Thunder 99, Pistons 79
Nuggets from my notebook from Monday’s win over Detroit.
- I don’t know about you, but I knew this game was going to be a blowout when Russell Westbrook shredded the Piston’s defense and threw down a tomahawk dunk to make it 6-2.
- I was convinced when Westbrook threaded the needled with an on-the-run, behind-the-back pass to Kevin Durant to make it 8-2.
- Not very often two Top 10-worth plays by the same team are turned in within the first 2 1/2 minutes of a game. Westbrook did just that.
- Westbrook on his two early highlights: “I just tried to keep the excitement in the game. I just tried to keep the fans involved and keep my teammates involved as well.”
- If you ask me, this was by far Serge Ibaka’s best game of the season. He started off providing weak side defense at the rim and his presence was a big part of the Thunder shutting down the Pistons’ attack early. Ibaka then rebounded like a mad man. Only thing he didn’t do tonight was knock down shots, which (I may be in the minority on this) you can live with when he has nights like this. Ibaka finished with a game-high 10 boards and a season-high tying five blocks.
- In his last three games, Ibaka has now pulled down 29 boards and blocked 12 shots. Said Westbrook: “He’s back to protecting the paint and rebounding. In the last five or six games, he’s gotten people scared to come in the paint. I’d be scared if I was them, too.”
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks started Kendrick Perkins on Greg Monroe and Ibaka on Ben Wallace. I wasn’t sure about that one at first because of Monroe’s athleticism. But it was a brilliant matchup. Perk’s superior man defense limited Monroe’s effectiveness, and with Ibaka on a non-factor offensively in Wallace he was allowed to roam and provide that great weak side help. Well done by Brooks.
- Worst part of this game was Nick Collison not returning after halftime due to a sprained left ankle. He’s listed as day-to-day. A shame, really, because you never want to see bad things like an injury happen in a blowout.
- Detroit made its first shot. The Pistons then missed 15 of their final 17 in the opening period.
- Westbrook’s post-up game looked much better tonight. I’m nowhere near ready to say that it’s a good option yet, largely because he abused a rookie in Brandon Knight. But the first move Russ hit Knight with, a Dream shake-like fake that led to a smooth jumper was jaw-dropping no matter who it was scored against. It was by far the most impressive move we’ve seen out of Westbrook in the post. Give me more of that regularly and I can live with Westbrook on the block.
- KD missed the Dirk twice tonight. He’s like 0 for his last four on the Dirk…and I’m still not sure he’s hit one at home.
- The Thunder scored 15 of its 19 fast break points in the first quarter. There have been entire games this season in which the Thunder hasn’t had 15 fast break points.
- How sweet is home for James Harden? He scored his 18th points with 4:52 remaining in the second quarter. That total was more than his point production in any one game on the Thunder’s recent three-game road trip. Harden finished with 24, two shy of his career-high, on 8-for-11 shooting.
- Thanks to Harden coming back to earth, the Thunder finally made some 3-pointers. OKC was 7-for-16 tonight, and Harden was 5-for-6. In the previous two games, the Thunder was 8-for-26 from deep.
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Thunder 84, Nets 74
Nuggets from my notebook from Saturday’s win at New Jersey.
- There was a TON of Thunder fans in the building tonight. I mean a ton!! I remember coming here two years ago and being shocked at how many fans were cheering for the Thunder. You’d have to times that reception by 35 to get a feel for what took place tonight. I asked my Twitter followers about two hours before the game who was coming to this one. I only got a handful of responses. But the reason I asked was because I figured it would be like this.
- Thunder jerseys, hats and sweatshirts were everywhere. I even say two fans with a sign that read “Fear The Beard.” Fans even cheered each and every Thunder starter when he was announced during pre-game introductions.
- Kevin Durant, who got an M-V-P chant from at least one fan late in the game, on the reception: “It feels good. We came a long way. I remember my first year when we played in Oklahoma, we played these guys here and it wasn’t hardly anybody in the stands. So a lot of people coming to support us makes us feel good. I’m excited that people are starting to like us and are starting to like us and come out to see us play.”
