• Kevin Durant sustained a shoulder injury late in this one when he ran into teammate James Harden. Durant said he’s OK. The team is calling it a shoulder bruise. “It was a quick stinger,” Durant said. “I could have stayed in the game, but I just wanted to be cautious about it. I’ll be all right by tomorrow.”

• As for the game, it was pretty open and shut. The Thunder let the Bobcats hang around a little longer than they probably should have. But in the end, OKC had one of its most impressive stretches of D that we’ve seen all season. It just won’t raise many eyebrows because it came against the Bobcats. Still, the Thunder closed out Charlotte by holding it to empty possessions on 13 of its final 15 possessions. The Bobcats had five turnovers in that eight-minute stretch. Those are really impressive figures, and only now is it becoming commonplace to see the Thunder on the right end of them.

• Serge Ibaka played his tail off doing what he does best — being an energy guy — from start to finish. He had three blocks in the first eight minutes and was an animal on the boards (game-high 13). He added 12 points to secure his ninth double-double of the year. Ibaka finished with five blocks, giving him 23 in his last four games.

• I guess I have to say Ibaka’s man defense on Boris Diaw was awful. Ibaka single-handedly allowed Diaw to join the list of players who’d be All-Stars if they played the Thunder every night. To my knowledge, it includes Tony Allen, Trevor Booker and Matt Bonner. Am I missing anyone?

• On a serious note, I had visions of Jeff Green being out there as I watched Diaw light up Ibaka. Green could have defended Diaw much better on the perimeter and perhaps not have gotten beat off the dribble as easily as Ibaka. Granted, Diaw could have made Green his…in the painted area. Still. Green is gone and it’s all water under the bridge, I know. But that little game within the game illustrated the benefits of having a 4-man as versatile as Green was. It’s not all gravy having Ibaka in that spot.

• Thabo Sefolosha came to play tonight. His defense on Stephen Jackson helped limit the Bobcats guard to 1-for-8 shooting in the first half, and his timing and pressure on the ball and in the passing lanes led to steals and a nice block on Gerald Henderson.

• Kendrick Perkins made his home debut tonight and Thunder heads got a real treat if they watched him closely. Tonight was as intense as he’s been in any of his three games so far. Throughout much of this one, Perkins was absolutely pissed. At himself. At his teammates. And at the officials.

• One play sequence stands out most. When Russell Westbrook allowed D.J. Augustin to blow right by him midway through the third quarter, Perkins stared down Westbrook and unleashed a series of choice words. I couldn’t believe it. I haven’t seen anyone talk to Westbrook, or anyone else for that matter, like that. Ever! Not Scott Brooks. Not Kevin Durant. Not Nick Collison. Not Ibaka. No one. I could make the argument that there’s nothing this team needs more.

• It would have been better had Perk not allowed Kwame Brown to blow by him two possessions later and convert a reverse layup.

• Brooks talked about Perk holding players accountable. “It’s important that all good teams are policed by one another,” Brooks said. “We have a standard that we set in place and you don’t want it to go below that. If it does, it has to be addressed. It’s always good to have players do that also. It can’t always be from me, but I’m willing to do it when necessary.”

• Westbrook was not good at all offensively tonight. He missed a lot of layups. He played in a crowd. He left his patience at home. And he forced things entirely too much.

• That being said, ahem, that reverse dunk midway through the fourth….very nice!

• When Perk caught an entry pass from Westbrook midway through the first quarter, he cleared out everyone just so he could catch his breath. It took him a full two seconds to breath before he even thought about what kind of move he’d make. Perk was gassed.

• After Perk finally made his move, he scored on a nice turnaround jumper. Looked like he knew exactly what he was doing. I said it before, I’ll say it again. The Thunder should go to him more in the post. Develop him down there. That jumper was his only shot of the night. Now, it’s unwise to try to incorporate a post game into Perkins’ repertoire and the Thunder’s system this late into the season. But I’ll be disappointed if we don’t see the coaching staff try to pull it out of him next year.

• The refs missed about 12 traveling violations…In the first quarter.

• Eric Maynor made me blurt out, ‘nice pass!,’ about three times tonight.

• Didn’t like the inconsistency by the game-ops crew in handling D.J. White’s return. When White started the second quarter, he wasn’t announced immediately. A minute in, the P.A. guy finally announced White had entered the game. And when he did, he said, ‘Also in the game, please welcome back to Oklahoma City, No. 8 D.J. White!” Huh??? White can get a special intro, but Blake Griffin can’t? That’s ridiculous. I was told all opposing players are treated the same. Apparently not.

• Every now and then, you hear a story that hits you and makes you realize NBA players don’t always have it easy. White shared one of those stories before the game. When play-by-play man Brian Davis asked if he hung out with his old teammates any while in town, White said no. Then he explained how he had to go back to his home and handle certain business. Uh, like getting clothes and packing them up to take to his new home with him. White, remember, was traded when the team was in San Antonio. He had to go straight to Charlotte. Imagine you’re on vacation and an airline loses your bags. Say you’re stuck with just your carry-on for three weeks. How would you feel? White said he also had to check the mail, pay bills and take care of some business with his vehicle, you know things most of us don’t have to pencil in every three weeks.

• Shaun Livingston looked good. He’s a feel-good story that you just have to root for. And he’s one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. I wish him the best going forward.

