Up and down. Fast-paced. High octane.

It’s what we saw in Friday night’s 127-108 win over the Washington Wizards, arguably the most entertaining game the Ford Center has seen this season, with the three-point overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers the only other contest that comes remotely close.

But Brooks backed away from almost everything that made this game fun. Didn’t like the score. Didn’t like his team’s commitment to offense and lack of attention to detail on defense. Didn’t like that the Thunder succumbed to an opponent’s style of play.

How about the result, Scotty?

“It was a good win,” Brooks said before immediately transforming into all-out party-pooper. “We won the game, but it’s not the way we like to play basketball. We’re not a team that’s going to score 30 points in four quarters.”

To that I asked, why not? Why not make it a shootout? Why not turn the game into a catch-me-if-you-can contest?

Seems a reasonable method since the Thunder has more offensive-oriented players than defensive, right? Brooks says not so much, maintaining that this team is not built for a shootout. Not now. Not ever. This team’s identity, Brooks said, is defense.

“We have to get it straight,” Brooks said, “our players understand that you get burned more times than not if you play this style of basketball with our group right now and where we are as a team. We have to continue to get better defensively.”

Every player on the roster, especially the eight who played the majority of minutes in Friday night’s blowout, will tell you that that faster pace is more fun.

“It’s fun to play like that when it’s going well, especially the way we played tonight,” said Jeff Green after the game.

Said James Harden: “It’s fun. It’s just like in high school. It’s like the way you were raised.”

Said Kevin Durant: “It’s kind of 50-50. We could have slowed it down a little bit more. But we also had a lot of opportunities to run, which we like.”

The problem is this defensive philosophy is paying dividends. Before Friday night, the Thunder was 0-5 in games it allowed 100 points or more. OKC was limiting opponents to a little more than 90 points per game and the method was manifesting itself into wins.

For young teams like the Thunder, it’s easy to get sucked into high-scoring affairs. Easy to forget that defense wins games and fourth-quarter stops still matter most. It’s why Brooks preaches defense and will continue to no matter how much his team lights up the scoreboard.

“We can’t get baited into playing this way,” Brooks said. “We have to continue to get better at playing our style of basketball. We have to do things according to who we are. And we are a defensive team that gets stops.”

QUICK HITS

• Thabo Sefolosha was again a defensive star. He started out on Mike Miller, completely shutting him down and taking him out of the game, then briefly switched over to Caron Butler at the start of the third quarter and played significant minutes on Gilbert Arenas near the end.
• As I wrote in Saturday’s paper, the thing that stood out most to me was the resiliency that the Thunder showed throughout the game. The Wizards battled back from at least eight point deficits four times and the Thunder staved off Washington each time and never let the Wizards take the lead.
• The Thunder scored at least 30 points in all four quarters, the first time it has done that this season.
• Before the game, I asked Jeff Green about his eight-game slump. He didn’t sound too worried about it. Then he went out and scored 11 points with six rebounds in the first quarter and had a double-double by halftime. Welcome back, Mr. Green.
• The end of the game wasn’t pretty, as Washington put on a full-court press that the Thunder struggled to break and nearly allowed Washington to get back into the game. Brooks said it was his fault. “I wish I could blame the press-break offense on somebody else but I put that in today. It wasn’t good,” he said.
• The Thunder was outrebounded 34-29 through three quarters and finished the game ahead 42-40.
• Unsettling, however, was that the Wizards had 16 offensive rebounds. Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood combined for 13.
• With his perimeter shooting, James Harden is starting to provide exactly what we all expected him to when he was drafted third overall. He made four of six 3-pointers Friday and is now 10-for-13 from behind the line over the past two games.
• The most shocking thing about this game was that the Thunder scored 127 points and only one player, James Harden, scored off the bench. I’ve never seen anything like that.
• Harden’s 25 points were six more than the Wizards’ entire bench had.
• Kevin Durant scored 35 on 12-for-22 shooting, bouncing back nicely after his season-low 12 point effort against Orlando. He’s attacking the rim more than he’s ever done and getting to the free throw line much more than he has at any point in his career. It was the fifth time in seven games that KD has scored at least 30 points, and I’m starting to think he could average 30 for the season.
• Brooks went with an eight-man rotation because of the funky lineups that the Wizards play with, rarely using a big other than Haywood. As a result, Nick Collison was the odd man out, playing just 2 minutes, 21 seconds.
• Brooks might not like an offensive-oriented game, but 11-for-21 from the 3-point line, 53 percent shooting and 28 fast-break points is awfully fun.
• Gilbert Arenas is fun to watch live. He might not be Agent Zero yet but he is again one of the most dangerous point guards in the league. His hesitation game is crazy.