- The game itself wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was pretty darn ugly. But unlike three nights earlier at Washington, I’m sure ugly is fine for everybody who bleeds Thunder blue when OKC comes out on top.
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks rated tonight as one of his team’s best defensive performances. Hard to argue with that. OKC held the Nets to opponent lows of 31 percent shooting and 74 total points. The Nets came in leading the league with 26 average 3-point attempts. Against the Thunder, they went 3-for-23.
- The only rebuttal one could possible give Brooks is the Nets are absolutely brutal.
- You could tell the Thunder made it a point to defend the 3-point shot tonight. On three occasions, a Thunder player fouled a Nets shooter while contesting a 3. Reggie Jackson gave up a four-point play when he hacked Anthony Morrow on a last-second attempt in the first quarter. Russell Westbrook closed out too strong on Deron Williams in the third quarter. And Durant fouled DeShawn Stevenson behind the arc in the fourth quarter.
- I wrote a few games back about how everyone being in Jackson’s ear could have a negative short-term impact. We’re officially seeing it. Jackson hesitated on shots in the first and second quarter and is clearly over-thinking at this point. He now looks unsure of himself and too determined to do the right thing instead of playing naturally. It’s obvious that he has some natural scoring ability, but now that he’s been forced to play a certain style he’s looking lost out there at times.
- This was not one of the Thunder’s better nights offensively. And I’m not even talking about the season-low 84 points. That would be acceptable if it was a rhythmic game with ball movement and crisp sets. But the Thunder didn’t just miss shots tonight. OKC made it hard on itself at times with one-on-one play and poor ball security. In the end, this was the second straight night and sixth time this season that the Thunder finished with more turnovers (19) than assists (13).
- Durant had 20 points on 22 shots. Westbrook had 21 points on 21 shots.
- The saving grace for the Thunder offensively was scoring off turnovers. OKC had 22 points on 18 Nets turnovers. By halftime, the Thunder had 18 points on 12 Nets giveaways.
- No Jay-Z tonight. More importantly, no Beyonce.
Wizards 105, Thunder 102
Nuggets from my notebook from Wednesday’s loss at Washington.
- Calm down. It’s just one game. Forget for a second who it was against. It was only one game, and only one ‘L’ will go down in the loss column. Don’t lose sight of that.
- Having said that, it’s not good to get swept by the Wizards in the season series.
- One thing snapped the Thunder’s seven-game winning streak — apathy. A few tried to deny that fact. They should have instead done themselves a favor and admitted it. Frankly, the Thunder took the Wizards lightly. It was as simple as that. To deny it only opens the possibility of it happening again.
- Once the Thunder came out careless, it gave the Wizards a chance to keep it close. That gave Washington all the confidence it needed to continue to hang around and make things interesting. Bad, bad decision on the Thunder’s part. OKC should have approached this one like it did at least four others in the past: jump out to a big lead, keep the foot on the gas and rest up in the fourth quarter.
- I thought that’s what would happen tonight. I thought the Thunder would come out focused and ready to put a hurtin’ on the Wizards. Silly me. But I blame Kevin Durant. Not for the loss, of course, but for duping me into believing the Thunder would bring the right level intensity. It was at Tuesday’s practice that Durant was asked about how the best team in the league could get up for the worst team in the league. “We greedy,” Durant said. “We want to win every game we play.”
- The moment you knew the Thunder wasn’t all there tonight is when Kendrick Perkinsbacked down from Wizards forward Andray Blatche.As Perk was making an offensive move midway through the second quarter, his elbows made contact with Blatche twice, once in the chest and once in the face. Blatche had grown tired of it and got in Perkins’ face. Perk didn’t do a thing, which some might say is the smart thing to do. But we all know that’s not Perk. He’s the instigator, the bully, the enforcer. This time, he allowed Blatche to get in his face, chest to chest, and never responded. He actually waited for Blatche to finish and walk away.