• During a break in the second quarter, two guys shot foul shots to determine which would attempt the halfcourt shot. Both were black. One dude was about 6-7. He air-balled five out of his nine attempts. Just goes to show all tall black guys can’t play ball.

• I had no idea until midway through the second quarter. But our old friend Tom Werme is the sideline reporter for the Bobcats. Longtime Thunder heads (as in those who paid attention last season) remember Werme as the co-sideline reporter here in OKC.

• Durant made the best play at the end of a quarter that I’ve ever seen him make. With the clock winding down at the end of the third quarter, Durant drove past Jackson and dumped off a beautiful pass to Nazr Mohammed for an uncontested layup. It’s the type of play I think we all would like to see him make consistently in those situations. I asked Durant about that drive and dish will post his thoughts tomorrow.

• This was the Thunder’s sixth straight victory, the longest winning streak this season. OKC also moved to 22-6 against the East and 21-3 against sub. 500 teams. In its past seven games against sub.-500 teams, the Thunder has won by 21.6 points per game. In other words, they’re beating the crap out of bad teams.

• With 14 games left, playoff seeding is in mind. “We got to take one game at a time but also know in the back of our minds we still got an opportunity to be in third place,” said Daequan Cook. “It’s important for us to get the wins we need to get to continue the win streak.”

-DM-

Shaun Livingston served as the 15th man for a time with the Thunder. Who might it be this year?

Days after Thursday’s trading deadline saw four players shipped out of Oklahoma City and only return three, effectively creating one open roster spot, speculation about which player might join the Thunder began to run rampant.

Corey Brewer and Jason Kapono were two of the early names the Thunder reportedly had interest in.

But on Tuesday, the team’s plans for the 15th position became a little bit clearer. And those plans don’t sound like they include Corey Brewer or Jason Kapono types.

“That 15th spot, nothing against that 15th spot because I was that 15th spot a few times in my career, it’s very slim that that spot plays,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “It’s usually a high energy (player) that makes practices very competitive.”

Look back through the Thunder’s history and you’ll see that precise pattern.

During the 2008-09 season, the Thunder signed center Steven Hill to man that spot, then waived him when Nenad Krstic agreed to an offer sheet. Point guard Chucky Atkins was then acquired as part of a mid-season trade with Denver and assumed the role. Late in that season, Shaun Livingston was signed as the 15th man when Joe Smith was waived on March 1.

Last season, the Thunder started the year with Ryan Bowen as its 15th man. Bowen logged just eight minutes in one game before being waived. He was replaced by Mike Wilks in late November. Wilks played just 59 minutes over four games. When the Thunder acquired Eric Maynor, it had to take on Matt Harpring’s contract as well, forcing the team to waive Livingston and Wilks. The Thunder later waived Harpring (who was injured and never reported to OKC) and signed Antonio Anderson from the D-League’s Rio Valley Grande Vipers as the 15th man. Anderson played 15 minutes in just one game while lasting on two 10-day contracts. In mid-March, the Thunder replaced Anderson with guard Mustafa Shakur, first inking him to a 10-day contract, then for the rest of the season. Shakur never appeared in a game for the Thunder.

Going off the Thunder’s history, the current spot would seemingly be filled by a lesser known player, perhaps from the D-League or a veteran who can provide a stabilizing presence. A few of the more realistic names include: Leon Powe, Elijah Millsap, Dominic McGuire, Jannero Pargo, Devin Brown, Trenton Hassell, Da’Sean Butler, Kyle Weaver (yes, that Kyle Weaver) and Ime Udoka.

That’s all just more speculation, of course, as there is a chance, albeit remote, the spot goes unfilled.

“We’ve talked about it,” Brooks said. “It’s always a spot that can stay available. I don’t know yet. I’m still trying to figure out how we can integrate our players that we have now. I’m not sure if we’re going to use that or not. But if we do, I know it’s going to be another player that we can know what to expect from him. He’s going to be a good kid. He’s going to be a worker. And he’s going to have some good skill sets.”

And just because the Thunder now has a logjam at point guard, shooting guard, power forward and center doesn’t mean a more natural small forward is the target, Brooks said.

“We have a lot of options with our team that we can throw different lineups out there,” said Brooks. “Kevin (Durant) does not really have a true backup, but Daequan Cook can play there, Thabo (Sefolosha) can play there, we can throw James (Harden) there, we can throw Kevin at the 4. We can throw different lineups on the floor that if we pick up somebody it doesn’t necessarily (have to be) a 3.”

-DM-

“Why not?”

If you’re Thunder GM Sam Presti, why not go after Greg Oden in free agency next summer? Why not take a chance on the one-time center sensation whose promise has faded because of faulty knees?

It would only be the greatest low-risk, high-reward maneuver we’ve ever seen Presti pull. And there have been plenty, most of them beyond question of the high-reward variety. We saw it with the near signing of C.J. Miles and the eventually rescinded trade for Tyson Chandler. We saw it with the successful signing of Nenad Krstic and the completed trade for Thabo Sefolosha. And, most similarly, we saw it with the flyer Presti took on Shaun Livingston, who nearly four years after a near career-ending knee injury still is navigating his full-time comeback.

