The AP reports: The Toronto Raptors put this one away early. Chris Bosh had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Shawn Marion added 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Raptors opened up a big lead in the first quarter before cruising to a 112-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. “Everybody was on the same page,” Marion said of Toronto’s 17-2 scoring surge. “We got stops when we needed to, everybody was stepping up and it just started clicking.” The Raptors, who led by as many as 25, avenged a 91-83 road loss to the 2-24 Thunder on Dec. 19. Bosh called it “a good win,” but said he wasn’t motivated by revenge.
Category: OKC Thunder Blog
OKC Thunder blog – Oklahoma City Thunder basketball blog
NBA rule change on too many players on court
The NBA Board of Governors voted to approve a playing rules change in regards to “too many players on the court”, which will take effect beginning Friday, March 27.
Under the playing rules change, when a “too many players on the court” violation is called, a technical foul will be assessed against the offending team and the non-offending team will have the option of either accepting or nullifying the game action that occurred during the violation.
Option 1 — Accept Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to ACCEPT all play that occurred during the violation, including any points scored, with no adjustment of the game clock.
Option 2 — Nullify Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to NULLIFY all play that occurred during the violation, other than any acts of unsportsmanlike conduct or flagrant fouls or any points scored from free throws as a result of such actions.
Under this option, following the technical foul, the game clock would be reset to the time when the ball was put into play with too many players on the court and, depending on how the ball was originally put into play, play would resume in accordance with the following:
1) If the original play commenced with a throw-in, then the ball would be returned to the original throw-in spot and play commenced with a throw-in.
2) If the original play commenced with a missed free-throw attempt where the ball remained in play, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at center court between any two players who were on the floor at the time play was suspended due to the violation.
3) If the original play commenced with a jump ball, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at the original jump-ball spot between the same two players who participated in the original jump ball.
Lakers rest starters in 107-89 blowout of Thunder
The AP reports: To Kobe Bryant, a little bit of rest is way overrated. Getting ready for the playoffs is what the last stretch of the season is all about. Bryant scored 19 points before taking the fourth quarter off, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 107-89 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night… Lamar Odom scored 18 points before fouling out and Pau Gasol had 14 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles. Kevin Durant scored 24 points to lead Oklahoma City, which had all five starters reach double figures but never cut the Lakers’ lead to less than 17 points in the second half… Jeff Green scored 12 points, Nenad Krstic added 11 and Thabo Sefolosha, Russell Westbrook and Nick Collison each had 10 for Oklahoma City.
Thunder recall D.J. White from D-League
Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has recalled forward D.J. White from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.
White was originally assigned to Tulsa on March 18. He appeared in three games for the 66ers averaging 17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 assist in 37.7 minutes.
Durant leads Thunder past Wolves 97-90
The AP reports: Kevin Durant had his best game since returning to the Oklahoma City lineup after missing seven games with a bum ankle. But it wasn’t Durant’s 30 points that caught the eye of his coach. “Like I told him before our last game, ‘Kevin, you can fill up the stat sheet, but you don’t have to worry about your points to help us win,”’ Thunder coach Scott Brooks said after the Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-90 on Sunday… Durant had eight rebounds and five assists, and Jeff Green added 17 points for the Thunder, who jumped on the lethargic Timberwolves early to make up for a humiliating, 42-point defeat the last time they visited Minnesota… Craig Smith scored 19 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota and Bobby Brown fueled a late Wolves run with 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Rose shines, Bulls beat Thunder to snap road skid
The AP reports: Derrick Rose didn’t know what he had to do, but his team needed him to do something. A perfect second half took care of what was ailing the Chicago Bulls. Rose scored 20 of his 25 points and didn’t miss a shot in the second half and the Bulls snapped a seven-game road losing streak by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-96 on Wednesday night… Russell Westbrook, the fourth overall pick in the draft, had 15 points and pulled the Thunder within 99-96 by driving past Rose for a layup in the final minute before Oklahoma City’s rally fell short. John Salmons added 20 points and Ben Gordon scored 18 for the Bulls. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 28 points and Jeff Green had 18.
Thunder assign DJ White to D-League
Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced that the team has assigned forward D.J. White to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.
White, 22, has yet to appear in a game for the Thunder this season after undergoing initial jaw surgery on October 9, 2008. The 6-9 forward was cleared by team doctors on March 16th to resume full contact drills.
White was the 29th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft. The Thunder acquired White as a part of a draft day trade. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior at the University of Indiana where he averaged 17.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest.
Nick Collison breaks finger
The Oklahoman reports: Playing with a broken left thumb the past two months, the Thunder’s Nick Collison suffered a chipped fracture in his middle finger on his right (shooting) hand Monday vs. San Antonio. He sustained the injury while blocking a shot and slapped the backboard. The injury occurred during the fourth quarter. Team officials said Collison will play Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls unless the pain is too severe.
Thunder spoil Popovich’s 1,000th, beat Spurs 78-76
The AP reports: Gregg Popovich didn’t coach 1,000 games in the NBA without having a few leads slip away on him. Courtesy of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he can add another to that list. Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Thabo Sefolosha added 12 and the Thunder spoiled Popovich’s 1,000th game as San Antonio’s coach by overcoming an early 17-point deficit to beat the Spurs 78-76 on Monday night… Tony Parker scored 28 points to lead San Antonio, and Tim Duncan had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Matt Bonner added 10 points.
Barbosa’s late surge helps Suns beat Thunder
The AP reports: The way things have been going lately, the Phoenix Suns will gladly take a sputtering victory over Oklahoma City. The 106-95 win Saturday night lacked the impressiveness of Phoenix’s 140-118 romp over the Thunder three weeks ago, but it was good enough to snap a six-game losing streak, the Suns’ longest in four seasons… Leandro Barbosa scored 11 of his 22 points in the final 6 1/2 minutes. Nash added 18 points and eight assists for Phoenix but saw his career-best streak of seven 20-point games come to an end. Grant Hill added 16 points… Kevin Durant, back after missing seven games with a sprained right ankle, scored 22 and Russell Westbrook 20 for the Thunder, who led by 13 in the first half.