- The battle between Perk and Blatche actually began on the previous possession. Durant was trying to inbound the ball to Perk (seemed backwards to me), and Blatche was bodying up on Perk to prevent a clean inbounds pass. Perk flashed a smirk, scrunching up his face to show the universal sign for disrespect when a player thinks he can’t be guarded. But Blatche stole the ball on the inbounds pass and it led to a one-man fast break that Blatche finished with a layup. Had this been playground ball, after the ensuing mix-up one could say that Blatche got into Perk’s head then stole his heart.
- If you’re griping about the last-second shot KD took and, more specifically, Thunder coach Scott Brooks’ play-calling, do yourself a favor and stop. It was the exact same play Brooks drew up that won the game against Dallas. Only difference is the Wizards played it tougher by fighting over the double screen, and KD missed the shot.
- Rebounding is a problem. It didn’t take all 15 of these games to realize that. But after tonight, it certainly looks like the Thunder is now in serious trouble. The Wizards, the 2-12 couldn’t beat a bowl of eggs Wizards, out-rebounded the Thunder 52-43 and 19-6 on the offensive end, tying an opponent high for offensive boards. The Thunder has now given up at least 10 offensive boards in each of its 15 games. Worse yet, the Thunder is yielding 13.3 offensive boards a night, the most in the league.
- All these opponent rebounds are killing the Thunder’s defense, which generally has been solid prior to the shots going up. They’re giving teams second chance scoring opportunities and putting them on the foul line additional times. They’re also hurting the Thunder’s offense, as teams prevent easy run-out opportunities which the Thunder destroys opponents with.
- Washington previously had out-rebounded only one opponent all season.
- Before the game, Wizards coach Flip Saunders called the Thunder’s four-man post rotation of Perk, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed the best in the league. Then Saunders watched his duo of Blatche and McGee out-rebound the Thunder’s foursome 21-18. Blatche and McGee combined for more offensive rebounds (nine) than the Thunder did as a team (six).
- Shooting guard Daequan Cook got a team-leading two offensive boards. Enough said.
- The offense ain’t working either. Not in the sense of the entire season, but more so in the sense of stretches of every game and, at times, entire games. For the fifth time, the Thunder finished with more turnovers (21) than assists (15). And the imbalanced scoring is becoming more and more alarming. Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 68 percent of the Thunder scoring. Nothing good can come from that. Defenses that can design their game plan around stopping two guys have a relatively easy assignment. Slowing the Thunder’s two All-Stars is still a challenge. But if it’s essentially a game of 2-on-10, who you taking?
- Consider this. KD and Russ combined to score 69 points on 25-of-50 shooting. The remaining three starters scored eight points on 4-for-8 shooting. Something’s wrong with that picture, because 50-percent shooting is 50-percent shooting, no matter who’s an All-Star and who’s not.
- James Harden stunk it up again on the road. I pointed it out in my nuggets after the Boston game, and mentioned it in my notebook in Wednesday’s paper. It. Is. An Issue. Whatever Harden is doing on the road, he needs to stop. Whatever routine he has, he needs to change it. It sounds strange, but on most nights Harden is the most important Thunder player on the roster. When he scores and scores efficiently, the Thunder has a three-headed monster with him, Westbrook and Durant. When he doesn’t, well, the Thunder loses to the Wizards. Harden is now barely shooting 38 percent on the road.
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By The Numbers: Thunder-Celtics
Numbers to note from Monday’s 97-88 win at Boston
4: Blocked shots by Serge Ibaka, a season high. Ibaka notched the new mark in just 15 first-half minutes. He played only seven minutes in the second half.
5: 3-pointers made by the Thunder in the final five minutes. Oklahoma City had made just two of 13 3-pointers in the previous 43 minutes.
7: Game-winning streak by the Thunder, two shy of the franchise’s Oklahoma City era record for consecutive wins.
