Scott Brooks will coach the Western Conference All-Stars.

Observations from the Thunder’s 101-87 victory at Utah on Friday night. Forgive the delay in posting. Massive wireless issues for me in the Great Salt Lake:

• The Thunder’s victory clinched Scott Brooks becoming the Western Conference coach at the Feb. 26 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, but director of team operations Marc St. Yves was the only person to shake Brooks’ hand on the court afterward. Why? Russell Westbrook didn’t know the win sealed the deal. Nick Collison knew, but forgot, same goes for Kevin Durant and Nazr Mohammed. It wasn’t that no one cared. It’s just their minds didn’t refocus immediately after the game.
• Durant playfully suggested Brooks’ first duty as All-Star coach might be to start Westbrook, even though fans voted for Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant as the starting guards. “Yeah, yeah,” a smiling Durant said when asked if Brooks should wield his power. “He might tell CP to sit down for a little bit to start.”
• Brooks’ effectiveness as the Thunder’s coach was clearly evident Friday. Based on answers given by several players that day, Brooks is dealing with the team’s turnover issue the right way – not with humiliation and threats but rather with calm concern. In addition, roughly three hours before the game at Utah, Brooks and Durant sat and chatted one-on-one for 20 minutes in the front row along the baseline. Judging from Brooks’ hand gestures, he appeared to be sharing advice on options Durant might have coming off the dribble and how a play could develop. The 46-year-old Brooks has the perfect temperament to handle a young and extremely competitive group like the Thunder. Brooks doesn’t get near enough credit. Perhaps his appearance at the All-Star Game will change that.
• Westbrook said Brooks becoming an All-Star coach is far-reaching. “It’s great for the organization, the city, the community. It’s truly a blessing to see what’s going on around here (OKC),” Westbrook said. “We’ve got a lot of talent on this team, but at the same time, we’ve got to be coached. He’s a guy who keeps us steady and keeps our head above water.”
• You must check out Nick Collison’s appearance with Dan LeBatard in “Highly Questionable.” With seven minutes left Friday against the Jazz, Collison drove hard to the basket and converted an acrobatic scoop layup with the shot clock winding down. At that exact moment, I thought, “Shooter!” Listen to the interview and you’ll understand.
• EnergySolutions Arena was another tough venue for the Thunder, just like the four previous stops during the road trip at San Antonio, Portland, Golden State and Sacramento. However, I’ve never heard the Jazz’ building so quiet. The Thunder did a superb job of not allowing the sellout crowd of 19,911 to take control. Winning helps, of course, but other than going on a scoring spurt, what’s the best way to take the home crowd out of a game? “Get fouls called, get some steals, get to the free-throw line,” Westbrook explained. By the way, all five arenas were sold out for the Thunder’s visits.
• Westbrook isn’t crazy about doing interviews, but one of his favorite subjects is discussing the Thunder’s ability to bounce back after a loss. “Oh, definitely,” Westbrook said after OKC upped its bounce-back record to 25-7 the past two seasons. “In this league, you can’t afford to lose three or four in a row and be an elite team. We know that and we’re getting better each and every season, and in every game. When we lose one, we take it personal coming back the next day to be ready to play.”
• The Thunder is now 34-10 in the regular season since center Kendrick Perkins joined the starting lineup last March. “Pretty impressive,” Perkins said, eyebrows raised. “I’ll take 24 games over .500 any day.”
• Perkins won the 2008 world championship with the Boston Celtics, who went 66-16 (.805) that season. The Thunder is 21-6 and has a similar winning percentage (.778). Perkins said even great teams still lose games. The trick is letting the losses go while not forgetting what happened. “Obviously, we’ve let a few slip away this year that we still think about, but we know what to do about it now,” Perkins said.
• An .800 winning percentage is truly impressive. Look at it this way: For every game that team loses, it must immediately go on a four-game winning streak to make up lost ground. The Thunder would have to finish 53-13 this season to reach .800 or higher.
• On Thursday, OKC had 23 turnovers. On Friday, it had 17, which is still about four or five too many, but it’s far better than 23. Pointing out the obvious, the Thunder sure looks much prettier when it’s collecting steals and not handing over the ball. “Oh, gosh,” reserve guard James Harden said with a smile. “It’s always such a relief when you get easy buckets on the road. It calms the crowd down. They’re game-changers.”
• Rookie guard Reggie Jackson missed his first five shots Friday and attacked the basket with 10 seconds left in the third quarter rather than playing for one last shot. He’s a rookie and has a long ways to go. Better decisions and less hesitation running the half-court offense are Jackson’s biggest challenges.
• I miss watching Eric Maynor play. Then again, I knew I would.

