere, grabbed the ball in mid-air and threw down a one-handed dunk. Strangely, the play has the goods (and the ugliness) to make SportsCenter’s top 10 plays and its not top 10 plays.
- Since I seem to be on dunks, Jeff Green’s driving, one-handed flush in the first half, and Byron Mullens’ one-handed throw down off James Harden’s lob pass, are both worth revisiting. Just a lot of good drives to the rim tonight.
- After getting off to a slow start this season, the Thunder’s offense has come along nicely. The Thunder has now scored at least 102 points in 10 of the past 13 games. OKC shot 51 percent or better in five of those games.
- What could be one of the overlooked positives from this one was the Thunder’s ball movement. The Thunder had 23 assists and moved the ball around the perimeter and inside to cutters all night. This team’s unselfishness has always been impressive, but we’re starting to see all five players on the court understand where each other is and how to make the right play, be it a pick or a pass, to get the right man the ball at the right time. It’s fun to watch and is fundamental basketball at its finest.
- OKC didn’t have a single turnover in the game’s first 19 minutes. Then the Thunder gave it away four times in the final 4 minutes, 36 seconds of the second quarter. The stretch didn’t dent the Thunder’s lead, but it went a long way in preventing the team from matching or besting its season-low seven turnovers.
- Russell Westbrook: 14 points, 10 assists, four steals, three rebounds, one blocked shot, zero turnovers. And this has become an average night for him.
- The play that summed up Westbrook’s development this year was a 1-on-2 break in the second quarter. The second Raptors defender was about even with Westbrook, and the second-year guard had a chance to attack the basket and challenge the lone defender between him and the rim. Instead, Westbrook calmly dribbled it back out and waited for his troops. Last year that would have been a turnover or a bad shot, which is just as bad as a turnover. Now, Westbrook is patient and protective of the rock.
- The way Westbrook found his teammates all night made me post on Twitter during the game that he has officially figured out that he can score whenever he wants and with that realization he is now more willing to be a passer early. I don’t think Westbrook has arrived in this area yet, because he still has a tendency to get carried away late in games and have it adversely affect his team (See the fourth quarter of the most recent San Antonio game). But Westbrook’s game management and his ability to pick and choose his spots is growing more and more each game.
- Serge Ibaka is quickly becoming a force. He already is with his rebounding, and now he’s starting to contribute with his scoring. Tonight was his second career double-double and the second time this season he’s finished in double digit scoring in two straight games. For Monday’s editions of The Oklahoman, I wrote about whether he can become the low-post scoring threat that many think the Thunder needs before serious title contention. But Thunder coach Scott Brooks said, for now, he just wants his big man to focus on rebounding, blocking shots, defending, running the floor and getting open on screen and rolls.
- With 16 points, Nenad Krstic had his best scoring game since Jan. 18 then left the game midway through the third quarter with an ankle injury. A team spokesman said the ankle is not serious, but Krstic banged his injured right thumb again tonight and that could become a more significant setback.
- This was the 17th sellout of the season for the Thunder. Kudos to Thunder fans for their season-long support.
-DM-
News, notes and observations from Friday’s 109-92 win over Minnesota
- Minnesota forward Corey Brewer is one of the better defenders I’ve seen guard Kevin Durant. With his long, active arms, Brewer makes Durant work hard to get clean looks and chases him extremely well on screens, sometimes keeping up so well that Durant can’t even catch it. And if Durant does, it’s rarely in his preferred spot. Very impressive work.
- Without Brewer, Durant shoots much better than 8 of 17 against the Wolves and probably ends up with 40, not 25.
- There was a time last summer when I thought Ramon Sessions would have been a great addition in OKC. While he’s still a good player, he’s completely fallen off from his Milwaukee production. Probably a good thing the Thunder didn’t pony up any coin to get him.
- The Thunder’s defense was swarming tonight, in man-to-man, rotating and helping and switching on pick-and-rolls. When the Thunder plays like that it is a hard team to beat.
- Ever wonder why the Thunder’s front office loves Jeff Green so much? Look what he did tonight. He guarded 7-foot center Ryan Hollins, a long, lanky, athletic big man, for a good portion of the game. Then Green switched and played straight up against Kevin Love and battled him well.
- Hollins had the play of the night with his poster dunk on Nenad Krstic. Plays like those, inside the Ford Center when the home crowd gets quiet and I let out a roar, makes me think the whole arena just heard me break the, ‘No cheering from press row rule.”
- Hollins later popped Eric Maynor in the face with what I thought was an inadvertent elbow late in the game. Maynor bounced up like a big boy and no punches were thrown.
- Durant did exchange words with Sasha Pavlovic late in the game after a hard foul. That was the first time I’ve seen Durant get in someone’s face and not let it go after a few seconds. I don’t know what was said, but Durant clearly was not happy.
- The Thunder’s 29 assists were a season-high.
- Russell Westbrook made it happen, dishing out a career-high tying 15 to go with his 18 points and eight rebounds. Westbrook is a special talent, and I’m starting to wonder if, because of his all-around, stat-stuffing skills, fans around here aren’t slowly getting to the point of preferring Westbrook of Chris Paul. It might sound like nonsense now, but I really think we could soon see a shift in some fans’ desire. Paul is three years older and might not get much better than he’s been the past two seasons. We still don’t know how good Westbrook really will be. Think about it.