Oden, the Blazers announced Wednesday, will soon undergo his second microfracture surgery, this time on his left knee. He missed the entire 2007-08 season following the same procedure on his right knee. And suddenly, with this latest news, Oden’s days in Portland seem to be done.

The Blazers decided against offering Oden a contract extension prior to the Nov. 1 deadline, making him the first No. 1 overall pick since Kwame Brown who failed to receive a new deal following his rookie contract. Although Oden is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next summer, giving Portland the right to match any offer a team throws his way, there are already reports that the Blazers might decline to retain those rights. Which of course makes perfect sense. Former Thunder assistant general manager Rich Cho, the new GM of the Blazers, has no reason to keep Oden. His selection was on former Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard’s watch. Now, it seems the sooner Cho can wipe his hands of what’s become a sad, if not embarrassing, set of setbacks the better.

Oden will forever be known as the bust who was taken ahead of Thunder star Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft. But the longer Oden stays with the Blazers, the more that troublesome truth will define his career, while also hanging over the Portland franchise. It’s time both parties parted ways.

And what better place is there for Oden to escape Durant’s shadow than Oklahoma City?  Rather than toil through life as the answer to a trivia question, Oden could redefine his career by joining forces with Durant and perhaps someday compete for championships alongside him.

It’s not like the Thunder couldn’t use even a marginally healthy Oden to aid its quest for a title. Nenad Krstic, Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens, the Thunder’s current cast of centers, certainly won’t fool anyone into thinking they’re championship caliber. Even if Aldrich reaches his full potential, which could be a Kendrick Perkins clone but probably is closer to Joel Pryzbilla, and Byron Mullens touches his ceiling, which at best is Tyson Chandler but realistically might be closer to Spencer Hawes, the Thunder could use another serviceable big man down the line. Mystery man Tibor Pleiss is waiting in the wings. But the 7-foot-1 German the Thunder selected 31st overall in June appears to be more of a Mullens clone, a player whose strength is more offense-oriented as opposed to rugged defense.

Enter Oden, who when healthy has shown flashes of defensive dominance. OKC could have as many as five roster spots available next summer. Krstic, it seems, will not be re-signed, and the same likely can be said for Mo Peterson and Daequan Cook. Nick Collison is in the final year of his deal but is proving to be indispensable, while Royal Ivey is non-guaranteed for next season. Surely, the Thunder can find a place for Oden.

Consider this. Oden, who turns 23 in January, is only one year, 10 months and 20 days older than Pleiss, who is still viewed as a sizable project. And Oden has appeared in only 82 regular season games since 2007. At the end of his fourth year, he will have played the equivalent of one NBA season. That inexperience suggests two things; he still has plenty of room to grow in this league, and there is plenty of mileage left in those legs, regardless of how crummy his cartilage might be.

The Thunder, meanwhile, is in great position to be patient with Oden. No pressure would be on the big man to provide a big impact. Not next season. Maybe not ever. If Oden could contribute 20 minutes a night, which is about his average over his 82-game career, OKC would have another interior defensive presence to complement its talented stable of scorers. All Oden would need to do to justify his signing is grab, say, six or seven rebounds, block about two shots and finish the occasional dump off or putback. Tons of big men stick around well into their 30s for providing precisely that. Oden has always looked like a 35-year-old. Maybe it’s time we all realize that his best shot at salvaging his career is learning how to play like one.

But the big question is how much money can Oden command?

In a league of second and third and fourth chances, you can expect several teams to bite on the bait that is a player who was billed as a once-in-a-generation center. We’ve seen it so many times, especially when it comes to big men. After failed stops in Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis, Brown still got a two-year, $8 million deal from Detroit in 2008. And this summer, Minnesota ignored how Darko Milicic wasted space in Detroit, Orlando, Memphis and New York and signed him to a four-year, $20 million deal. So somebody is going to throw some cash at Oden.

But how much is too much for the Thunder?

I don’t know how far OKC will be under the cap next season. Nobody does since the rules of a new collective bargaining agreement are still in the balance. But Oden is worth taking a considerable chance on. It’s not my money, but I’d jump at a deal starting at $2 million per. I’d probably go as high as $3.5 million per and strongly consider a $4 million annual salary over, say, three years. Maybe that’s too much. Maybe that’s not nearly enough and a franchise like New York outbids everyone to make Oden the latest in a long line of overpaid centers in a Knicks uniform.

But, if I’m Presti, Oden would definitely be in my sights next summer.

As Westbrook would say, ‘Why not?’

-DM-

Shaun Livingston

Livingston was signed by OKC in the middle of the 2008-09 season, and was waived early last year when the Thunder acquired Eric Maynor from Utah.

Livingston showed flashes of brilliance during his time in OKC, and finished out last season with the Washington Wizards.

But he is perhaps best known for his unfortunate knee injury that almost cost him his career in 2007 while with the Los Angeles Clippers — against Charlotte.

I always cringe when watching knee injuries, and this one was by far the worst I’ve ever seen. But what would a blog post about Shaun Livingston be without the video?

In exchange, the Thunder will send the draft rights to Peter Fehse, a 2002 second-round pick, to Utah. The deal, which is expected to be announced Tuesday night, will also bring Matt Harpring’s expiring $6.5 million contract to Oklahoma City, but the 33-year-old Harpring is out for the season after numerous ailments and surgeries deteriorated his performance.

