OKC Thunder Blog – Page 51 – NBA Blog

Thunder beat Warriors 119-98

A fog-delayed arrival in Oklahoma City made Golden State’s task tough enough.

Then the Warriors made the mistake of getting on Kevin Martin’s bad side.

Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Martin roared to life with 10 points during a fourth-quarter run that put away the Thunder’s 119-98 win on Wednesday night.

Martin hit a pair of 3-pointers, a runner and slammed home a two-handed dunk during a 16-4 fourth-quarter spurt that pushed the lead to 106-83 and coaxed coach Scott Brooks into emptying his bench instead of going back to All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Durant down the stretch. Warriors coach Mark Jackson soon followed suit.

”Coach Jackson should talk to a couple of his bench players and make sure they get wet behind the ears before they come barking at a couple of our players,” said Martin, who went 4 for 5 in the final period and ended up with 21 points.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Warriors didn’t get settled in Oklahoma City until almost daybreak and it showed as they fell behind by 20 early…

Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson had 19 points apiece for the Warriors. Golden State played without Andrew Bogut, who is still easing his way back from a left ankle injury, and Jarrett Jack was sidelined by a right shoulder contusion.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

Kyrie Irving scores 35, Cavs beat Thunder

Kyrie Irving wasn’t just interested. He was incredible.

With one shot better than his last, Irving scored 35 points, including 13 in the final 2:52, as the Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-110 on Saturday.

One night after saying he was ”disinterested” during a loss in Detroit, Irving was simply spectacular down the stretch. He single-handedly closed out one of the NBA’s best teams, making his last five shots and showing why he’s an All-Star at age 20. Irving’s biggest bucket was a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to make it 113-108.

”He’s a killer,” said newly acquired Cavs forward Marreese Speights, who added 21 points. ”I knew a little about him, I didn’t know THAT.”

Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook had 28 for the Thunder, who came in 35-11 and with the league’s best road record. Durant left briefly in the third quarter with an injured rib, but returned and scored 13 in the fourth…

Tristan Thompson added 12 rebounds and C.J. Miles scored 16 for the Cavs, who had played poorly in consecutive losses this week to Golden State and Detroit…

Speights, recently acquired in a trade with Memphis, gave the Cavs a huge spark in the fourth, scoring 10 of Cleveland’s 13 points in one stretch. The 6-foot-10 big man has only practiced twice with his new teammates.

— Reported by Tom Withers of the Associated Press

Kobe leads Lakers past Oklahoma City 105-96

Kobe Bryant had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, Steve Nash added seven of his 17 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 105-96 Sunday.

Pau Gasol scored 16 points in a reserve role as the Lakers picked up the most impressive victory of their thoroughly unimpressive season, coolly maintaining a small lead down the stretch of their second straight win after a four-game skid.

Los Angeles had lost nine of its last 11 against the powerful Thunder, including four of five in the clubs’ second-round playoff series last spring.

Kevin Durant scored 35 points and Russell Westbrook had 17 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds for the road-weary Thunder, who finished their longest trip of the season at 3-3.

Bryant and Westbrook briefly tangled in the third quarter in an exchange that earned a technical foul for Kobe. Both All-Star guards entered the fourth quarter needing just one rebound for a triple-double, but neither got it.

Westbrook also missed his first eight shots and 12 of his first 13 before finding his shot, but the Lakers didn’t wilt down the stretch…

Howard had eight points and 10 rebounds while fighting foul trouble and missing eight of his 10 free throws. Bryant and Nash led a passionate effort by the Lakers, whose season-long missteps and embarrassments have left them well out of the playoff picture heading into the second half of the season.

— Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press

Big 3 lead surging Thunder past Kings 105-95

If the Oklahoma City Thunder never play in Sacramento again, they sure left quite a lasting memory.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Martin overcame a slow start, and Oklahoma City overwhelmed the Kings 105-95 on Friday night behind its star trio.