Darnell Mayberry returns in this slot on Tuesday. Commence cheering.

- JOHN ROHDE

You clearly can see why I’ve said in the past that Collison is the best interview/quote on the team. He talks about taking charges, the Blake Griffin dunk on Perk, the most basketball has ever hurt him emotionally and how he plans on protecting his daughter’s innocence…with guns!

Enjoy.

-DM-

The Thunder's game at Sacramento on Thursday essentially was "Chris Webber Night" on TNT and the Kings responded with a 106-101 victory over OKC. Reggie Miller looks on as Webber receives a commemorative Kings "black" jersey.

Some thoughts on the Thunder’s 106-101 loss at Sacramento on Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion:

• I’m almost certain the answer to this question is “no,” but here it goes: Has any team ever won an NBA title leading the league in turnovers? My guess is no, and the answer will remain no because the OKC Thunder will not win an NBA title committing this many turnovers. The Thunder might win the Northwest Division again. It might be the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Heck, it might even finish with the best record in the NBA. But OKC will NOT survive a playoff series against a quality opponent by handing out free possessions at the rate of 17.0 per game.
• The OKC locker room was interesting after the Sacramento loss. Players were quiet, but not sulking. They weren’t angry, there was no sense of panic, nor did they seem helpless. The overwhelming feeling I got was disgust.  It was as if every OKC player under his breath was saying, “All right, enough of this (hooey). We have to take care of the ball.” True dat, but thinking about it is one thing. Doing something about it is another.
• Nick Collison on all the turnovers: “It’s been a common problem for us. We’re able to get by a lot of teams because we’re really talented. We’re more talented than most of the teams in terms of having guys that can bail us out, but we’ve got to play better. We learned that last year in the playoffs. We weren’t able to win a tough series because we weren’t able to execute. Defensively, we need to be better, too. They are things that can be corrected, but we have to actually do it. It’s been a problem for a long time now.”
• Russell Westbrook was having such a good day. He was named a reserve for the NBA All-Star Game for the second straight year. He had 27 points through three quarters and scored 16 points in the third quarter alone. He finished with 33 points, shot 15 of 26 from the field and also had six rebounds and three assists. But all these numbers consistently lose their luster up when you include the habitual kicker — turnovers. Turnovers routinely turn Westbrook into “Pig-Pen.” It’s his own dirty cloud. He had seven turnovers against the Kings.
• A commendable day for James Harden. He missed the cut as an All-Star reserve, yet still went out and scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. Didn’t sulk and granted interviews afterward. Commendable.
• The Thunder shot 48.1 percent from the field compared to 40.4 percent for Sacramento. The Thunder NEVER loses when the numbers are like this. The more OKC players and coaches break down this game, the angrier they’re going to get.
• OKC was 11-0 this season when Serge Ibaka had three or more blocks. Tonight, Ibaka tied a career-high with 10 blocks, and the Thunder still lost to a last-place team on the verge of leaving town because it needs a new arena. Good grief (speaking of Pig-Pen). OKC also set a Seattle franchise record with 17 blocks … and still lost to a last-place team on the verge of leaving town because it needs a new arena.
• Kevin Durant has become an outstanding page-turner. “We’ve got to move on. We’ve got a game tomorrow (in Utah). We can’t harp on this one,” said the three-time All-Star. “This was just one of those games, man. Those guys played hard, scrappy. It was a tough game.”
• The Kings aren’t horrible, but they’re not nearly as good as OKC. Not even close.
• Thunder center Kendrick Perkins scowls. Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins sulks. There’s a huge difference. Cousins is an ungodly talent. If he ever learns to shut up and play, he’ll be an All-Star. Repeatedly.
• Kings point guard Tyreke Evans is a load at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds. He’s much larger in person than on TV. He dwarfs Westbrook.
• Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson came over to press row to say hello between the third and fourth quarters and granted an interview on the spot with Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The topic discussed? Relocation. What else?
• I asked Condotta if everyone in Seattle still hated Oklahoma City. Condotta didn’t think so, but thought Thunder ownership chairman Clay Bennett likely remained one of the three most hated men in the history of the city. Didn’t ask who the other two were, but figured previous owner Howard Schultz was one of them. I told Condotta that Seattle only had itself to blame because if the city truly wanted to get back at Bennett, it should have built a new arena and made him keep the franchise in Seattle.
• Look for the NHL Phoenix Coyotes to move to Seattle before an NBA franchise does.
• Gotta admit, as the last three Thunder games were unfolding, I incorrectly predicted the outcome each time. I predicted losses at Portland and at Golden State — figuring LaMarcus Aldridge (39 points) and Monta Ellis (48) would simply be too much for OKC to overcome in the end, but the Thunder gallantly won both games. Tonight, I figured OKC would hang on to win despite its relentless generosity toward Sacramento. The Thunder ended up being far too kind with 23 turnovers, which resulted in 28 points for the Kings.
• At Utah on Friday night at 9:30, then it’s back home to OKC. Finally.