11: Bench points scored by the Thunder, which saw its reserves make just 5-of-22 shots. James Harden scored a season-low five points on 2-for-8 shooting while Nick Collison added six points on 3-for-7 shooting. Nazr Mohammed, Daequan Cook and Reggie Jackson combined to miss all seven of their shot attempts.
12: Fourth-quarter points scored by guard Thabo Sefolosha, the most of any player in the final quarter. Sefolosha went 4-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-2 from the 3-point line and made a pair of foul shots.
13: Thunder turnovers, leading to just two Celtics points.
19: Celtics turnovers, leading to 24 Thunder points.
20: Second-chance points by Boston. The Celtics out-rebounded the Thunder 48-40, including 15-9 on the offensive end. Kevin Garnett (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Jermaine O’Neal (12 points, 11 rebounds) both had double-doubles for the Celtics.
39.1: Percent shooting for the Celtics, tying the second lowest percentage by a Thunder opponent this season. OKC held Orlando to 37 percent in the season opener, and limited Memphis to 39.1 percent in the Game 3.
54: Combined points by Kevin Durant (28) and Russell Westbrook (26).
88: Points scored by Boston, the seventh straight game that the Thunder has held an opponent to less than 100 points. During its seven-game winning streak, the Thunder has held opponents to 92.1 points per game.
-DM-
Thunder 104, Knicks 92
Nuggets from my notebook from Saturday’s win over New York.
- As I walked into the arena, I saw a fan wearing an alternate orange Latrell Sprewell Knicks jersey. But get this. He was on his way inside with a buddy wearing a Bulls hat. How on earth does that make sense?
- Russell Westbrook sent a scare through the entire state when he rolled his left ankle midway through the first period. He left the game but checked back in 22 seconds later and finished with a solid 21, 8, 8 and 3.
- Reggie Jackson also had fans holding their breath for a moment. The rookie limped off the court and into the locker room with less than two minutes remaining. His injury is being listed as a right knee contusion. I asked him after the game if he was OK and he said he was and should be good to go for Monday’s game.
- This was a blowout.
- Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden combined to outscore the entire Knicks team 53-47 by halftime. I honestly don’t know what’s more impressive, the Thunder’s trio scoring 53 and outscoring the entire Knicks squad, or OKC posting 70 in the first half.
- Once again, Harden, Westbrook and KD combined for at least 70 percent of the team’s scoring. Tonight, the trio netted 70.2 percent of the Thunder’s 104 points. At Minnesota on Dec. 26, that threesome had 74 percent of the scoring output.
- Carmelo Anthony missed this one with that ankle sprain he sustained Thursday at Memphis. It’s a shame we missed the only chance this season to see KD and Melo lock horns.
- Give the Thunder credit for showing some maturity tonight. I wrote about just that for Sunday’s paper. OKC pounced on a team missing its best player and turned a trap game of coming back home after a road trip into a breeze. Also, Westbrook bounced back from a brutal 0-for-5 start and didn’t lose his head like we’ve seen in the past. These are all steps growing young teams take toward being elite. Last year, we saw the Thunder begin learning how to take care of business in back-to-backs and bounce-back games following losses. Now, the team is showing tough-mindedness in both rough stretches of the schedule and breaks that bring other teams to town banged up.
- After missing his first five shots, Westbrook made six of his next (and final) seven.
- I could have sworn I saw Trina tonight walking out with Harden’s folks. It could very well have been that I just wanted to see Trina.
- With OKC leading by as many as 31 on the night and 27 going into the fourth quarter, no Thunder starter needed to play a single second in the final frame. It was the fourth time this season that the first five could sit the entire final 12 minutes. It also happened against Houston, Phoenix and San Antonio.
- When KD and Russ subbed out for the final time, the Thunder was ahead 89-59 with 2:51 remaining in the third.
- The next time one of you Thunder heads goes jonesing for some big name player, do yourself a favor and watch the Knicks. Then watch the Thunder and be thankful for what you have. New York has just thrown together a collection of players and is now hoping for the best. The pieces really don’t fit and there really is no rhyme or reason to much of anything that they do. Is that really what you want?