To make room for Maynor and Harpring, the Thunder will release reserve guards Shaun Livingston and Mike Wilks.

Maynor, the 20th overall pick out of Virginia Commonwealth, is averaging 5.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 14 minutes per game.

-DM-

• The Pistons played without Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince.
• Rodney Stuckey tried to replace their scoring by himself. And for a moment, it looked like he would.  Stuckey had 20 points in the first half, hitting seven of 14 shots and six of six free throws. He got to the basket whenever he wanted to, routinely beating Thabo Sefolosha off the dribble. But his big first half was the biggest blessing in disguise for the Thunder. Dude was completely out of control in the third quarter, forcing shots and hurting his team. He was 4-for-10 the rest of the way but finished with a season-high 31.
• For a moment, it looked like the Thunder could really lose this game. The Pistons thoroughly outplayed the Thunder in the first quarter, shooting 57 percent and controlling the game by controlling the glass.
• Oklahoma City outscored the Pistons in each of the final three quarters.
• The 11-4 run that the Thunder closed the second quarter on was huge. It gave the Thunder a 52-51 lead at halftime and OKC extended it to six 4 1/2 minutes into the third period.
• Consider James Harden the player of the game. Without his fourth quarter the Thunder don’t win this game. The rookie is quickly establishing himself as the team’s best playmaker. It seems Scott Brooks should start putting the ball in his hands at the top of the key more often and just let him get the team into something. He had a game-high eight assists tonight, five in the fourth quarter.
• Before anyone declares that previous statement a knock on Russell Westbrook, it’s not. Westbrook had a bad night tonight but he still needs to have the ball in his hands to improve. But maybe, just maybe, it’s time for Brooks to insert the more natural playmaker and let Westbrook see how it’s done when he’s having a bad night. Or at the very least leave Westbrook on the floor but let Harden be the playmaker.
• Serge Ibaka is coming along, folks. He had 12 points and and five rebounds in 23 minutes. Six of those points came in the decisive fourth quarter.
• The Pistons had 31 fouls. The Thunder had 16. The Thunder had 36 free throws. the Pistons had 16.
• Kevin Durant bounced back tonight. Not a great shooting performance (7-for-17) but much better than 4-for-18.
• Nenad Krstic had 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots — in just 16 minutes, 26 seconds.
• I was hoping Will Bynum gave me a highlight dunk tonight. It didn’t have to be over someone. I just wanted to see the little guy get up. Everyone knows he can get up.
• As Mike Baldwin wrote about for Saturday, the bench was big tonight. Nick Collison and Shaun Livingston, to an extend, joined Ibaka and Harden to turn the tide.
• Jonas Jerebko is a player.
• Thunder fans were wondering all last season why Chris Wilcox wasn’t playing. Well, he barely gets minutes on the Pistons behind Jason Maxiell and Ben Wallace. Speaks volumes.
• The Thunder is now 11-3 when leading after three quarters and 11-0 when scoring 100 points or more.

THEY SAID IT

• Scott Brooks on the game: “I thought our bench came in and gave us a big lift in the first quarter. I thought some of our starters were not ready to play. They didn’t come out with the intensity for what it takes to play in this league.
• Brooks on Serge Ibaka: “Serge was very good tonight. That is two games in a row…He is still learning what we are doing. But you saw it tonight, he is getting it. He is focused. We try and keep it simple with him.”
• Brooks on James Harden: “James had eight assists in Detroit and had eight assists tonight. He is a very, very good playmaker. We drafted him to be a playmaker. He can score the ball or find the open man…I just like the way he plays. He plays hard and he plays for his teammates and he is not just looking to score the basketball.”
• Harden on his performance: “I was just aggressive. My teammates helped me out and I looked for them as well. They knocked down some open shots and key plays.
• Nick Collison on the team’s bench: “We got some talented guys off the bench. We do have a pretty good feel of how to play with each other. We know our offense is going to come, starting with James in that second group…We’re pretty deep and it’s definitely and advantage that we have.”
• Collison on Houston: “Houston’s a team we’ve had a lot of trouble with in the past. Just a really good team top to bottom. Real solid. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. Defensively, they’re real solid so we’re going to have to move the ball. It’s not a game where we can just play one-on-one because the help’s going to be there. We’ll have to be ready to play. It’s a physical team. We’ll have to do a lot of things well to win.”

BY THE NUMBERS
10: Blocked shots by the Thunder.
13: Biggest lead by OKC.
16: Offensive rebounds by Detroit.
24: Assists by the Thunder.
50: Percent shooting by the Thunder.
53.3: 3-point percentage by OKC.
109: Points by the Thunder, the third highest of the season.
17,774: Announced attendance inside the Ford Center.