- John Rohde

It’s a 16-minute segment that is worth every second. Perkins, of course, talked about Blake Griffin’s dunk and elaborated on . But he also weighed in on whether the Thunder is the best team in the league, his leadership, Kevin Durant needing to become more vocal, his weight loss and improved health, how he learned to care only for winning and being about the right things and when he found out he wasn’t a scorer.

Enjoy.

-DM-

Thunder coach Scott Brooks (left) is one win away from coaching the Western Conference All-Star team. Will James Harden be selected as one of his reserves?

With the Los Angeles Clippers laying an egg at Cleveland last night, Thunder coach Scott Brooks moved one step closer to being named the coach of the Western Conference All-Star team, our man John Rohde notes.

    With the Los Angeles Clippers losing 99-92 at Cleveland on Wednesday night, Scott Brooks’ magic number to become the Western Conference All-Star coach is down to one.

One more victory by the Thunder between Thursday and next Wednesday clinches the best record by the league’s Feb. 15 cutoff date. The coach with the best winning percentage in each conference at that time gets to coach his conference at the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando on Feb. 26.

The best record Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro can have is 19-8. (.704). The best record San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich can have is 21-9 (.700). With one more victory, the worst record Brooks can have is 21-8 (.724).

Nothing is guaranteed, of course. But this is as close to a sure thing as you’ll find. The Thunder has three cracks at notching one more win before Feb.1 5, starting with tonight’s game at Sacramento. And Oklahoma City has had only one three-game losing streak in its past 107 games. Additionally, the Kings, at 9-16, are the second worst team in the Western Conference. Sacramento has given up 100.6 points per game, the third most in the league, and has been outscored by an average margin of 8.8 points, the NBA’s fourth worst discrepancy.

The next two games will be a home-and-home set against Utah, with the Thunder playing in Salt Lake City on Friday before hosting the Jazz on Tuesday. In that second meeting, the Thunder will be on three days rest, while the Utah will be playing its third game in three nights, all of them on the road.

While it’d be premature to pop the champagne and congratulate Brooks at this point, the mere fact that he’s on the brink of earning this honor is a testament to the job he’s done in OKC. He took a team that was 1-12 and headed nowhere fast and helped to turn it into a perennial 50-win club. He’s helped develop two All-Stars (and maybe three if James Harden joins Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Orlando as a reserve) . He’s won a Coach of the Year award. And he’s led his team to the Western Conference Finals.

Now, Oklahoma City has the best record in the league at 20-5. With that, central Florida is officially under a Thunderstorm watch for All-Star Weekend.

-DM-

• The Warriors got off to an 8-0 run after converting wide open jumpers and getting into the paint with ease. Meanwhile, the Thunder looked out of sync offensively early and couldn’t get shots to drop. In those first two minutes, it looked like this just might not be the Thunder’s night. Looked like the overtime thriller at Portland had taken its toll.

• Then Russell Westbrook decided to do something about his team’s sluggish start. Westbrook scored a layup on an ultra-aggressive and athletic attack. Then another one, both three-point plays. Then a pair of pull-ups. Before you knew it, the Thunder had tied it up at 14-all.