- I chatted with two Knicks writers, prominent, longtime scribes at that, who both raved about the Thunder after the game. One said he is seriously considering booking a block of dates in June at his preferred hotel…as in he’s already penciling the Thunder in for the NBA Finals. Listening to the two admire the Thunder got me thinking back to two seasons ago. Writers did the same then. Only back then they were in love with the talent. Now, they almost swear by this same collection of talent having what it takes to make it to the postseason’s final round.
- Thunder players need to ease up on Jackson. He’s a rookie. He’s learning. And he’s had only two practices. But in what seems to be developing into a more glaring trend, teammates are barking at the rook and shouting one set of instruction after another to him. Players will say it’s all positive, and I have no doubt it will help in the long run. But there’s got to be a concern about the manner in which they seem to be riding him about every little thing. That can’t be good for his confidence. I suppose that’s the difference between a rookie who steps onto a 20-win team and a 55-win championship contender. Because no one ever seemed to be that hard on Westbrook, at least not publicly.
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Five Thoughts From Tuesday’s Game
Russell Westbrook had his way with the Memphis Grizzlies' defense Tuesday night.
The Thunder is right back at it tonight at New Orleans in what will be its fifth back-to-back already this season. So there’s little time to gloat or groan about anything in any one game this season. But you can spot trends developing or continuing and those things are important to remember. With that said, here are five observations I had from Tuesday’s win at Memphis.
- The Thunder’s ball movement is incredibly erratic. It was a problem last year, and it was one of the main focal points coming into this season. But things haven’t gone according to plan. Tuesday’s game at Memphis was one of the worst showings this season. The Thunder had just 14 assists, two more than its season low, and finished with 15 turnovers. It was the third time this season that the Thunder finished with more turnovers than assists. In two other games, the Thunder had one more assist and two more assists, respectively, than turnovers. Re-watch the Grizzlies game (or perhaps just watch tonight’s in New Orleans) and you’ll see why the ball the Thunder has so many struggles. Far too many possessions are filled with just one or two passes. The Thunder settles too often for isolations or idleness by ball handlers while waiting on ball screens. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies, at times, put on a ball movement clinic, passing the ball three and four times before finding an open shot. They finished with only two more assists than the Thunder, which is not at all indicative of how much better Memphis moved the ball. But this game showed why the Thunder so far is averaging only 3.5 more assists than turnovers.
- Russell Westbrook was fantastic on offense. He shook off an 0-for-13 performance in his first game at Memphis to score 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting. Westbrook had his mid-range shot falling, was attacking and finishing at the rim and, most importantly, was under control for much of the night. He added six rebounds and four assists against two turnovers to complete what was by far his most dominant performance of the young season. It was a night that reminded us all of what Westbrook is capable of when his head is screwed on straight. Defensively, though, Westbrook still hasn’t hit his stride. He struggled to defend the pick-and-roll, and his ineffectiveness allowed Mike Conley to control the flow at the other end as Conley got to the basket at will and created open shot after open shot for his teammates. The good thing is Westbrook cut down on much of his gambling defensively.
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Back To Back To Back A Breeze For OKC
Kevin Durant did plenty of coaching and cheering from the bench in the Oklahoma City Thunder's three games in three nights.
So much for the Thunder’s three games in three nights being some big test of endurance and mental toughness.
Not only did the Thunder become the first team this season to sweep its back-to-back-to-back set, but Oklahoma City also won by an average margin of 10 points. The Thunder led by as many as 27 on Friday against Houston and by as many as 25 on Sunday against San Antonio.
Blowout city.
When the schedule was announced, it certainly appeared Oklahoma City got a favorable draw for its three in three. Two games were at home, and the lone road trip was a 90-minute flight to Houston. Then the Thunder pounced on injury-plagued Rockets and Spurs squads and turned the triple dip into a breeze.