THEY SAID IT

• Scott Brooks on the win: “It was a good win. We got a lot of pride on our home court. We won the game, but it’s not the way we like to play basketball. We’re not a team that’s going to score 30 points in four quarters. We have to stick with our principles, our core values. That is getting stops and running out after misses. But we will take the win.”
• Brooks on the Wizards: “That is a good basketball team that has finally gotten healthy…Now that they have their full team they’re going to win a lot of games.”
• Brooks on James Harden: “James was really good tonight. He had a lot of confidence going into the game. I thought he played very hard in Orlando in the fourth quarter along with the other guys that were in that game. And he came into tonight’s game feeling good. And he should. He’s been working hard for the last six weeks or so and you see improvement.”
• Brooks on Jeff Green: “Jeff created his offense by just getting after it defensively. I thought he was physical. He was playing with toughness. Jeff is a guy that we need to be consistent and tonight he was. He got a lot of rebounds. I think he got nine or 10 in the first half along with his points. But we need that position to play that way. And when we’re a good basketball team he plays with a lot of heart and desire like he showed tonight.”
• Harden on being more comfortable: “The more games into the season and the more I’m on the court with different guys the more I get a feel for how that person plays. So the more games we play the more comfortable I’ll be and the better off I’ll be.”
• Harden on tweaking his shooting mechanics: “Just having confidence, whether it’s my elbow or following through every shot. Just having that confidence to shoot the ball every time it touches your hand let it go. The coaches have been telling me the same thing. It’s no point in me being out on the court and not wanting to shoot the ball.”
• Kevin Durant on impressing family and friends back home: “It feels real good, especially to win. That was my first time beating the Wizards since I’ve been in the league. So it felt good to at least get some bragging rights while I’m at home.”
• Durant on Green: “I texted him after the game in Orlando once we got home and told him we all have bad games but never get down and I always got his back. I’m always going to be his brother on and off the court. So we kind of talked and he got that off his chest and we went to work the next day on the off day. That’s the kind of player Jeff Green is. Even if he’s playing not as well as he wanted to he comes back and he works hard and produces a great game the next one.”

BY THE NUMBERS
6: Assists for Kevin Durant, a season-high
14: Rebounds for Jeff Green, a season-high and one shy of his career-high.
19: Biggest lead for the Thunder.
25: Points for James Harden, a career-high.
127: Points for the Thunder, a season-high and the most scored by the franchise since 2001.
18,203: The announced attendance at the Ford Center, the fourth sellout in six games.

-DM-

Durant’s response caught me off guard.

“I haven’t played against him yet either,” Durant said. “The first two years I was in the league he was hurt. So this is my first time playing against him, too.”

The fact that Durant, and Jeff Green for that matter, also will be playing against Arenas for the first time tonight puts into perspective exactly how long the Washington Wizards guard has been on the shelf. Arenas, a three-time All Star in 2005, 2006 and 2007, has played in just 15 games the past two seasons. But the 6-foot-4 point guard is back this season, looking to reclaim his spot atop the NBA’s list of elite players.

Arenas has played in all 10 of the Wizards’ games this season and averaged 36.8 minutes. He’s scoring 22.8 points per game with averages of 6.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

“Gilbert’s back,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “He’s capable of having a big game. He’s very strong, very quick, very offensive-minded. He’s good. I haven’t seen him live, but on film he’s pretty close to being back where he once was.”

Arenas is one of the few point guards Westbrook has yet to face after making his first lap around the NBA last season. What Westbrook could encounter tonight is a player who keeps him off balance with a deceptive shiftiness, an ability to score from anywhere on the court and an underrated sense of knowing how to make his teammates better with his passing skills. It’s a match up that could have a significant impact on the outcome of tonight’s game and determine whether the Thunder pulls its home record to an even 3-3 or drops to a disappointing 2-4.