-DM-

• A 30-17 second quarter was the difference in the game. The Nuggets used the period to open a 55-40 lead at halftime and the Thunder never could recover. Never even got close.
• Oklahoma City went down big early and couldn’t recover because no one could make a shot. The Thunder shot 36.4 percent in the first half. And the problem was OKC kept shooting from the outside instead of attacking the rim.
• The Nuggets had a 19-9 advantage at the free throw line in the first half, an indication of which team was the more aggressive ballclub early.
• The Thunder again had trouble on the defensive glass, allowing 14 offensive rebounds. Kenyon Martin and Nene combined for 10 offensive rebounds. The Thunder ultimately won the overall rebounding battle 41-40 but Denver’s early rebounding helped the Nuggets jump out to their lead.
• In the end, this was a game that came down to the better team simply outperforming an inferior team. Because when you look at the box score none of it really explains how this was a blowout for much of the game. Both teams shot right at 40 percent. The Thunder, as I mentioned, won the overall rebounding battle. OKC had three more turnovers, but the Nuggets scored seven less points off OKC’s giveaways. The Thunder made more 3-pointers, had more assists and finished with more points in the paint. Denver attempted nine more free throws and made eight more, the only stat that provides some sort of explanation. But even that is misleading because some of those attempts at the line came down the stretch.
• Carmelo Anthony made some tough shots. This game showed why he’s considered the league’s best all-around scorer. He puts the ball in the basket from anywhere and has a knack for scoring even when he’s tightly covered. Some of the baskets he made while Kevin Durant and Jeff Green were hanging on him made you feel sorry for Green and KD. There was nothing more they could do. Melo just makes shots. And makes them look easy.
• Durant, for the second time in as many days, stood toe-to-toe with one of the game’s best, matching Melo’s skills before coming up short because of a lack of assistance. Durant had a game-high 32 points with 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. He was 9-for-20 from the field, but the only other Thunder players who shot a good percentage were Thabo Sefolosha and Nick Collison.
• Green got off to a great start but lost his rhythm when he needed stitches in his lip to control a cut he sustained in the third quarter while attempting to block a shot. He missed most of the third quarter but returned to play in the fourth. He finished with eight points on 3-for-9 shooting. Green made some nice hustle plays and smart decisions, though, and also had seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
• Pretty high praise from Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups after the game: “I love that team. They got a lot of young players that can really play. They play extremely hard. They were coming in on a back-to-back. We knew they’d be a little tired. But I got a lot of respect for that team. I like them a lot.”
• James Harden had some unreal set-ups. Although Shaun Livingston is currently the backup point guard it’s Harden who has been running the second unit of late. He had five assists in 24 minutes.
• Chris Andersen had a monster game off the bench. How he gets 15 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three steals is a mystery to me. An even bigger mystery is how he got to the free throw line 10 times and made nine of them.
• J.R. Smith came off the bench to score 19 points and join Anderson to form a deadly one-two punch that the Thunder had no counter for.
• Of all things that the Thunder couldn’t or didn’t do right, the one thing that OKC did a great job of was limiting Denver in transition. The Nuggets had only five fast break points. This could have been a much more encouraging performance had the Thunder made more shots, boxed out better and turned the ball over less. Yes, that’s asking a lot. But for the most part, the strength of this team showed up tonight. The Thunder held the league’s highest scoring team, one that averages 116 points at home, to six points under its season average and hampered the Nuggets into only 40 percent shooting.

-DM-

But the significance of his issue wasn’t illustrated until the soft-spoken star parted his lips to confront his concern.

Durant had seen enough of the LeBron James love festival in his home arena and this was his attempt to squash it. He started with a stare. It grew into a scolding.

The courtside fan didn’t know what hit him.

With his exploits, James had transformed the gentleman seated in the high-priced seat from fiery foe to friendly fan. For three quarters, the man offered his best Jack Nicholson, mercilessly heckling Cleveland’s superstar forward. No. 23 in the wine and gold even jawed back, on one trip down court appearing to annoyingly mouth the words, ‘Sue me.”

But the fan slowly became a witness.

James ended the first half by scoring each of the Cavs’ final 12 points. He had two three-point plays, a jump hook off the glass from the right block and two rim-rocking dunks. Twelve minutes later, James ended the third period in even more spectacular fashion, burying a barrage of deep 3-pointers en route to scoring Cleveland’s final 10 points of the period.

By then, James had the middle-aged man fawning over his feats.

Just before James inbounded the ball near the fan at the start of the final period, the man extended a closed fist. James graciously bumped knuckles. Durant, noticing the exchange while wrangling with his shoe laces, furrowed his brow then took exception.

“You supposed to be on our side,” Durant said, pinching a piece of his white Thunder jersey. “What kind of fan are you?”

Durant had made his statement — although it would have rung louder had he not gone 0-for-6 with two turnovers in the decisive fourth quarter. With the concise confrontation, one that was not completely caught on camera and certainly unclear to much of the sold out crowd of 18,203, Durant sent a subliminal message that he’s sick of playing second fiddle and tired of his Thunder taking a backseat.

Imagine it from Durant’s viewpoint. Here he is, standing toe-to-toe with one of the game’s best, matching the league’s reigning MVP shot-for-shot, scratching and searching for yet another statement victory, and he can’t tighten up his shoe laces for the stretch run without seeing what’s supposed to be a supporter fist-bumping Bron Bron.

That’s why the reprimand was as encouraging of an act as we’ve seen from Durant, who slowly is shedding his shell and growing before our eyes and learning how to lead.

It said Durant is holding everyone accountable, from himself to his teammates to his home fans.

It said the Thunder’s budding star wants more responsibility and has prepared his scrawny shoulders to bear the blow should that desire backfire.