• Kevin Durant didn’t really have it going early. He missed his first three shots, all good looks, and just didn’t appear to be in rhythm. And just when you thought KD just didn’t have it, the guy starts throwing in off-balanced leaners for and-ones. Crazy how good he is.
• Durant finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. He would have had his first career triple-double had Serge Ibaka not blown at least two of his set-ups.
• Warriors forward David Lee actually did have a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Remember when everyone in OKC wanted the Thunder to break the bank to sign him?
• You’ve got to be happy with the win. But defensively, the Thunder left a lot to be desired. The Warriors’ point total was an opponent season high (116), Golden State shot lights out (55 percent), the Thunder had no answer for Monta Ellis (game and career-high 48 points) and OKC struggled once again in the pick-and-roll and defending the three-point line (9-of-21).
• Said Durant: “We want to strive toward perfection. We want to be one of those teams that are looked at as a really good team, and tonight we kind of had too many lapses. As a leader, I’m a little upset at myself for letting that happen. Of course we’re happy about the win. But the stuff that went on in the game, we have to correct it and try to get better. We don’t want to have games like this every game. We’ve got to get back to the drawing board.”

• The best thing you can take from this one is the Thunder showed again that it can play fast and win a shootout. The more versatile the Thunder is the better. But, really, this team is built to win shootouts. It’s the slow-paced, grind-it-out, games that require halfcourt efficiency that the Thunder still needs to prove it can consistently win. When the Thunder figures out both styles, it will be a dangerous, dangerous team come playoff time.
• There was a mysterious score change at the end of the third quarter that appeared controversial at first. What had happen’ was the refs went back and ruled a 3 by Westbrook with 4:18 remaining in the third period was actually a two. That changed the score from 93-92 going into the fourth quarter to 93-91, Warriors, at the start of the final period.
• The Thunder is now 6-1 in games decided by four points or less.
• Nazr Mohammed had brought it the past two games. He scored all eight of his points during a 13-2 run the second unit used to start the second period. Between his scoring tonight and his rebounding at Portland, I figure that will silence Thunder heads clamoring for Cole Aldrich at least until, oh, Thursday.
• What I liked best about Naz’s game tonight? His stand-still block of Ekpe Udoh. Naz just put his arms straight up and stuffed Udoh on a post move. Made him look like a little kid.
• Durant said he didn’t call glass on his go-ahead jumper. What is it about the Thunder and bank shots at Golden State?

• The first quarter was disturbing. For the fourth time this season — the fourth time in the past six games — the Thunder has allowed an opponent to score at least 30 points in the opening period. Golden State had 35 tonight.

• For as athletic as he is, Serge Ibaka looses a lot of jump balls.
• Ellis’ 48 points broke Tony Parker’s individual scoring record against the Thunder this season. Parker, of course, had 42 last Saturday at San Antonio. OKC was one LaMarcus Aldridge point away from allowing three straight 40-point games to three different players. That probably hasn’t happened that often.
• Ellis scored 40 points in 26 minutes tonight. Is he an All-Star?
• I appreciate Thabo Sefolosha’s contributions as much as anyone. I do. But I refuse to believe that he single-handedly makes that big of a difference to the Thunder’s defense. Does he help? Yes. Is he a game-changer at times? No doubt. But some of what we’re seeing now can’t possibly be justified solely by saying Sefolosha is absent.
• Speaking of Sefolosha. He told me tonight that he could be back any day now. But he ruled out Thursday’s game. It’s possible he returns Friday at Utah. I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if the coaching and medical staffs gave it two more games and let him rest over the weekend and prepare for a return next Tuesday at home against Utah.
• At one point late in the third quarter, both teams combined to make 17 of 29 3-pointers. The teams finished a combined 20-of-47 from long range.
• The Thunder took nine 3s in the final seven minutes of the third quarter!
• Before the game, Warriors coach and former ABC and ESPN color commentator Mark Jackson weighed in on Blake Griffin’s dunk on Kendrick Perkins. Someone asked Jackson if as a defensive-minded coach he appreciated Perk challenging the dunk. “We can dress it up all we want,” Jackson said. “But it was a thing of beauty. And I would have probably said ‘Mama, there goes that man.’”
• In the same breath, Jackson actually complimented Perk for the play. “The thing you love about Kendrick Perkins is if you had to rewind, he’d do the same exact thing. He really could care less being in a poster for Blake Griffin. He was part of the rotation. It was his responsibility. The beautiful thing is, watching it, here’s what I’m thinking, ”The next one somebody’s getting hit.’ That shows how much I think of Kendrick Perkins, his professionalism, his old-school mentality. I felt sorry for the next guy that tried it. Fortunately, it didn’t take place that night. But he’s a guy that’s a pro and certainly completes that Thunder basketball team.”
• Booing must be a language in the Bay Area. These fans never stop.
• The Thunder pulled off a slightly different version of the skip pass tonight, or at least one I’d never seen. James Harden was about three steps across halfcourt near the sideline, lulling his defender to sleep with his dribble and an occasional jab. All of a sudden, Harden skipped it across to Daequan Cook, who of course benefited from a beautiful back screen by Nick Collison. Cook swished it in rhythm while falling down out of bounds.
• Collison had the typical Nick Collison type of game. I thought his rebounding and screens were difference-makers.
• I learned that the Warriors have a skip pass, too. Wasn’t as nice as the Thunder’s. But the pass was from Lee, which deserves some major credit since it came from a big man.
• One night after I wrote that I hadn’t said much about Collison taking many charges this year, he drew another one. This one was on Klay Thompson.
• Harden had another nice offensive game on the road. That’s three straight now.
• Nine turnovers for Westbrook. Four came in the first half. No other player had turned it over in the first 24 minutes. I understand the guy has the ball in his hands a lot, and he’s a scoring point guard. But as some point, he’s got to cut down on those.