In the end, the head-kickings prevented some potential headaches for Thunder coach Scott Brooks. With such large leads in two of the three games, Brooks didn’t have to worry about limiting playing time to keep his players fresh. He was able to sit his starters for the entire fourth quarter twice. And that rest resulted in a preseason-like distribution of minutes over the three-game stretch.
The Thunder’s starters averaged just 25.1 minutes in the three in three. Throw in sixth man James Harden and super sub Nick Collison and the total for the Thunder’s top seven players in minutes played rises by only 0.2 minutes.
Furthermore, no Thunder player averaged more than Kevin Durant’s 30.6 minutes. Russell Westbrook logged an even 30 a night. Here’s a look at the entire top seven’s game-by-game minutes and their three-game average.
Russell Westbrook: 25, 40, 25; 30.0
Thabo Sefolosha: 20, 17, 23; 20.0
Kevin Durant: 28, 35, 29; 30.6
Serge Ibaka: 22, 18, 22; 20.6
Kendrick Perkins: 25, 28, 20; 24.3
James Harden: 26, 31, 22; 26.3
Nick Collison: 24, 30, 22; 25.3
As you can see, only once did a player log more than 35 minutes. That came when Westbrook was both fantastic and essential in carrying the load at Houston when Durant and Harden did not have their rhythm in the first three quarters. More importantly, only four players logged at least 30 minutes — Westbrook (40), Durant (35), Harden (31) and Collison (30) all topping the 30-minute plateau in that middle game against the Rockets.
That’s the beauty of the Thunder taking care of business. Players should still be fresh as this sprintathon season stretches on. This was supposed to be one of the most grueling portions of the Thunder’s slate. But thanks to the last three workmanlike efforts, the Thunder’s biggest challenge as it plays its sixth and seventh games in a 10-day stretch on Tuesday and Wednesday at Memphis and New Orleans, respectively, should now be mental not physical.
And with the January schedule providing at least one day of rest in between each of the remaining eight games following the road tilt with New Orleans, the Thunder’s fresh legs could soon help build Oklahoma City some separation in the standings.
-DM-
By The Numbers: Thunder-Spurs
Numbers to note from Sundays win over the Spurs.
0: Minutes played by the Thunder’s starters in the fourth quarter, the second time in three games that no starter had to play in the final frame.
1: Double-double by Nick Collison this season. He scored 12 points with 10 rebounds in 22 minutes.
3: Assists shy of a triple-double by Kevin Durant. He finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in 28 minutes. It would have been his first career triple-double.
4: Points scored by Spurs guard Tony Parker on 1-for-8 shooting. Parker, who has been a thorn for the Thunder, looked like a shell of his former self. In three games against OKC last season, Parker averaged 19.3 points 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
10: Free throw attempts for Durant. It was the third time Durant has attempted at least 10 free throws. He made all 10, marking the third time this season he’s been perfect from the charity stripe.
11: Points scored by rookie guard Reggie Jackson, a career high. Jackson is now the primary backup to Russell Westbrook and the best is yet to come. But Jackson was solid in his first meaningful minutes, adding four assists in 23 minutes.
18: Points scored by Spurs guard Gary Neal, who led San Antonio in scoring. Neal was sensational shooting the rock, making 7-of-12 from the field while going 2-for-3 from 3-point range.
21: Fast break points by the Thunder. It was 15 more than the Thunder had Friday night at Houston.
25: Assists for the Thunder, tying a season high which originally was set on New Year’s Eve against Phoenix.
48: Rebounds for Oklahoma City, a season high. The Thunder out-rebounded the Spurs by six and controlled the glass throughout much of the game. In the third quarter, OKC out-rebounded San Antonio 13-4 en route to a 37-21 period.
50.7: Percent shooting by the Thunder. It was the second time in three games and the fourth time this season that OKC has converted at least 50 percent of its field goals.