It said the face of the franchise is now ready to play the part, willing to speak up when needed and offer his opinion on the direction of the organization — even if it means starting with simple instructions on how to properly root for the home team.

“He just needed to kind of go through the league and get bumped and bruised a little bit to figure out how not only he can be effective as an individual, but how he can help his team be effective and have success in the win-loss column,” said Cavs coach Mike Brown of Durant. “The maturation process that he’s going through is evident not only in his numbers but in the team’s win-loss record. Because that’s what superstars do.”

QUICK HITS

• This was one of the most entertaining games of the season…right until the final 7 1/2 minutes, when the Thunder sucked the energy out of the building because it couldn’t make a shot.
• OKC was 6-for-20 from the field in the fourth quarter and 1-for-8 from beyond the 3-point line.
• Shots did everything but fall for the Thunder in the fourth. Most of the attempts were quality shots. They just wouldn’t go down.
• Even though the shots were good looks, the troubling thing is too many attempts were from the perimeter. There were very few drives to the basket and the aggressiveness the Thunder attacked with earlier disappeared.
• After shooting 29 free throws in the first three quarters, the Thunder had zero attempts in the fourth period.
• Mo Williams had the play of the game with his halfcourt heave that gave the Cavs a 94-87 lead with 4:07 remaining.
• What went unnoticed is how Thabo Sefolosha wasn’t able to get to the loose ball that he deflected because Shaquille O’Neal’s size 23s tripped him when O’Neal came to set a back pick to free up Williams. It should have been a foul on O’Neal.
• Still, if you know anything about Mo Williams, you knew that shot had a good chance of going in when he gathered it and launched. I leaned over to Mike Baldwin right before he scooped up the loose ball and told him Williams was going to sink it. I knew because I knew Williams has hit big shots over and over and over and over again throughout his career.
• LeBron James gives paying customers a show every time he steps on the floor. He does it all on the court and is getting to the point where he no longer has a weakness. Given his size, strength and passing ability, I’m a little surprised he doesn’t post up more. And his free throw percentage, while improving, seemingly should be in the 80s.
• The most impressive play of the night from LeBron wasn’t the lefty dunk he threw down or the reverse two-handed slam or any of his five-deep 3-pointers. It was an assist he had in the first half, when he cut backdoor from the left baseline, caught the ball and in one motion made a touch pass to a cutting J.J. Hickson for a layup. On that play, you saw LeBron’s court vision and basketball IQ, two areas of his game that are just as impressive as all of his skywalking slams.
• The plan wasn’t to let LeBron get his and contain everyone else, but the Thunder unintentionally did a solid job of that. Williams, with 22 points, was the only other player in double-digit scoring.
• You could make the argument that the Cavs don’t win this game without Anderson Varejao. Shaquille O’Neal was saddled with foul trouble the entire night and Varejao did more than just fill in for the big fella. Varejao had 10 boards, five on the offensive end, and kept several other balls alive. It lead to a 11-6 advantage in second-chance points for Cleveland and helped the Cavs attempt 15 more shots than the Thunder.
• Give Nenad Krstic credit for his excellent defense on O’Neal. That seemed like it would be an ugly match up going in, but Krstic battled all night and won the individual battle. You could have asked Krstic to only hit more jump shots and expose Cleveland’s bigs as defenders away from the basket.
• Kevin Durant had one of those fourth quarters. It was a disappointing end to what had been an impressive performance for Durant, who stood toe-to-toe with LeBron for three quarters.
• Jeff Green had a season-high 26 points and was active throughout. But he’ll tell you he wasn’t satisfied with his four rebounds.
• Shaun Livingston is getting the backup point guard minutes, but the ball typically is in James Harden’s hands when they’re on the court together. Harden brings the ball up the court and frequently initiates the pick-and-roll.
• Nick Collison took a charge on Varejao, and I’m starting to wonder where Collison ranks this season in drawing offensive fouls. He’s missed a good amount of time but I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s ranked pretty high.
• Delonte West could have had a severe headache after the game, been deep in thought or praying for all I know. But (and I’m not making light of this) seeing him sitting at his locker with a towel blanketing his head and his palm pressed against his face made me think about how serious his legal and personal problems might be. I’ll never know, but it’s issues like those that people like GM Sam Presti know about before trading a talent like West.  Although I’ve questioned Presti in the past for essentially giving away West, the postgame sighting made me rethink the why to that particular move.
• Just before tip-off, Shaq motioned to Kyle Weaver from opposite ends of the court and inquired about the Thunder’s shooting guard’s injured shoulder. Weaver mouthed to O’Neal that he injured it in practice. Shaq gave Weaver a look as if to say, ‘Tough luck.’ Don’t ask me how Shaq knows Kyle Weaver.