“I’m not putting pressure on myself or going in like I’m playing somebody that I’ve never played before,” Westbrook said. “I just go with the same mindset, just go out and defend and make sure my teammates have my back and go from there.”

Durant, who’s worked out with Arenas in the past and filmed promotional spots with the Wizards point guard for EA Sports,  said the similarities between Westbrook and Arenas extend beyond their uniform numbers.

“We all watch Gilbert. We all know how great he is,” Durant said. “They’re similar. Gilbert right now is just a better shooter than Russell is. They’re similar in their build and athleticism so it should be a fun match up. But we’re going to help Russell out as much as possible.”

Brooks said he wants Westbrook to play with his usual aggressiveness, attacking Arenas on offense while attempting to pester him defensively.

“Respect him but challenge him,” Brooks said of what he will tell Westbrook. “Gilbert’s one of the better point guards in the league. It’s going to be a great test for Russell, but it’s not about Russell and Gilbert going at each other. Russell has to attack when he has the opportunity and he has to be a playmaker when that comes about. But it’s important that Russell really challenges himself and gets after him defensively like he’s done the last couple of games.”

LIVINGSTON PROGRESSING
Three days after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to remove staples from his reconstructed left knee, Shaun Livingston was on the court with Director of Medical Services Donnie Strack doing light running and shooting drills.

Even more impressive, according to coach Brooks, Livingston was back on the practice court doing light activities Wednesday, just one day after having the procedure.

“It’s amazing what technology (is) nowawdays,” Brooks said. “But he’s doing light stuff and we like what he’s doing. He’s coming along. Donnie and our guys are right on top of it. And Shaun’s going to continue to work hard and get it back to where it needs to be.”

Brooks said the timetable for Livingston to return to the lineup still is three to four weeks.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Near the conclusion of Friday’s shootaround, which had more of a practice feel because of its approximately 1 1/2-hour length, Brooks spoke to his team with passion and aggressiveness as he implored them to focus on defense. He pointed out how poorly the Thunder played Wednesday at Orlando and challenged the players to respond with a better effort tonight.

“Tonight’s game is about defense right from the start,” Brooks said.

The Thunder then worked on its shell defense principles and closing out on the ball properly. Assistant coach Ron Adams said he actually walked out of Amway Arena in Orlando feeling good about the Thunder’s effort because, “The guys in the fourth quarter reflected who we are.” Adams credited the bench unit for hustling, moving the ball and playing much better defense.

“We have to defend tonight,” Brooks said. “We have to defend with more spirit, more energy than we did the last game.

“We know we’re going to have to score some points tonight because they’re a very talented team. But we have to get some stops. We have to be able to take the ball off the backboard and not through the net. We have to be able to run the ball down the court and score in our transition game. They’re a team that if we’re constantly taking the ball out of the net it’s going to put a lot of pressure on our offense.”

PREPARING TO SEE A ZONE
The Wizards are expected to throw a lot of zone at the Thunder tonight, and a portion of Friday morning’s session was geared toward attacking the zone. The Thunder focused on spacing, ball movement, hard cuts and hitting shots.

“We have a zone offense,” Brooks said. “It’s easier said than done but we have to make shots. Anytime a team throws a zone at you, you have to have good spacing, you have to have good cuts and you have to be able to hit shots when they’re open.”

NOT COACHING EFFORT
Despite losing by 14 points to Orlando and trailing by as many as 30, Brooks said he’s been pleased with the Thunder’s effort throughout the first 12 games and glad that he no longer has to coach that aspect of the game.

“I think our effort’s been there,” Brooks said.  “It’s fun coaching our guys knowing that all I have to do is work on different parts of our offense and defensive package. Guys are getting after it. The bench is coming in and giving us energy.”

WILL KD IMPRESS FOR THE FOLKS BACK HOME?
Durant maintains that he is equally excited for every game no matter the opponent. But he admitted that tonight’s game carries a little more significance simply because it will be broadcast on to his family and friends back in the Washington, D.C. area.

“That should be fun,” Durant said. “A lot of people don’t get to see me play, but to have the game on T.V. back at home should be pretty cool. I normally get a lot of messages after the game so everybody that’s going to be watching that’s going to be fun to see.

“People talk a lot of trash back at home. I get text messages that the Wizards are going to beat us and, ‘Even though I like your game I’m a Wizards fan.’ So it should be a fun thing when I get to my phone after the game.”