- I dug up an interesting stat. After tonight, Westbrook has attempted only 17 more 3-pointers that former UCLA teammate, power forward Kevin Love. After praising Westbrook in that last bit, I won’t mention how far ahead Love is on the percentage meter. Let’s just say Westbrook still has room to grow.
- Serge Ibaka returned from a one-game absence and had a career-high 14 points tonight and looked active around the rim throughout. His offense is coming along and his confidence appears to be gaining steam, but his teammates say he’s already full of confidence. Westbrook told me after the game that Ibaka will have a hard time developing offensively the rest of the season because his role is to rebound, block shots and run the floor. We’ll see how that plays out. I say start getting the big man some touches in the post.
- There was a bit of pushing and shoving between Love and Ibaka late in the game while the two were battling for positioning then a rebound. It got a little testy. Love was whistled for an offensive foul. I love how Ibaka didn’t back down. He’s stood toe-to-toe with a lot of opponents this season. You have to love his fire.
- Nick Collison also returned after missing the San Antonio game and picked up right where he left off, scoring 10 points, pulling down six rebounds and providing plenty of energy.
- Darko Milicic showed some game tonight. And I mean that in all seriousness.
- Anybody still want Al Jefferson? I don’t know if he’s ever going to be the dominant big man he was on his way to becoming before injuries set in.
- The Thunder had its 16th sellout of the season tonight. Friday night or not, against the Wolves, the worst road draw in the league, that in and of itself is a testament to Thunder fans.
-DM-
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Reviewing Durant’s streak
Kevin Durant’s 25-point scoring streak came to an end Wednesday night in San Antonio.
It was simply a matter of time.
Streaks of any kind — winning streaks, hitting streaks, consecutive games played streaks, or in this case scoring 25 or more points in 29 consecutive games — are remarkable simply because one injury or one off night can end the streak.
Bottom line is Kevin Durant was red hot for two months. During the streak, Durant shot 50.8 percent from the field, 50 percent on 102 3-point attempts, 88.7 from the line.
That last stat is the primary reason only Michael Jordan has compiled a longer 25-point streak the past 35 years. Durant has learned getting to the line are easy points, especially for someone who shoots nearly 90 percent at the charity stripe.
During the streak, Durant averaged almost 11 free throw attempts a game. Averaging double digit free throw attempts is evidence how Durant has taken his game to another level, especially compared to his rookie season when he often settled for jump shots.
Oklahoma City was 20-9 during the streak. Besides providing consistent offense for the Thunder, Durant also averaged 7.9 rebounds and continues to play much improved defense.
Because it was so rare, Durant’s scoring streak will be one of the highlights from the 2009-10 NBA season.
Athletes are praised for amazing feats. But the great ones are consistent night in, night out, game in, game out. At age 21, Durant put together a streak that has many throwing the Washington, D.C. product into the discussion of top players in the league.
Durant streak highlights:
* Averaged 32.4 points
* Scored 30 or more points in 23 of 29 games
* Averaged 20.5 FG attempts a game
* Scored exactly 25 points twice
* Averaged 11.0 FT attempts a game
* Shot 50.8 percent, 50.0 percent on 3-pointers
Reviewing Durant's streak
Kevin Durant’s 25-point scoring streak came to an end Wednesday night in San Antonio.
It was simply a matter of time.
Streaks of any kind — winning streaks, hitting streaks, consecutive games played streaks, or in this case scoring 25 or more points in 29 consecutive games — are remarkable simply because one injury or one off night can end the streak.
Bottom line is Kevin Durant was red hot for two months. During the streak, Durant shot 50.8 percent from the field, 50 percent on 102 3-point attempts, 88.7 from the line.
That last stat is the primary reason only Michael Jordan has compiled a longer 25-point streak the past 35 years. Durant has learned getting to the line are easy points, especially for someone who shoots nearly 90 percent at the charity stripe.
During the streak, Durant averaged almost 11 free throw attempts a game. Averaging double digit free throw attempts is evidence how Durant has taken his game to another level, especially compared to his rookie season when he often settled for jump shots.
Oklahoma City was 20-9 during the streak. Besides providing consistent offense for the Thunder, Durant also averaged 7.9 rebounds and continues to play much improved defense.
Because it was so rare, Durant’s scoring streak will be one of the highlights from the 2009-10 NBA season.
Athletes are praised for amazing feats. But the great ones are consistent night in, night out, game in, game out. At age 21, Durant put together a streak that has many throwing the Washington, D.C. product into the discussion of top players in the league.
Durant streak highlights:
* Averaged 32.4 points
* Scored 30 or more points in 23 of 29 games
* Averaged 20.5 FG attempts a game
* Scored exactly 25 points twice
* Averaged 11.0 FT attempts a game
* Shot 50.8 percent, 50.0 percent on 3-pointers
Thunder in good position
A difficult challenge for some sports fans is avoiding knee-jerk reactions.