108: Points scored by the Thunder, the second highest total for OKC this season and the third time in the past six games in which the Thunder has finished with at least 107 points.
-DM-
Thunder 108, Spurs 96
Nuggets from my notebook from Sunday’s win over San Antonio.
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks made an interesting subtle change to his substitution pattern. It was very minor. He sent Nick Collison to the scorer’s table without James Harden. Usually the two check in together. Tonight, Collison was on his own when he subbed in at 4:49 in the first quarter. And he replaced Kendrick Perkins, not Serge Ibaka.
- Brooks when I asked about the tweak: “We have some luxuries with some of our rotations, because Kevin (Durant) can play 2s, 3s, and 4s. And a few guys can play multiple positions. So, at times, I try to muck up the lineups just to cause some confusion. But I like all of our guys at different spots. I don’t like to keep them at one spot…It was nothing to read into. It was just the flow of the game, something different.”
- Harden got off the bench to report to the scorer’s table 29 seconds after Collison checked in. So that’s why it wasn’t much of a change. The next whistle, however, didn’t come until 3:57. But the biggest difference was Harden came in for Ibaka instead of Thabo Sefolosha. That gave the Thunder a lineup of Russell Westbrook, Harden, Sefolosha, Durant and Collison. Don’t think we’ve seen much of that.
- The reason the lineups were so interesting to watch tonight was because of the season-ending injury to Eric Maynor. It’s going to be interesting to see how Brooks handles his rotations from here out. What’s so great about it for the Thunder is that there still are tons of options. For now, it looks like things will remain the same, only with rookie Reggie Jackson filling in for Maynor.
- Harden on the Maynor injury: “This whole season now is for Eric.”
- Jackson told me before the game that he’s never been in the position of benefiting from a teammate’s misfortune. But he said he’s going to attack the situation with confidence. “It’s definitely a tough loss,” Jackson said. “Everybody knows how tight-knit this group is. It’s kind of like family. So it feels like we lost a brother. Somebody has to step up in his position and I guess that’s what I have to try to do; go out there and be me and hopefully I can do enough for this team to keep winning.”
- Jackson was good in his first action as the primary backup. He played with poise and was under control throughout. He took the open shot when it was there, drove when a lane was available and was solid staying with his man defensively, even against speedster T.J. Ford. Impressive performance by the rookie. He scored 11 points with four assists and two turnovers in 23 minutes.
- In typical rookie fashion, Jackson made a great play one second and a bonehead one the next. He hit a 3 off a feed from Durant with seven seconds remaining in the third, and then he bit on a pump fake by Ford at the foul line, skying to try to block the shot attempt and ultimately landing on Ford, who got two free throws out of it with 0.6 tenths of a second left in the period. But Jackson knew he messed up before his feet even hit the ground. He grimaced and said ‘my bad’ to the bench. He was more disappointed with himself at the decision than anybody else could have been with him. I took that to be a great sign of his basketball IQ.
- Two minutes into the second quarter, Jackson was sucking wind. Hard. And that was after the first quarter break. Might take him a few outings to get into game shape. He fought through it though and even hit a runner shortly after sucking on all the oxygen he could get.
- I’m wondering if Westbrook is ever going to get back to the level we saw last season. He had 13 points on 13 shots tonight and finished with just five assists in 24 minutes. We’re 10 games in and Russ has only had about two really good games. At what point does this become an issue? (Note: I’m not saying it should be. I’m simply asking the question. Because, clearly, he’s not the same player.)
- Durant just keeps getting better and better. Now he’s flirting with triple doubles? C’mon now. That’s not even fair. He had 21 points, 10 boards and seven assists in 28 minutes. Had he gotten those final three helpers, it would have been KD’s first career triple double. His passing obviously has improved and he looks much more sure of how to find the open man.
- A perfect 10-for-10 for KD at the stripe tonight. It was only his third time this season getting at least 10 free throw attempts and his second time making 10.