• Up next. At Sacramento on Thursday night.

-DM-

The NBA has released a statement saying that Kevin Durant’s basket with six seconds remaining in regulation of last night’s 111-107 Thunder win at Portland should not have counted. Durant was awarded two points when an official ruled that a blocked shot by LaMarcus Aldridge was goaltending.

Here’s a better look.

With six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge was called for goaltending on a shot attempted by the Thunder’s Kevin Durant. With the benefit of slow motion replay following the game, it has been determined that Aldridge made contact with the ball just before the ball hit the backboard. Therefore, this should have been ruled a good block and goaltending was the incorrect call. (As determined by the NBA’s Competition Committee, referees may not use instant replay on goaltending calls.)”

-DM-

1: Free throw attempt by Kevin Durant. It was his least amount of foul shots in a regular season game since April 13, 2011, when he played just 23 minutes in the season finale against Milwaukee.

2: 3-pointers made by Durant on eight attempts. It continues a bit of a slump from deep for Durant. In four February games, KD is now 4-for-21 (19.3 percent) from beyond the arc. In 15 January games, he was 21-for-67 from 3 (31.3 percent).

4: Overtime points scored by the Blazers. The Thunder held Portland to 1-for-9 shooting in the extra session.

7: Rebounds for KD. By finishing three shy of double digits, Durant’s streak of double-doubles ended at five games.

13: Lead changes Monday night. The two teams also exchanged the lead 13 times.

19: Points scored by James Harden…on the road! Harden was 6-for-12 from the field, the second time in as many road games that he’s shot exactly 50 percent. He’s just 1-for-8 from 3 in those games. But baby steps are better than no steps.

20: Turnovers by the Thunder. OKC had just 17 assists, marking the ninth time in 24 games that the Thunder has finished with more turnovers than assists.

23: Thunder points off Blazers turnovers. Portland committed just 13 turnovers, but the Thunder scored six more points off seven fewer Portland turnovers.

24: Wins the Thunder has after losses over the past two seasons. OKC is 4-1 after a loss this season and 24-7 after a loss including last season.

33: Shot attempts by Durant, a new career-high. Durant needed all 33 shots to net his 33 points. The most shots Durant had previously attempted was 31 in a home loss to San Antonio on Jan. 13, 2010. When you think about how great of a scorer KD is, it’s kind of amazing that he’s attempted at least 30 shots only twice, huh?

39: Points scored by Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge. The soon-to-be All-Star now has two of the top three individual scoring performances against the Thunder this season. Tony Parker leads the pack with 42. Aldridge also scored 30 against the Thunder on Jan. 3. L.A. was 0-for-3 in overtime, though.

45: Minutes played by Durant, a season-high. Not exactly the way you’d like to see him start a back-to-back set.

59: Rebounds by the Thunder. Oklahoma City put together its best rebounding game this season, out-rebounding the Blazers by 20, including an 18-15 advantage on the offensive end. Serge Ibaka had a season-high 13 rebounds, two shy of tying his career high. Kendrick Perkins gobbled up 10 boards, only the second time he’s pulled down at least 10 rebounds. Nazr Mohammed pulled down seven boards, tying his season high. Russell Westbrook had a season-high 11 rebounds.