-DM-

That’s when the Thunder recorded its fourth road win last season, a full four months into the season.

Shocking isn’t it?

But in what’s become the latest bit of evidence of how much Oklahoma City has improved, the Thunder secured its fourth road win Tuesday night at Miami, just three weeks into the 2009-10 season. It was a dominating 100-87 win over Miami at American Airlines Arena, one that bumped the Thunder’s road record to 4-2, or half its win total from last season’s 41 road games.

Good teams win on the road, and Tuesday’s win proves the Thunder is blossoming into a good team. This 6-5 start is no fluke. Oklahoma City has a better road record than it does at home (2-3). Granted, Miami is far from the toughest place to win in the league. Heat officials were so desperate for fans that two entire sections in the upper deck were allowed to move down to the lower bowl. But the Thunder has also gone into Detroit, San Antonio and Los Angeles and won, holding off talented Pistons, Spurs and Clippers teams in the fourth quarter with solid late-game execution and exceptional defense.

Road wins are vital for any team looking to land in the postseason when the regular season music stops in mid-April. Seven of last season’s 16 playoff teams finished above .500 on the road. Another two, Portland and Houston, were one game under .500 away from their home buildings. The Thunder could be on that same track, especially when you consider OKC’s two road losses, at Houston and at Sacramento, both came down to the fourth quarter, the Kings loss ending with a last-second shot that could have forced overtime.

Since that letdown in Sacramento, the Thunder has now won three straight road games. Oklahoma City’s 4-2 road record now trails only Phoenix (6-2), Portland and Dallas (both 5-2) in the Western Conference.

The best sign is that the Thunder is succeeding because of a commitment to defense. The Thunder held Miami to 43.1 percent shooing and limited a hot-handed Heat team to 5-for-18 shooting from behind the 3-point line. OKC now ranks fourth in opponent scoring, allowing just 90.1 points per game. The Heat’s point total was the seventh time in 11 games that the Thunder has held an opponent to less than 100 points. On one of the four occasions that a team did score in triple digits on the Thunder, it took the Los Angeles Lakers overtime to notch its 101-98 win.

One thing that has been proven early this season, though, is the Thunder, because of its youth, is as erratic as it is stingy. The Thunder followed up big wins against San Antonio and Orlando with heart-breakers against Sacramento and the Clippers. Oklahoma City very well could travel to Orlando for Wednesday’s game against the Magic and get run out of Amway Arena.

But the Thunder is now conscious of how to win and confident it can clinch victory on anyone’s court. And at this rate, would anyone really be surprised if the Thunder beat the Magic in Orlando on Wednesday, even if Oklahoma City didn’t see road win No. 5 until March 10?

QUICK HITS

• Russell Westbrook and Jermaine O’Neal got into it late in the first half, exchanging words and shoves after Westbrook’s offensive foul on Mario Chalmers. It was an odd sequence that looked to have started with O’Neal trying to hold up Westbrook after bodies collided before then shoving him away. Westbrook took exception and charged O’Neal but was restrained by Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem.
• Kevin Durant is finding his shooting stroke. He finished with 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes and was 11-for-23 from the field. It was the fourth time in five games that he’s scored at least 30 points.
• Offensively, Jeff Green was quiet again tonight, scoring just 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting. But defensively, it’s important to realize that Michael Beasley scored just eight points on 3-for-9 shooting.
• Thabo Sefolosha had to be the player of the game for the Thunder. His defense on Dwyane Wade made this game worth watching. From the Heat’s opening possession you could tell Wade was in for a tough night. He looked like a carefree MVP candidate, running through the motions while being unaware he was going up against one of the league’s up-and-coming bulldog defenders. Sefolosha forced Wade into a tough shot that missed badly, and by the end of the game Wade needed 19 shots to get his 22 points and turned the ball over a season-high six times.
• Scott Brooks after the game called this Russell Westbrook’s best game. Westbrook had 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting to go with seven assists and only two turnovers. But it was the defensive end of the court which Brooks praised Westbrook for setting the tone for himself and the Thunder.
• Nick Collison was huge off the bench with 10 points and six boards in 24 minutes.
• Kevin Ollie was his usual steady self, avoiding mistakes while but not making much happen. He went scoreless in 15 minutes but had three steals and one assist.
• Serge Ibaka again got some burn inside the final three minutes of the first half. And now I have to ask Brooks the next time I see him what is it about that stretch that he likes giving Ibaka some run.
• Daequan Cook tried to spoil the Thunder’s party, scoring 14 of his 17 in the fourth quarter.
• The Thunder is 6-5. OKC was 6-32 last year.
• The Thunder had a 20-1 run in this game. That seems almost impossible.
• The Thunder made 21 of 22 free throws. Shame on Nick Collison for messing with the streak. : )

THEY SAID IT

• Scott Brooks on the team’s defensive identity: “Going into training camp in late September, we were focused on the defensive end. After last season, we felt one area we were going to need to improve was defensive basketball. We needed to play with a toughness and we needed to have an identity of playing with defensive thoughts in our mind from the first practice. And I thought the guys really bought in. They’re doing a great job. We’re not perfect. We’re still understanding what we need to do, but we’re trying to do a really good job of helping each other defend.”
• Brooks on the team’s growth since camp: “We wanted to start off playing basketball that we could be proud of, our fans could be proud of, our ownership could be proud of. We are creating an identity to play winning basketball. That is competing for each other every time down court and playing unselfish basketball. We talk about keeping effort in the game and keeping selfishness out of the game. I thought we did that tonight. It was displayed throughout the game.”
• Brooks on the team’s composure down the stretch: “I love the way Coach Erik coaches the team. He coaches them hard and he makes them play physical basketball. It’s a good challenge for us. We are trying to be more physical as the days go by, and I thought this was a big test going into tonight’s game that we were going to play one of the more disciplined, physically-tough teams in basketball. And I thought we did a good job of not backing down. I’m proud of the guys’ effort because they battled throughout the game.”
• Brooks on Russell Westbrook: “I thought Russell, from the start of the game, dictated the game with his defense. He challenged himself to be a 94-feet pressure point guard and that’s what we need. I thought it actually not only sparked our team, it sparked his play throughout the game. I thought this was his best game.”
• Brooks on Thabo Sefolosha’s defense on Dwyane Wade: “Thabo did a great job, but we focused on Dwyane with four other defenders. That’s one of the things going into the game, we wanted to make his touches very difficult and we wanted to keep him off the free throw line. He got to the line too many times in the first half, but I thought the entire team defense did a good job on the weak side. But he missed some shots. He missed some shots that he would normally make.”
• Brooks on Jameer Nelson being out for Orlando: “They have two good point guards, veteran point guards. One championship point guard in Jason Williams and they have Anthony Johnson. I’m sure it’s going to hurt them, but we have to go in there and play our basketball. We want to continue to play good basketball, make winning plays throughout the game for each other.”
• Kevin Durant on Sefolosha’s defense: “He’s unbelievable, man. He’s so long and athletic and he causes a lot of problems. He got his hands up on Dwyane’s shots. But (Wade) is a great player. He made shots. We just wanted to make Dwyane see five players and that’s what we did tonight.”
• Durant on winning on the road: “We wanted to get stops. Dwyane Wade’s a fourth-quarter player so we wanted to stop him. And also Daequan Cook was in the lineup and can hit big shots. It was a great team defensive effort. We played hard and it was a great win for us.”

BY THE NUMBERS
3: Straight road wins for the Thunder.
4: Steals by Thabo Sefolosha, the third time he’s had four this season.
10: Points for Nick Collison, a season-high.
11: Turnovers for the Thunder, a season-low.
100: Points by the Thunder, now 4-0 when scoring 100 points or more.
14,443: Announced attendance at American Airlines Arena.

-DM-

Losing the first pro franchise this state has ever seen was gut-wrenching, though, on April 13, 2007, when the Hornets played their last game inside the Ford Center as “New Orleans/Oklahoma City” and uncertainty still remained about whether the Sonics would soon shuffle south as a substitute. The disappointment dialed up when the Hornets, in their first full season back in New Orleans, assembled a franchise-best season, a record of 56 wins and 26 losses and a trip to Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It became almost unbearable while watching Chris Paul turn in an MVP-caliber season and establish himself as the league’s best point guard.

But the Hornets are now in full tailspin mode, with a 3-6 record, a roster compiled of a batch of players that don’t fit, an owner who’s diagnosed with prostate cancer and dire financial concerns and now a new coach who has no NBA head coaching experience but happens to be the GM who put this team together.

Add it all up and the troubles in New Orleans function as the ultimate faux pas for the league’s 29 other franchises. And the reason Thunder fans should be grateful management and ownership has taken the complete opposite approach in Oklahoma City, deploying a patient plan rather than the Hornets’ failed attempt at a quick championship chase.

Hard as it is to fathom, not a single transaction by the Hornets has panned out over the past four years, since the time they made their way to Oklahoma City in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Paul, remember, was drafted in the summer of 2005, before there became a slash in the team’s temporary name.

The team’s current financial quandary — the Hornets sit more than $3 million over the luxury tax line — can be traced back to the regrettable signing of Peja Stojakovic in the summer of 2006 to a five-year $64 million contract. The former three-time All-Star has only regressed since joining the franchise, and he has one more year left on his deal worth $15.3 million. The 2006 draft was even worse for New Orleans, as two top 15 picks resulted in Hilton Armstrong at No. 12 and Cedric Simmons at No. 15. Nice guys, but not nice basketball players.

Tyson Chandler harmed the Hornets three times, the first time in 2006 when New Orleans acquired Chandler’s $54 million, five-year contract in a trade that sent J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown to Chicago. Chandler then put together two good seasons before nagging injuries ultimately destroyed his dexterity and damaged the Hornets’ interior defense. His injuries killed his trade value, allowing the Hornets to acquire only another ill-fitting piece, Emeka Okafor, in a trade with Charlotte last summer.

But the Hornets’ 56-win season in 2007-08 masked their flaws, and New Orleans assumed it was a few pieces away from title contention. Apparently neglecting the lessons of the Stojakovic signing, the Hornets continued to add over-the-hill veterans who no longer could carry the big roles being asked of them in New Orleans. GM Jeff Bower, who’s now the coach, signed a then 30-year-old Morris Peterson to a four-year, $23 million deal. Peterson, who’s averaging 6.5 points and 1.8 rebounds, is owed $6.2 million this season and $6.6 in 2010-11. Bower then traded Bobby Jackson and fillers for Bonzi Wells and Mike James in an attempt to shore up the team’s bench. Both were ineffective, and James had one year left on his deal at $6.4 million that instantly became a problem. The Hornets traded him for an even more ineffective and aging Antonio Daniels.

Meanwhile, the 2007 draft resulting in Julian Wright with the 13th overall pick is quickly proving to be another wasted top 15 selection. But the truth is Scott has never cared for young players not named Chris Paul. Smith was on a short leash before blossoming in Denver. So, too, was Brandon Bass before defecting to Dallas and now Orlando. So who knows what Armstrong, Simmons and Wright could have developed into if given the opportunity, perhaps the Hornets’ starting frontcourt in the future?

The list of blunders goes on and on, as each one contributed to the Hornets slipping further and further away from contention…The signing of a 31-year-old James Posey to a four-year, $25 million deal…the cost-cutting trade of sharp-shooter Rasual Butler to the Clippers for a second-round pick….The trade of the 27th overall pick in the 2008 draft to Portland as opposed to adding young talent and depth to the roster.

The only move that comes close to adding up is the five-year, reasonably-priced, $45-million extension David West signed before the start of the 2006-07 season. The best thing to come out of that deal, other than it finally being a contract that the Hornets signed a player to for market value, was that West’s contract was front-loaded and decreases each year to take some pressure off New Orleans’ cap situation. But even West, who was an All-Star in 2009, got exposed against a tougher, more athletic Denver frontline in last year’s playoffs.

The 58-point home loss to the Nuggets in Game 4 of the West Quarterfinals exposed all the Hornets.

Suddenly, in the span of two short seasons, Oklahoma fans are tremendously thankful for how removed they now are from the first franchise they called their own.

-DM-

Durant dominated the Clippers in every respect before the final buzzer sounded on the Thunder’s 83-79 win, undoubtedly assembling his best and most complete outing of his two-plus years.

On this night, Durant arrived, his coronation unfortunately coming courtesy of L.A.’s forgotten team, which had only a generously-announced 14,248 spectators sprinkled throughout Staples Center as witnesses.

Statistically, Durant has had more impressive showings. His line Wednesday — 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists — won’t wow you because it’s what we’ve come to expect of Durant. On numbers alone, this wasn’t even Durant’s best night in Staples Center. He poured in career-highs of 46 points and 15 rebounds against the Clippers last January, getting to the foul line 26 times and swishing 24 freebies. Both the attempts and the makes from the stripe stand as franchise records.

But this game wasn’t about numbers. It was about winning, which the Thunder failed to do against a short-handed Clippers team last winter despite Durant’s career night. It was about the mega-talented Durant, maybe for the first time, coming to the realization that he is capable of doing whatever he needs to do on the court to lead his teammates to victory.

Durant hunkered down on defense, playing the passing lanes and pestering his man to come up with steals and deflections. Durant played point forward offensively, controlling the ball and the pace of the Thunder’s offense throughout much of his 36 minutes, 22 seconds. He created for himself and others, refusing to settle but rather weaving his way into the lane for easy baskets or showing off an improved mid-range game with pull-up jumpers. Durant’s first 3-point attempt didn’t come until the opening seconds of the second quarter.

And this time, on a play that illustrated everything he did right offensively, Durant netted the big shot.

The Thunder took a 78-71 lead with 5:43 left to play but scored just one point over the next five minutes as the Clippers crept back to tie the score at 79-all. Thunder coach Scott Brooks then ran an isolation for Durant on the left wing. With Al Thornton defending closely, Durant drove left with two dribbles before reaching the baseline. He stopped and hit a step-back jumper over Thornton with 38.9 seconds remaining.

“That’s what I do,” Durant said. “That’s what I’m here for is to make big plays, miss or make.”

It wasn’t the make that stood out. It was the decision-making.

Equally impressive, although it will be overshadowed, was the play in which Durant didn’t take the shot. It came on a sequence that saw the Thunder aiming to milk the final 27.3 seconds off the game clock with the shot clock showing a 4.3-second differential. With all eyes on Durant as he stood near halfcourt, much like he did against the Lakers before settling for a 28-footer, Durant jabbed right took one dribble left and passed to a wide open Jeff Green after Marcus Camby helped. Green swung it to Kevin Ollie in the left corner. Ollie missed a 3-point attempt but retrieved the rebound and iced the game with a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining.

“We’ve definitely made some strides,” said Nick Collison. “I think we’re just starting to learn how to play. What I like is we have a lot of guys just concerned with winning and making winning plays.”

Durant did both Wednesday and assumed his rightful place at the front of the line on a night that you might have viewed simply as Game No. 8 of his third season.

QUICK HITS

• I just wrote all that then looked at the box score and saw Durant was a minus-2 in the plus-minus. Exhibit A of why I’m not big on stats. Durant played his tail off.
• Russell Westbrook had a terrible night. He was out of control, then he was out of the game with a mild left ankle sprain. Marcus Camby stepped on his left ankle with 4:12 remaining in the third quarter. Westbrook returned to the bench with 1:07 left in the third and was said to be available to return but didn’t. He finished 1-for-11 with two points, two rebounds, two turnovers and three assists in 22 minutes. Westbrook’s lone basket didn’t come until a tip-in with 7:13 left in the third quarter. Now watch him have a  career night at San Antonio on Saturday.
• Serge Ibaka looks to be getting some burn now. Scott Brooks has stuck him in there inside the final three minutes of the first half the past two games. But tonight Ibaka also got some run at the end of the third quarter and most of the fourth until fouling out with 1:36 left to play. Maybe his time has come.
• Ibaka had a great sequence midway through the fourth when he contested Chris Kaman’s baseline jumper on one end, forcing the Clippers’ big man into an airball. Then, he had a driving layup at the other end to give the Thunder a 76-71 lead.
• Because of Ibaka’s effectiveness, Etan Thomas played just six minutes.
• Give Nenad Krstic credit for his excellent defense on Chris Kaman on the Clippers second-to-last possession. The refs, however, seemed to have missed a traveling violation and Kaman stepping out of bounds.
• Speaking of Krstic, I saw a mean streak out him for the first time since he joined the team. It happened in the final second of the first quarter when Baron Davis drove the lane and held Krstic’s jersey for no reason. Krstic took exception and got in Davis’ face. It was a real shocker considering Krstic is one of the nicest guys in the league.
• Kevin Ollie is the unsung hero tonight. The big steal on Kaman’s bad pass. A couple of big shots. And just overall solid play in relief of the ineffective Westbrook. Maybe the demands for Shaun Livingston will be silenced now. I doubt it.
• James Harden is coming along nicely. This was probably his best game yet. He passed, rebounded and scored when the opportunity presented itself. It was a very encouraging performance.
• I’d assume Harden had the majority of fourth-quarter minutes because Brooks didn’t need Thabo Sefolosha’s defense nearly as much against Rasual Butler. Still, it was valuable experience for the rookie.
• Kaman hit Nick Collison with the “Dream Shake” from the left block with 2:36 remaining in the second quarter. I didn’t know Kaman had that in him.
• The Thunder closed the third quarter on a 10-4 run to pull within three after trailing by as many as nine in the period.
• If you ever wonder whether all that talk about the Thunder’s chemistry is a bunch of hot air, all you needed to do was watch this game. The Clippers chew each other out on every turnover, every missed assignment and every pass that is fumbled and results in a ruined assist. It’s shocking.
• Too many Thunder players have begun a disturbing trend of leaving their feet on pump fakes. It’s leading to an open shot by the man doing the pump fake or resulting in an open shot elsewhere because someone has to rotate over to help.
• Jeff Green big-boyed Al Thornton every time he matched up against him in the post. Green tried to do it against Kaman late and he traveled. Green almost became this game’s goat when followed up his traveling violation by fouling Thornton on a 3-pointer. Thornton made all three to tie the score at 79-79.
• Baron Davis torched the Thunder’s defense all game with his passing and complemented his dishes with timely aggressiveness as a scorer. He finished with, get this, 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals, two blocked shots and zero turnovers.
• DeAndre Jordan air-balled the first of two free throws with 10:58 left in the fourth and you could clearly hear him scream, “Oh (expletive).”

THEY SAID IT

• Scott Brooks on the win: “We’re going to stay humble in our victory. But it’s important that we defend. I said it all summer long and all through training camp, defense is going to be our identity. We’re going to have to play gritty, scrappy basketball.”
• Brooks on Kevin Durant: “He’s a special player. He works hard, and I’m proud of the fact he got 10 rebounds. He had a nice offensive game going other than missing three free throws after 18 in a row last night. But he had a good game because he competed on both ends of the floor.”
• Brooks on Serge Ibaka: “Like I said after the game to the guys, that’s not easy to do, sit out four or five games and only play a couple of minutes here and there. And to come in with that type of confidence, that says a lot about what he’s been doing with coach (Mark) Bryant and preparing himself to get ready and be prepared. He comes in with great energy. We know that. He’s a tremendous athlete. He’s a serious competitor.”
• Kevin Ollie on the win and his performance: “It was a great win for us. It was a total team effort. I just tried to come in and spark us. Russell’s ankle was king of hurting. We played a collective great game and we did it on the defensive end. We didn’t score that many points, but we got stops when we needed it.”
• Ollie on Durant: “Our big fella, KD, was knocking down big shots. That shot in the corner, I don’t know how he made it but he does make them. He’s just a great player and we just try to rally around him.”
• Kevin Durant on his game-winning shot: “It feels good to know that my team has confidence in me. I couldn’t hit the shot in the last game and the couple before that, but tonight it went in.”
• Nick Collison on the fourth win and last season’s 3-29 start: “There are no words to describe how disappointing that start was last year. We knew we weren’t that bad a team  but we played hard.”
• Chris Kaman on Durant: “Durant is 6-10 who can make amazing shots. It is very hard to guard him. If you put someone on him that’s too big then he just gets around him. And if you put someone on him that’s too small he’ll post up and take advantage of him.”
• Mike Dunleavy: “If you told me before this game we would hold them to this amount of points based on our shooting, I would’ve told you we would have a very good chance.”

BY THE NUMBERS
4: Fast break points for the Clippers.
6: Ties.
10: Clipper points in the fourth quarter.
12: Lead changes.
22: Percent shooting by the Clippers in the fourth quarter.
30: Points for Kevin Durant, his second straight game with 30 points or more.
35.9: Percent shooting by L.A., a new opponent season-low for the Thunder.
14,248: Announced attendance at Staples Center.

-DM-