OKC Thunder Blog – Page 76 – NBA Blog

Durant scores 41, Thunder beat Nuggets 107-103 in Game 1

The AP reports:

Kevin Durant scored 41 points, Russell Westbrook added 31 and Perkins provided the go-ahead basket on a controversial tip-in as the Thunder pulled out a 107-103 win against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Westbrook’s jumper from the right side caromed off the rim and Perkins was credited for the tip-in with 1:06 remaining to put Oklahoma City up 102-101. Several Nuggets looked for it to be waved off as basket interference, and coach George Karl insisted after the game: “Obviously it was goaltending.” …

Nene had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead Denver, which used a well-rounded effort after dealing away its only All-Star, Carmelo Anthony, at the trade deadline…

Gallinari scored 18 points, Felton had 12 and Denver had eight players score at least eight points.

Eric Maynor chipped in 12 points for Oklahoma City, which had no one else score more than five with Durant and Westbrook leading the way.

2011 NBA Playoffs first round schedule

The 2010-11 NBA regular season is in the books, with all 30 teams in action Wednesday night. The NBA playoffs begin Saturday.

The first round matchups in the East are: Bulls vs Pacers, Heat vs 76ers, Celtics vs Knicks, and Magic vs Hawks.

The West’s first round matchups are: Spurs vs Grizzlies, Lakers vs Hornets, Mavericks vs Blazers, and Thunder vs Nuggets.

The complete first round series-by-series NBA playoffs schedule is here.

Thunder sign Robert Vaden, assign him to D-League

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced that the team has signed guard Robert Vaden from the Tulsa 66ers. At the same time the team announced that they have assigned Vaden back to the 66ers.

Vaden, who was originally acquired by the Thunder from Charlotte on draft night 2009, has played the entire 2010-11 season with the Tulsa 66ers. Vaden averaged 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 45 regular season games with the 66ers. This past season he shot 39.2% (74/189) from behind that arc for the 66ers this season. Vaden averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in the 66ers two game sweep of the Texas Legends in the first round of the D-League playoffs.

“We are happy to add Robert to our team.” said Presti. “Robert has been a dedicated and consistent worker for our program and has excelled in our system in Tulsa under the direction of Head Coach Nate Tibbetts and Assistant Coach Dale Osbourne. We value the role of the 66ers in the overall development of the Thunder organization and this opportunity for Robert comes as a result of that synergy.”

The 6-5 University of Alabama-Birmingham product, posted averages of 17.6 points 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game during his senior year.

Vaden spent the 2009-10 season with Imola in the Italian second division.

Thunder assign Cole Aldrich to D-League

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has assigned center Cole Aldrich to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League for a third time this season.

During his two earlier assignments with the 66ers, Aldrich appeared in 19 games (19 starts) and averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots in 29.2 minutes. Aldrich has recorded four double-doubles with Tulsa and the 66ers own a 15-4 mark this season with him in the lineup.

Aldrich will be in uniform Friday night when the 66ers host the Dakota Wizards at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Thunder recall Byron Mullens from D-League

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has recalled center Byron Mullens from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

Over three stints in Tulsa, Mullens has appeared in 14 games (all starts) averaging 14.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 assist in 27.7 minutes per game.

He will join the Thunder for tonight’s 7:00 PM game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Oklahoma City Arena.

Under NBA rules, a player can only be sent to the D-League a maximum of three times during the season. Mullens is no longer eligible to play for Tulsa.

James Harden has stepped up since Jeff Green trade

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports:

No one needed to say anything to James Harden.

When Jeff Green was dealt to Boston three weeks ago in the trade that brought Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder, Harden knew immediately that he needed to be more productive.

“We had to make up for those 15 points that we lost,” Harden said. “Everybody’s level of play had to step up.”

Harden, though, shot up to a level few thought he could reach — at least not this quickly.

In 15 games since the All-Star break, Harden has averaged 17.7 points. That total trails only Dallas’ Jason Terry for points off the bench over that span. Harden’s 50.6 percent shooting over that same span, meanwhile, ranks fifth among shooting guards with at least 10 games played.

By comparison, Harden averaged just 10.3 points on 41.3 percent shooting prior to the All-Star break. The turnaround has transformed the second-year guard into one of the league’s best Sixth Men.

Thunder assign Byron Mullens to D-League

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has assigned center Byron Mullens to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

During his two previous assignments in Tulsa this season, Mullens appeared in six games (six starts) and averaged 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 31.7 minutes.

Mullens will be in uniform tomorrow night when the 66ers take on the Sioux Falls Skyforce at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Nate Robinson out 4-6 weeks after knee surgery

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nate Robinson underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee the team announced today.

The 5-9 guard first experienced discomfort in the knee following the team’s practice on Monday. After deliberation, Robinson and the team made the decision to proactively address the situation.

“After consulting with our medical team, we have decided this is the best course of action to resolve the issue with certainty, and have Nate back on the court as we enter into the final stages of the season,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Robinson is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

The University of Washington product has appeared in one game form the Thunder, since being acquired on February 24th, scoring six points in eight minutes of action.

Thunder sign Kendrick Perkins to a contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed center Kendrick Perkins to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. We will post contract details this afternoon.

“We had a unique opportunity to enter into discussions with Kendrick to solidify his future with our organization,” said Presti. “We are pleased to know that he will be a part of our core group now and in the future. Kendrick’s blue-collar, team-first approach aligns with the vision we hold for building a sustainable team in the Oklahoma City community.

Perkins (6-10, 280) owns career averages of 6.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.0 assist and 22.3 minutes in 454 NBA games. He has appeared in 12 games (7 starts) this season with the Celtics before being traded to the Thunder on February 24th, averaging 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 26.1 minutes. The center has appeared in 68 career postseason games, averaging 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 25.7 minutes.

Perkins, originally selected in the 2003 NBA draft (27th overall) by the Memphis Grizzlies and then traded to Boston on draft night, was a Parade and McDonald’s All-America at Ozen High School in Beaumont, TX. He helped lead Ozen to a 96-3 record during his final three seasons, averaging 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocks as a senior.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy reacts to Celtics trading Kendrick Perkins

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports:

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was surprised — and he said so.

“That was interesting,” Van Gundy said after the Magic completed their shootaround to prepare to play the Thunder tonight.

“I have always said to you guys that nothing really shocks me in this league. I don’t know if it shocked me, but Perkins being traded surprised me. I was taken aback by that a little bit because I know how much they liked him in Boston. I know for a fact that their coaches liked him and thought he was a big part of it. He was a big, big part of their whole identity and the way they played. He was a big part of their toughness. He gave ’em a physical presence. He was a defensive-first guy. He didn’t need the ball on a team of stars.

“I think they decided they’ve still got Shaq, so they’ve got size, and that they’re good enough defensively with the other people that their defense wouldn’t be compromised too much. And then I think they thought they could make some offensive improvements — my guess is to try to get more space on the floor for [Rajon] Rondo and for [Paul] Pierce. Jeff Green is a guy who can give ’em depth at the three but he can play the four and spread out the floor. If you go back to their championship year, they went small a lot.”