-DM-

• Kevin Durant said the Thunder remembered some trash talking by Blazers players after they won by 10 in Oklahoma City on Jan. 3. “It was a lot of trash talking after that first game with them,” Durant said.
• When asked to elaborate, Durant toned it down but did provide a few more details. “It wasn’t too offensive. Of course, they said they thought they were the better team; they’re the best team in the West. All of that stuff, which is cool for them to say. They beat us and we had to take it. But I think that ever since then we’ve gotten better, they’ve gotten better and tonight was just going to be a battle between two tough teams and I’m glad we came out on top.”
• Kendrick Perkins on the trash talk: “Oh, we don’t forget stuff like that. But we ain’t about to respond, either. I wish they would have had their whole starting five in so they wouldn’t have no excuses about the game tonight. But we don’t forget nothing.”

• I don’t know whether that block by LaMarcus Aldridge was a goaltend or not. Even the in-arena replays that I saw were inconclusive. Many have said on Twitter that it was clearly a clean block. If so, there’s obviously going to be a large segment of fans who insist the Thunder got a gift. I can’t disagree. The Blazers probably would have won. But it was a bang-bang play (when I saw it live I thought it hit the backboard first) and you can’t fault the officials if they got it wrong. That’s the breaks.
• KD on the goaltend call: “I got it up there quick enough and it hit the glass first and it was a goaltend. So it was a good play for us.”

• Thunder coach Scott Brooks on the goaltend call: “I didn’t look at it. I saw it live. The referees…it’s a hard game. We won the game. I’m happy we won the game.”
• This was a great win. By far the best of the season. It wasn’t always pretty. But when you’re the best (by record), you’re going to get everyone’s best, and it’s going to sometimes be hard-nosed, physical contest. That’s what this was. And the fact that the Thunder came into the Rose Garden, where the Blazers had only lost once in 12 games, and slayed a team that was whupping opponents by an average of 18.3 points in their building, speaks volumes.
• Durant on the win: “It was one of those wins where we come back in the locker room a little bit emotional.”

• People tend to get a little carried away with the superlatives after games like this. So pardon me if what’s coming fits that bill. The defense the Thunder played on the game-clinching Blazers possession was the best I’ve ever seen from OKC. It was a big-time, dominant defensive effort. Everyone did what they needed to do. Russell Westbrook was pressuring Jamal Crawford. Perk was bodying Aldridge. Serge Ibaka provided great help. And Perk got the big block. You won’t find a more impressive 24 seconds of defense. Anywhere.
• Perk on the sequence: “It’s just talking and communication. You’ve got to give credit to the coaching staff. They called the play out. Russ kept pursuing. And you just never give up on the play. You especially can’t give a guy like Crawford a clean look at the basket. He’s known for hitting (game-tying shots) and game-winners.”
• Perk’s defense on Aldridge in the overtime period was as good as it gets. Perk held L.A. to two points on 0-for-3 shooting. Said Perkins: “He wore out himself. He hit some tough shots early…But I think he wore out through the fourth and overtime. The first three quarters, he had his legs.”

• Brooks on Perk’s D: “I thought Perk was the difference-maker. It’s kind of weird to say that when the guy he was guarding had 39, but he made him work for every shot. His activity, his rebounding, his defense, his toughness I thought won this game.”
  
• This was a great night for Perkins. As I blogged earlier Monday and put in Tuesday’s paper, Perkins admitted he’s struggling. But tonight, he had 10 rebounds, scored six points on 3-for-7 shooting and, of course, had the stellar late-game D on L.A. This could be the type of performance that changes his fortune. Perk said so himself. “It was huge,” he said. “I’m just trying to keep going. It said I had 10 (rebounds). I thought I had 12. I’m just going to try to build and keep going from there. Stay motivated. Stay positive. Keep working.”
• Perk was absolutely laying out cats tonight. He set a mean back pick on Aldridge (offensive foul), ran through Batum (offensive foul, possibly a flop) and crushed Wallace on a screen for KD. The next time Brooks talks about things that don’t show up in the stat sheet (aside from turnovers for offensive fouls), go back and watch this game.
• Aldridge made his first shot on Perk, and I thought to myself, ‘This can’t be good for the old confidence.’