THEY SAID IT

• Scott Brooks on LeBron James: “He was in a zone, there was no doubt. You can’t do much about it. He’s one of the best players in the world.”
• Cavs coach Mike Brown on James: “LeBron did a great job tonight with 44 points, seven rebounds and six assists. And you think that is just a normal game for him but it’s not. And that is how crazy his play has been this year.”
• Mike Brown on Kevin Durant: “You aren’t stopping a guy like Kevin Durant. You just try and contain him. He has matured in the league. He needed to go through the league and get some of those bumps and bruises. He is on track to have a lot of success for this OKC team.”
• Brown on Mo Williams‘ halfcourt shot: “It was spectacular. When it left his hands I had a great look at it. I felt it was good. It’s a tribute to me being our halfcourt shooting coach.”
• James on his late-game performance: “I can get it going every now and then. It felt good, especially because we were down at that time. So for me to get hot at the right time was good.”
• James on the fourth quarter: “We just turned it up a little bit more. The fourth quarter is where we always make our mark. We definitely played hard in the fourth quarter. And we were the reason why they missed a lot of easy shots. We made it tough on them.”
• James on Williams’ halfcourt shot: “That was great. When you practice with me every day on them halfcourt shots, sometimes it pays off. And that was a huge shot. It was much bigger than the shot itself because we were only up like four with like 3 1/2 minutes left. So that put us up three possessions and that was a big shot.”
• James on the Thunder’s improvement: “They’re a better team. Another year of experience helps them, of course. Another year for coach Brooks. They’ve got some very good athletic young guys. And the fact that they’ve been together for two years now helps them.”
• James on his first-quarter, french-fry theft: “Wasn’t nobody sitting there. The french fries had their own seat. That wasn’t from a kid.”
• Williams on his halfcourt heave: “Any shot like that hurts. You think you have a big stop with three seconds left on the shot clock and you’re down only four. Then, it’s all of a sudden down seven. It takes the life out of you. That was a big shot.”

BY THE NUMBERS
4: Made 3-pointers by the Thunder on 16 attempts.
11: Made 3-pointers by Cleveland on 22 attempts.
12: Straight missed shots by the Thunder inside the final 7 1/2 minutes.
15: Biggest lead by the Cavs.
30: Made field-goals by the Thunder, six more than its season-low.
44: Points by Cavs forward LeBron James.
18,203: Announced attendance at the Ford Center, the eighth sellout of the season.

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• The Thunder got off to a 9-2 run in the first 3 minutes, 25 seconds.
• There was a great sequence with 4:40 remaining in the first. Thabo Sefolosha recovered to block a layup attempt by O.J. Mayo when he beat Sefolosha backdoor. It led to a Thunder run out that ended with a Kevin Durant layup.
• OKC had eight assists on its first nine baskets, getting out to its lead because of unselfishness and ball movement.
• Marc Gasol looked like a giant on the court…and played huge early, too. His length on the glass was a bit of a problem and it allowed him to be in position for easy putbacks and finishes throughout the game. I think it’s time people realize that the Lakers did get a much better deal in the Pau Gasol trade. But it wasn’t as raw of a deal as people make it out to be.
• Shaun Livingston got the backup point guard minutes for the second straight game, checking in late in the first quarter. He did a nice job running the team, but more encouraging to me was his lateral movement looked solid as well while defending and staying in front of the shifty Jamaal Tinsley.
• James Harden posterized Hasheem Thabeet early in the second quarter. Thabeet blocked Harden twice before that so it was almost payback.
• Harden’s final stat line in no way explains the impact he had on the game. He played the entire fourth quarter, taking minutes from Sefolosha and served as the team’s facilitator in the fourth quarter and played solid defense on O.J. Mayo.
• It’s getting old, but Nick Collison gave great effort and huge minutes once again. He rebounded well, blocked shots, took charges and
• Russell Westbrook hit a few pull-up jumpers in the first half and his stroke looked silky smooth. That aspect of his game has been the least discussed area of his improvement.
• The Thunder lead 56-42 at halftime.
• The home broadcast pointed out something that I didn’t know. Durant entered the game leading the league in third-quarter scoring at nine points per game.
• Oklahoma City then scored just 10 points in the third period. Durant had six of them.
• Durant’s rebounding was impressive throughout the game. He really attacked the glass and gave the Thunder second-chance opportunities and helped OKC close out possessions with rebounds. He finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals. It was his fifth double-double this season.
• After blowing a 17-point lead and going into the fourth period down by four, the Thunder went on a 24-6 run to break the game open and go back up 90-76.
• The Thunder is now 10-0 when scoring 100 points or more.
• Rudy Gay played an awful game. He never looked like he wanted to play and was never a factor. Gay finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. But he was 4-for-16 from the field.
• Oklahoma City had 10 blocked shots.
• Zach Randolph was a load and had 19 points and 20 rebounds, including 11 offensive rebounds. He had 12 points and 13 rebounds in the third quarter alone, sparking the Grizzlies’ 28-10 period. His 13 rebounds in the quarter set a franchise record.
• Hats off to Westbrook’s all-around game. 23 points, seven assists, six rebounds only three turnovers.
• Nenad Krstic also had one of his best games of the season with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. He had a dunk late in the game, the first time I’ve seen him dunk in quite some time. It was with two hands no less.
• The Thunder was 4-for-19 from 3-point range.
• The Grizzlies were 4-for-18 from deep.
• The Thunder is now 12-9, the first time the franchise has been three games over .500 in five years.

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Golden State, in 48 minutes, should have shown you all you needed to thank the basketball gods after every game for the type of players being gathered in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder has a locker room filled with 20-somethings who understand the meaning of team. They play hard and they play for each other. They spend time off the court and they do their damndest to ensure everyone excels on it.

Golden State is a franchise in turmoil.