- What more can I say about Harden? OK, I found something. He’s now a 20-point scoring threat each night. Between how he’s shooting the 3-ball right now and his knack for drawing fouls, Harden can erupt on any given night.
- Collison recorded his first double-double of the season tonight, and he can thank Matt Bonner. Collison absolutely abused Bonner on the offensive end, torching him for eight of his 10 points in a 2 minute, 14 second span early in the second quarter. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich couldn’t yank Bonner quick enough.
- Remember that game against San Antonio last year where Bonner killed the Thunder from 3? The Thunder just learned that its best defense for Bonner is Collison’s offense.
Thunder 98, Rockets 95
Nuggets from my notebook from Saturday’s win at Houston.
- There is no real update on Eric Maynor, who had to be carried off midway through the fourth quarter tonight with what the team is calling a leg injury. Here’s as much as I can give you. We should know more Sunday.
- Who knew this one would be so entertaining? There was a bunch of talk about how the Rockets would be better and how tough it is to beat a team two straight times, let alone in two straight nights and blah, blah, blah. But with Kyle Lowry and Courtney Lee sitting out again, did anyone really expect the Thunder to have to win in the final seconds? I didn’t.
- It was a typical game at Houston for the Thunder. If it seems it’s never easy for OKC inside the Toyota Center that’s because it never is. This was only the Thunder’s second win at Houston in the Oklahoma City era. The Thunder’s win here on Jan. 12 of last season snapped a 11-game losing streak at Houston, which dated to the franchise’s days in Seattle in 2005. In the Thunder’s modest two-game winning streak at Houston, OKC has won by a total of nine points.
- I always get the feeling that the Thunder makes it hard on itself inside this building. The intensity never seems to be at its highest and the play always suffers. Take the turnovers tonight, for example. OKC had six in the first quarter alone and another three in the second. For you math geniuses, that’s nine by halftime. Then, in the third quarter, the Thunder comes out and turns it over three times on its first six possessions. This from a team that had averaged just 11.6 turnovers in its previous three games. I’m not sure if it’s the sparse crowd in Houston that contributes to the Thunder coming out flat or what? But it’s troubling. The Rockets are a nice scrappy team. But there’s not that much scrappiness in the world.
- The Thunder absolutely abused Houston on the glass early. It was about to be the story of the game because the Thunder was so dominant. Through the opening 8 minutes, 20 seconds, the Thunder held a 16-1 rebounding advantage. I’ve never seen anything like it. Four out of five starters pulled down at least one rebound during that stretch, and Kendrick Perkins had gobbled up eight, tying his season high. At the end of the first period, the Thunder had a 19-6 advantage in the rebound game.
- The writing was on the wall for what type of game it would be when that rebounding advantage only got the Thunder a measly two-point lead after one quarter. Three things contributed to wasting that effort: 1) the turnovers, 2) failing to get out in transition and 3) a lack of free throw attempts (1-for-3 at the line).
- The Thunder had just six fast break points tonight. The Rockets had 19! That’s beyond shocking. This is a Thunder team that should be able to get six fast break points in about 60 seconds each night.
- Now, on to Kevin Durant. How money has this guy been? That’s two game-winners in nine days and what was essentially a game-clinching bucket at Memphis three days after Christmas. His catch-and-shoot 19-footer off a feed from Russell Westbrook tonight just added to his fast-growing list of daggers.
- How about KD’s explanation for his early-season success in late-game situations? Said Durant: “It might sound odd, but late in the game I just don’t care anymore. I think that’s the best way to go about it. If you think about it too much, you end up overdoing it or missing it. So I just don’t care. If I miss a shot, I miss it. If I make it, good.”
- Thunder coach Scott Brooks on KD’s big shot and continued evolution: “One of the things it takes in this league is just continuing to go through the process of getting better. And Kevin’s getting better in late-game situations, and I’m with him on that. I’m getting better. That’s what teams do. You don’t become good overnight. It takes time. But Kevin is a gamer and he makes plays for his team, and tonight we needed him to make that shot and he did.” (more…)