• Then Aldridge kept making shots. Again and again and again and again. I started counting the ways he scored.
  1. Fadeaway on Perk, shaking him with a jab and blowing by on the baseline.
  2. Driving layup past Perk high off the glass, over the outstretched arm of Ibaka.
  3. An up-and-under/drop step on Nick Collison.
  4. A jump hook on Perk.
  5. A turnaround jumper on Collison, spinning right.
  6. A turnaround jumper on Perk, spinning left.
  7. A spin-out lob against Perk, catching a pass from Marcus Camby.
  8. A mid-range jumper from the top of the key out of a pick-and-pop.
• Needless to say, L.A. can put the ball in the hole. Brooks admitted at Monday morning’s shoot-around that he voted for L.A. to be an All-Star reserve. Perk called him an All-Star, too. (The reserves will be announced Thursday).

• I was becoming concerned with the lack of fluidity from the Thunder’s offense in the fourth quarter. OKC was just 8-of-21 in the final period of regulation, and it was, at times, some extremely ugly ball. There was no rhyme, no reason and no real effective attack. It was close to becoming the story of this game. Then the defensive stepped up even more when it counted most and sealed the win.
• The Thunder held the Blazers to 1-of-9 shooting in overtime.

• Westbrook saved the Thunder with that big block on Nicolas Batum at the end of regulation. How Batum got so free remains a mystery to me. But credit Westbrook for coming up huge. Of course, Blazers fans wanted a foul called. Durant on the block: “That was big. He had a clear lane to the rim. Russ stayed parallel. He jumped up and avoided getting the foul call on him and he made a tremendous block.”

• Overlooked shot of the game: Durant’s corner 3 with 2:06 remaining in regulation. And, boy, was it a tough, tough shot. KD ran off a baseline screen, caught a pass in the corner, turned and fired in rhythm and buried it. I’m convinced that if that shot doesn’t fall, the Thunder goes on to lose this game. The Blazers were on a 17-6 run and turned an 89-83 deficit into a 101-95 lead. Big-time shot.

• Ibaka brought a ton of energy. This is the type of performance everyone would like to see more often. He was rebounding, blocking shots, scoring on putbacks and providing nice all-around hustle to keep the Thunder on top in the first half.  He finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks and swore after the game that he should have had seven blocks and 16 rebounds. Oddly enough, it was Ibaka who picked up the slack for Westbrook in the first half with the All-Star point guard was struggling offensively.
• One sequence summed up Ibaka’s energy. It was the two straight blocks he had in the third quarter, first rejected Aldridge, then swatting Crawford following a Thunder turnover. It’s too bad the Thunder didn’t get anything out of those.

• Westbrook picked it up in the third, though, scoring 12 points mostly on easy transition dunks. It ignited him and put the Thunder ahead by as many as 12.
• I’ve got to say this about Ibaka, though. Westbrook would have had a triple-double if Ibaka could catch consistently. Russ finished with 28 points, 11 rebound and eight assists. But there was a possession late in the first quarter in which Russ drove and dropped off a nice, not perfect but nice, pass to Ibaka. The ball went right through Ibaka’s hands and squirted out of bounds. Had he caught it, he would have had an easy dunk. There were a few of those tonight.

• Let’s also not overlook KD’s defense tonight on Gerald Wallace. Durant held Wallace to four points on 2-for-9 shooting with just five rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes. Said Brooks: “I thought he was defensive-minded from the start. Wallace kind of had his way in Oklahoma, and Kevin took the challenge and made him take a bunch of tough shots.”

• Just before the horn sounded to start the second half, the Blazers showed a league-wide top 10 plays countdown on the big screen. Of course, Blake Griffin’s dunk on Perk was No. 1. But here’s the kicker. Perk was on the bench, seated right next to Durant, watching. Right after the replay of the flush KD turned to Perk and said something in his ear. I know Perk has got to be tired of seeing that by now.

• Apparently, one Portland reporter thought it was in poor taste by Durant to dunk the ball in the final seconds. He asked KD about it. Durant’s response: “I didn’t want to chance it. Maybe I was going to miss a free throw. So I just wanted to go in there and get two for sure points.”

• Collison picked up a charge tonight on Wallace. I feel like I haven’t written that nearly as much this season.
• Anyone notice how James Harden and KD waved off Reggie Jackson twice in the second quarter and brought the ball up themselves? No? Go back and replay the first period and pay close attention…That’s why having a rookie backup point guard isn’t the worse thing. He’s not being asked to lead the second unit.

• One thing I’m getting sick of from RJ. Homeboy dribbles like he’s still in college with a 35-second shot clock. Make a move, man!!!
• The skip pass was back tonight! Harden to Daequan Cook. I love it.