Center Mikki Moore, on one possession, adamantly argued a personal foul call, what would have been his third. He never showed that he cared that when the ref changed the call it wound up being Stephen Curry’s fourth foul and made the more important player sit. Later, Moore looked truly ticked when Anthony Randolph snared a board away from him in the second half. And then there was guard Monta Ellis, who took 28 shots, had nine turnovers, two assists and the nerve to still callously clap his hands to demand the ball from his teammates — only one of which had more than nine field-goal attempts.

Notice the Thunder’s shot distribution: Kevin Durant 24, Russell Westbrook 17, Jeff Green 16, James Harden 13. There was a possession in the first half when two Thunder players battled under the boards and the refs didn’t know which player ultimately tipped in a shot and deserved the trip to the foul line for the And One. Green attempted to clear up the mess by voluntarily pointing to Nick Collison instead of taking the credit.

The Warriors never displayed that teamwork and never seemed to care about winning this game. Padding stats and preventing injury was perhaps the main items on their mental game plans. I actually felt bad for Curry as I watched him glide through this game and his rookie season on a team so polluted.

Meanwhile, Thunder rookie James Harden nets 26 points with nine rebounds, both career-highs, because teammates like Durant, Green and Westbrook are encouraging him to shoot more and play second fiddle less. Players like Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic can score a combined nine points on seven shot attempts and be completely satisfied because they know a 16-point win feels better than a 16-point blowout so long as they got theirs.

It’s easy to refuse the Thunder’s rhetoric. Easy to roll your eyes when GM Sam Presti takes the mic at an introductory press conference and touts a player’s character while his career numbers appear crummy.

But contaminated clubs like the Warriors team that Walked into the Ford Center on Monday night proved that Oklahoma City has something special on its hands.

Thunder fans should be thanking the basketball gods.

QUICK HITS

• Surprise, surprise, Jeff Green played well and the Thunder won. Green had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half and finished with 21 points and 13 boards. I think Oklahoma City has found its X-Factor.
• Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were a combined 5-for-20 from the field for 11 points in the first half. They finished  with a combined 40 points.
• James Harden had a career-high 26 points with a 13 made free throws on 14 attempts, both career-highs as well. He added a career-high nine rebounds and five assists, two steals and didn’t turn the ball over.
• I thought Nick Collison helped turn the tide early with his energy in the game after the Thunder came out flat and Golden State got out to a nice lead with easy buckets.
• I remember a debate about whether Stephen Curry would make a good pro. The kid just knows how to play basketball. I think he’ll be around for a long time.
• The Thunder outscored the Warriors  29-18 in the third quarter. OKC closed the period on a 16-5 run after Corey Maggette was whistled for a technical foul with 4:07 remaining in the quarter.
• The 57-37 rebounding advantage for the Thunder was huge. The advantage was 15-3 on the offensive end and it led to a 16-6 advantage in second-chance points.
• OKC contested shots well tonight and held the Warriors to 4-for-13 shooting from the 3-point line.
• The Warriors had just 12 assists and committed 20 turnovers.
• C.J. Watson and Monta Ellis played the entire game. Kind of makes me think it’s no big deal that Kevin Durant once again played 45 minutes.
• Shaun Livingston looked poised in the backup role tonight. He might be about to take over that role from Mike Wilks. I talked to him about it after the game and he said he’s ambitious and eager to prove he still has it. We’re about to find out.

THEY SAID IT

• Scott Brooks on the win: “We gutted out that win. We didn’t have our best stuff, and they had some players that were missing. But we competed and it’s not always going to be pretty basketball. But defensively, I thought we got after it.”
• Brooks on James Harden: “He was terrific. He was getting into the paint, making plays and he finished strong a couple times and got to the free throw line and made some passes.”
• Warriors acting head coach Keith Smart: “The Thunder is 9-0 when they get over 100 points so we tried to keep it just under there. But when you have 20 turnovers, you’re not going to have a chance against anyone.”
• Harden on his performance: “I’m getting a better feel of this game and just being aggressive. Coach told me all week to be aggressive and that’s what I came out to do.”
• Jeff Green on the team’s hustle and rebounding: “It was very important. It kept us in the game. The way they were shooting the ball we needed an extra boost.”
• Green on Shaun Livingston: “He’s a veteran player. He knows what to do when he comes in the game. He’s a true point guard. He got his hands on some balls and some key steals which led to some easy buckets on the offensive end.”
• Kevin Durant on 11-9 record after 20 games: “We could have won a lot of games. We could have won 14 of those and been 14-6. That would have been good for 20 games. But that’s the best thing about this league, we learn from our mistakes and we have a game right around the corner…But I think it’s a better start than we had last year so I’ll take that.”
• Durant on the 3-2 homestand: “First of all I’m glad we got a winning record at home. It’s very important to hold down your home. We could have done a lot better, but all in all I think we got better as time went on. We won games we needed to win and I think we played better.”

BY THE NUMBERS
14: Free throws by James Harden, a career-high.
19: Biggest lead by Oklahoma City.
22: Points by Warriors rookie Stephen Curry, a career-high.
26: Points by Harden, a career-high.
48: Minutes played by Warriors guards Monta Ellis and C.J. Watson.
57: Rebounds by the Thunder.
88: Points by the Warriors, a season-low for Golden State.
17,334: Announced attendance at the Ford Center.

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