The Thunder wins nine a row and a few fans start dreaming of a No. 2 or 3 seed.
Now that they’ve lost two in a row, it’s no time to panic following losses to Phoenix and San Antonio, although the loss to the Suns was the first time all season the Thunder gave a game away, blowing a 10-point lead the final three minutes.
In its daily playoff projections, ESPN lists the Thunder’s odds off reaching the playoffs at 96 percent. That’s a shade high. But not much. OKC’s chances have to be 90 percent or higher because of the way its played the past two months and the Hornets, Grizzlies and Rockets inability to sustain momentum.
The Thunder could climb as high as No. 4. But that’s unlikely. For that to happen the Jazz would have to play close to .500 ball the rest of the season. The Thunder could still reach 50 wins, but that probably wouldn’t be enough for home-court advantage in the opening around of the playoffs.
The best drama the next seven weeks for Thunder fans will be the battle for the 5, 6, 7 and 8 seeds with Phoenix, San Antonio and Portland.
The next three weeks, starting with a three-game homestand that opens Friday night against Minnesota, is an opportunity for the Thunder to move closer to nailing down a playoff berth and solidfy its chances of possibly finishing No. 5 or 6.
OKC has a better record than 10 of its next 12 opponents. The toughest games are at Denver, a home game with Utah and road games at Toronto and Charlotte. It’s not a given the Thunder will win the remaining eight games. Upsets happen.
But if the Thuder can go 9-3 the next three weeks, they would be sitting at 42-26 with only 14 games to play, essentially clinching a playoff berth and making them a viable contender for a higher seed.
An 8-4 record the next three weeks would still build some momentum.
Expectations have risen compared to pre-season predictions OKC would win around 35 games, possibly have a shot at .500.
But because the Thunder arrived a year early, 7-5 or anything worse the next three weeks would have to be viewed as a disappointment considering they’re entering the easiest portion of the schedule all season.
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Red-hot Thunder catching some breaks
Coaches often say players make their own breaks. That’s why my favorite sports cliché is winners make plays, losers make excuses.
But it sure doesn’t hurt to catch a break now and then, whether it’s a friendly call from a referee or opponents losing games to improve your place in the standings.
The Thunder has caught countless breaks. Opposing teams have had star players miss games due to injuries. Oklahoma City’s five starters have missed a combined two games.
OKC also is catching breaks from Western Conference playoff contenders, who have been losing at such an alarming rate it’s made the Thunder’s nine-game winning streak resemble a spree of fourth-quarter, 3-point daggers.
Houston has been unable to sustain momentum. The trade for Kevin Martin hasn’t helped so far. Martin has shot 28.6 percent (8-of-28) in his two games, both losses, since last week’s trade. Losing to Indiana and Philadelphia at home, the Rockets, 4-9 the past month, are playing themselves out of the race.
New Orleans’ playoff chances all but evaporated when Chris Paul suffered a knee injury. Darren Collison, averaging 20.3 points and 9.3 assists in the 10 games since Paul underwent surgery, has filled in nicely. But 15 of the Hornets’ next 18 games are against Cleveland (twice), Denver (twice), Dallas (twice), San Antonio (twice), the Lakers, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland and Memphis.
Memphis showed signs their starting five might be enough to stay in the race. They won 11 consecutive home games at one point. But Memphis is 3-8 since Feb. 2. Since West playoff contenders probably will need 45 to 46 wins, it’s doubtful the Grizzlies can get on that type of roll.
OKC is even catching breaks among teams they’re battling for playoff seeding.
Injury ravaged Portland, 5-8 the past month, has struggled since All-Star Brandon Roy suffered a hamstring injury. The Trail Blazers face one of the easier schedules. But if OKC continues its current pace, finishing 50-32, since the Thunder probably will own the tiebreaker, Portland would have to go 19-5 the rest of the season to finish in front of the Thunder.
San Antonio posted a huge win at Denver on its annual rodeo road trip but finished with losses at Philadelphia and Detroit to finish the trip 4-4. The veteran Spurs are capable of making a late-season charge. But their schedule is brutal with 20 of the final 28 games against Cleveland (twice), Lakers (twice), Orlando (twice), Boston, Dallas, Denver, Oklahoma City (twice), Phoenix (twice), New Orleans (twice), Miami, Houston (twice) and Memphis (twice).
Phoenix has a manageable schedule. But after getting off to a 14-3 start, the Suns have gone 20-20 the past three months, failing to build on early-season momentum. Now Steve Nash, 36, is banged up. Battling back and abdomen injuries, Nash isn’t expected to play Tuesday night.
Utah has been as hot as any team in the league, going 16-3 the past six weeks. But Deron Williams missed Monday’s game due to an ankle injury. Atlanta gave OKC another assist by defeating the Williams-less Jazz Monday night.
Give the Thunder credit. They’ve made their own breaks by playing standout basketball for two months, going 20-7 dating back to a pre-Christmas win at Phoenix.
In the midst of the easiest portion of their schedule, the Thunder can put some distance between them and the Hornets, Rockets and Grizzlies to nail down a playoff berth and be a viable contender for the No. 4, 5 and 6 seeds.
Especially if they keep winning and catch more breaks.