• I’ll make this quick. Ignore the Sonics fans behind the Thunder bench and throughout the arena. Who cares that they’re there? Who cares who they’re rooting for. Oklahoma City has a team, and it’s the best in the league right now. Stop majoring on the minor.

• Rubber Boy was the halftime act. I can’t stand him. I wish he was banned.

• I counted two times that the Blazers switched to a zone, once midway through the first period and once late in the third. I could be way off on my count. But those were the only two times I noticed it. Portland seemed to get in it for one possession and then get right out of it. I never can understand why teams do that. Give it a chance and it just might work.

• Up next. At Golden State on Tuesday.

-DM-

Kendrick Perkins is not pleased with his production so far this season.

PORTLAND — Everyone these days seems to have a problem with Kendrick Perkins.

Including the man himself.

Perkins thus far has kept quiet about his individual performance. But on Monday morning, seconds after walking off the Rose Garden court following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s shoot-around, the center confessed that he hasn’t played particularly well.

When told he was requested to be interviewed because of his subpar rebounding of late, Perkins cut off the attempt at providing background. He didn’t need to hear any more.

“Man, what else?” Perkins said, suggesting rebounding wasn’t his only issue. “I’m struggling.”

Perkins ranks third on the Thunder in rebounding. But at 5.4 per game, he’s puling down his fewest rebounds since he averaged 5.2 during the 2006-07 season. Perk’s 11.6 percent rebound rate (the percentage of total missed shots a player rebounds) is the worst of his career. Only four centers who have logged enough games and minutes to qualify have a lower rate. In 23 games, Perkins has pulled down less than five rebounds eight times. Perk’s past two performances were grounds to sound the alarm. He grabbed one rebound in 30 minutes against Memphis. He corralled three in 21 minutes against San Antonio. His matchups in those games, Marc Gasol and Tim Duncan, combined to out-rebound him 23-4.

Against Portland center Marcus Camby, Perkins will be matched up tonight against the league’s leader in rebound rate.

“I just got to play better,” Perkins said. “It’s not just the rebounding. My points are down. I’m usually one of the league leaders in field-goal percentage. I just got to play better. It’s nothing else to it. I just got to play better.”

Perkins is shooting a career-low 45.3 percent from the field. Last year, despite not being anywhere near 100 percent as he recovered from knee surgeries, Perkins managed to shoot 49.3 percent in 17 games with the Thunder. He shot 54.2 percent in 12 games with Boston. Perk’s 4.6-point scoring average is his lowest since he averaged just 4.5 in 06-07.

“I don’t know whether it’s my focus or what. But it’s on me,” Perkins said. “I really don’t care about the points. But I do worry about picking up my field goal percentage and my rebounding. I at least need to be at eight a game. So that’s unacceptable.”

Thunder coach Scott Brooks, for the most part, has stuck with Perkins, who’s averaging 26.6 minutes, four more than his career average. Brooks has said repeatedly that he doesn’t look at Perk’s stat sheet after games to determine how well or poorly he played.

“Perk’s numbers, I think they can improve and he’ll probably tell you the same thing,” Brooks said. “He does so many other things for us that I don’t really focus on his rebounds.

“I look at our team rebounds more than individuals. I know some guys are up, which is great. I’d like for Perk to rebound more. But, I keep saying it and it’s true with him, he does a lot of things that does not show up. He fights their bigs every night.”

Defensive rebounding, coupled with turnovers, has been the Thunder’s Achilles’ heal this season. OKC has overcome it thus far, compiling a league-best 18-5 record going into Monday’s game against the Blazers. Still, the Thunder yields 12.5 offensive rebounds per game, the fourth most in the league, and it’s an area of concern.

“I’d like all of our guys to get a few more rebounds and take the offensive rebounds that we give up away,” Brooks said. “Until we get that, you’re never really going to be happy with how we rebound.”

Perkins admitted that he does look at his stat sheet. And lately, it hasn’t been pretty.

“It’s frustrating for me when I’m looking at the stats and I’m getting like one or three rebounds,” Perkins said. “I just got to play better. And that’s on me. It ain’t on nobody else. I got to be more productive.”

The road to more productivity, Perkins said, is unclear. For now, Perkins said he’s just trying to find ways to continue impacting games while he struggles.

“The thing is, I never have been in a slump,” Perkins said. “This is my first time being in a slump. I just got to find my way. I figure the only thing I can do is go up from here, though.”

-DM-