Durant had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Martin scored 24 and Westbrook added 18 points and a season-high 14 assists to anchor a 28-10 run to start the third quarter. The spurt helped the Thunder go ahead by 25 points and improve to 3-2 on their season-long six-game road trip, which ends Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers.

”Maybe one of our better quarters of the year,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

With the Kings’ pending purchase agreement to a group that wants to relocate the team to Seattle, there’s no guarantee the Thunder – coincidentally the former SuperSonics, who moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008 – will be back in California’s capital city next season…

Oklahoma City outshot Sacramento 48 to 41 percent, won the rebounding battle 47-39 and dished out 27 assists. The Kings had only one more assist than Westbrook, who had what Brooks called ”one of his best overall games,” especially considering the point guard shot 3 of 16 from the floor in a loss at Golden State on Wednesday night…

Tyreke Evans scored 16 points and DeMarcus Cousins had 14 points and eight rebounds on a difficult shooting night for the Kings, who have lost three straight and four of five. Cousins finished 6 of 16 from the floor and had seven of Sacramento’s 18 turnovers.

— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press

Thunder re-assign Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton to D-League for billionth time

The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned guard Jeremy Lamb and center Daniel Orton to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Lamb has appeared in 16 games this season with the Thunder averaging 1.7 points in 4.0 minutes per game.

Orton has seen action in one game for the Thunder, scoring two points in two minutes versus Cleveland on Nov. 11th.

Both players are expected to be in uniform tomorrow when the 66ers take on the Energy at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA.

Carlos Boozer, Kevin Durant named NBA Players of Week

Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant today were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan. 14 through Sunday, Jan. 20.

Boozer led the Bulls to a 3-1 week, which included wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors. He averaged 23.0 points (fourth in the conference) and a league-leading 14.8 rebounds. Boozer recorded a point-rebound double-double in all four contests, including a 19-point, 20-rebound game on Jan. 18 during a 100-99 win over the Boston Celtics.

Durant helped Oklahoma City to a 3-1 record on the week, which included wins over the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. He averaged a league-best 37.5 points and recorded a career and NBA-season-high 52 points on January 18 during a 117-114 overtime win against the Dallas Mavericks.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Miami’s LeBron James, New Orleans’ Greivis Vasquez, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Philadelphia’s Jrue Holiday and Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins

Thunder win-streak ends with OT loss to Nuggets

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook teamed up on another scoring spree for Oklahoma City. In a tightly contested game, though, Kenneth Faried’s driving layup made the difference for Denver.

Faried scored the go-ahead layup in overtime, and the Nuggets overcame 30-plus point performances from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to beat the Thunder 121-118 Sunday night, snapping Oklahoma City’s six-game winning streak.

Corey Brewer scored 26 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Nuggets, who reversed a 20-point loss to the Thunder last Wednesday. Danilo Gallinari added 18 points and Faried finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds…

The Thunder, who beat Dallas in overtime Friday night behind a career-high 52 points from Durant, lost for the first time in five overtime games this season. They got 37 points from Durant and 36 from Westbrook…

The game was a difficult one emotionally as well for Thunder coach Scott Brooks, whose 79-year-old mother, Lee, died on Saturday. In a statement released by the club earlier, Brooks thanked friends, family and the team for their support and said his mom would have wanted him to coach Sunday night’s game…

A missed free throw by Durant with 1:44 to go in OT ended his streak of 50 consecutive free throws. … The Nuggets improved to 3-0 in overtime games this season. … Oklahoma City is now 1-1 on its season-high six-game road trip that continues Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. … Durant scored 30 or more points in a career-best fourth consecutive game. … The Thunder are 20-5 this season when Westbrook and Durant each score at least 20 points.

— Reported by Dennis Georgatos of the Associated Press

Kevin Durant scores 52 points in Thunder OT win over Mavericks

Kevin Durant’s miserable fourth quarter ended with a final miss that gave Dallas a chance to finish a rally in overtime Friday night.

The Oklahoma City star took care of things in the extra period instead, and ended up with a career high and the first 50-point game in the NBA this season.

Durant scored 52 points, including the go-ahead basket with 16.9 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Thunder held on for a 117-114 victory that extended their winning streak to six games and ended the Mavericks’ season-best run of four straight.

A night after getting voted a starter for the All-Star game, Durant missed six straight shots and was 2 of 11 from the field while the Mavericks were rallying in the fourth quarter. When Durant missed at the buzzer after O.J. Mayo’s tying 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in regulation, he had to remind himself to keep shooting.

”In overtime, I knew if I got down on myself that I was going to put my team in a tough position to win,” said Durant, whose previous career high was 51 against Denver last February. ”They look at me in crunch time to come through for them. When I don’t have confidence in myself, they make sure they pump me up a little.”

Durant was still scoring because he couldn’t miss at the free throw line. He was 19 of 19 in regulation, which he finished with 43 points.

Vince Carter, who kept the Mavericks close when Oklahoma City threatened to blow them out in the first half, had a season-high 29 points. He hit three free throws to start overtime when he was fouled on a 3-pointer, but Durant answered with a pair on the other end.

Durant went on to score nine of Oklahoma City’s 12 points in overtime and had three go-ahead buckets to help the Thunder avoid losing for the first time in 28 games when leading after three quarters. The Thunder blew a 14-point lead in the second half.

”Experience has helped me a lot,” said Durant, who was 13 of 31 from the field but made all 21 of his free throws and also had nine rebounds.

— Reported by Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press

Kevin Durant scores 41, Thunder beat Suns

When Kevin Durant takes over a game, it’s quite a show.

This time, it was at the expense of Marcin Gortat and the rest of the Phoenix Suns.

Durant scored 27 of his 41 points in the second half – 19 in the fourth quarter- and the Oklahoma City Thunder became the NBA’s first 30-game winner this season by beating the Suns 102-90 on Monday night.

Russell Westbrook added 36 [with eight rebounds and five assists] for the Thunder, but it was Durant who took over late in his fourth 40-point game, falling one shy of the season-high 42 he scored two games earlier against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Durant sank an array of pull-up jumpers, added a couple of casual 3-pointers, made a handful of layups, then punctuated his night with a spectacular dunk over Gortat for a three-point play.

”I am just having a lot of fun out there,” he said. ”I got away with a carry on that (last) play, but I was able to free myself up. I saw the lane. Everyone knows he does a great job of contesting in the lane. I just tried to finish with some strength.” …

Shannon Brown scored 21 for the Suns. Gortat had 19 points and 15 rebounds, but was the unfortunate would-be defender on Durant’s spectacular dunk late in the game…

The Thunder were without Serge Ibaka for the second game in a row with a chest contusion. Phoenix didn’t have Jared Dudley (right wrist strain) or Jermaine O’Neal (back spasms).

— Reported by Bob Baum of the Associated Press

Brandon Jennings, Kevin Durant named Players of week through January 13

Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant today were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan. 7 through Sunday, Jan. 13.

Jennings led Milwaukee to a 3-1 week, including come-from-behind road victories over the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors. He spearheaded both efforts, scoring 20 points in the third quarter of the Jan. 9 game at Chicago, 12 of which came from behind the arc. He was second in the Eastern Conference in scoring with 24.5 ppg while shooting 48 percent from the field for the week to go along with 6.5 apg and 4.0 rpg.

Durant helped Oklahoma City to a 3-1 record last week, scoring more than 25 points in each contest, including a season-high 42 points in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Jan. 11. He averaged a league-best 32.5 points to go with 6.8 rpg and 5.5 apg.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Brooklyn’s Deron Williams, Denver’s Kenneth Faried, Indiana’s David West, Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, and Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic.