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Desmond Mason out for season

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that guard Desmond Mason will miss the remainder of the season after hyper extending his right knee.

“We are disappointed to lose Desmond for the remainder of the season,” said Presti. “He is a valuable part of our efforts on and off the court. We will support Desmond and work with him throughout the rehabilitation process. Unfortunately, the timing of the injury does not allow Desmond to return this season.”

Mason suffered a hyper extended right knee at 4:02 in the third quarter of last night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exam this morning that revealed bruising to his right femur and tibia. Team physicians will perform arthroscopic surgery to remove debris caused by the hyper extension.

The Oklahoma State product appeared in 39 games (19 starts) for the Thunder this season. He averaged 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 27.3 minutes per contest.

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Thunder beat Grizzlies 114-102 in OT

The AP reports: Kevin Durant scored 35 points and led the way as the Thunder recovered after blowing a late 12-point lead to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-102 in overtime Wednesday night… Jeff Green added 23 points on a career-high five 3-pointers, Westbrook scored 16 points, and Chucky Atkins had 10 in only his second game since joining the Thunder in a trade three weeks ago. Rudy Gay finished with 25 points to lead Memphis, which lost its 11th straight game and fell to 0-2 under new coach Lionel Hollins. Mayo scored 17 points, and Mike Conley and Marc Gasol added 15 apiece for Memphis. Conley also had a career-high nine assists.

Thunder beat Nets 94-85

The AP reports: Kevin Durant scored nine of his 18 points in the decisive third quarter, and the Thunder enjoyed big advantages at the free throw line and on the boards to beat the New Jersey Nets 94-85 Monday night in front of just 5,000 fans. Russell Westbrook had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Jeff Green scored 13 for the Thunder. Oklahoma City took 38 free throws, 20 more than the Nets, and outrebounded the opponent for the eighth time in nine games… Rookie Brook Lopez, who had a career-high 31 points in the first meeting, scored 18 for the Nets. Carter, averaging 21.6 points per game, had just eight on 2-of-12 shooting. Devin Harris (21.8) scored 10 and was 4-of-17.

Weather won`t stop Nets at Thunder game

The following statement is from Dan Mahoney, Oklahoma City Thunder Vice President of Corporate Communications regarding the Oklahoma City weather conditions:

“Tonight’s game between the Thunder and the New Jersey Nets will be played as scheduled at the Ford Center. The visiting team and the officials have arrived, so the game will be played.

“The Thunder urges fans to be safe, use extreme caution and allow extra driving time when coming to the game.”

Gordon scores 41 points in Clippers win over Thunder

The AP reports: Eric Gordon scored a career-high 41 points in 43 1/2 minutes on the court, and Al Thornton had a season-high 34 points, leading the Clippers to a 107-104 victory over Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night… Kevin Durant had a career night, too, with 46 points and 15 rebounds. Last season’s rookie of the year made a franchise-record 24 free throws in his 26 attempts, while the Clippers were 20-for-24 from the line… Also missing were the usual suspects, Zach Randolph (left knee), Baron Davis (bruised tailbone) Marcus Camby (left ankle), Chris Kaman (left arch) and Mike Taylor (broken right thumb).

Thunder beat Warriors on buzzer-beater

The AP reports: Jeff Green scored 26 points, including a turnaround jumper from 16 feet at the buzzer to lift Oklahoma City to a 122-121 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night… Russell Westbrook matched his season high of 30 points while Durant added 27 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder, who went into the game with the NBA’s worst record. The win is just the third in 20 road games for Oklahoma City (9-34) this season. Stephen Jackson had 29 points and seven assists for Golden State, which played without starting center Andris Biedrins (sprained left wrist). Corey Maggette added 26 points and six rebounds for the Warriors (13-30).

Heat end long trip with 104-94 win over Thunder

The AP reports: Dwyane Wade’s legs were sore, Udonis Haslem had a bad back and Shawn Marion was too hurt to play. Even at the end of a seven-game, 12-day road trip, the Heat still had enough to pull through. Wade had 32 points and racked up most of his 10 assists while helping thwart Oklahoma City’s fourth-quarter rally as the Heat beat the Thunder 104-94 Sunday night to head home on a positive note… Yakhouba Diawara scored 14 points after starting in place of Marion (groin), and Jamaal Magloire and Mario Chalmers each added 13 points for Miami. Haslem had 11 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 31 points, Jeff Green scored 22 and Russell Westbrook added 14 points and eight rebounds.

Thunder down Pistons 89-79 for consecutive wins

The AP reports: The Thunder haven’t looked this good since moving to town last year. The Pistons haven’t looked this bad since long before that. Kevin Durant scored 32 points as Oklahoma City recorded the first consecutive wins in its brief history, delivering a knockout punch with a 13-point run to start the fourth quarter in an 89-79 win over Detroit on Friday night… “We can’t be satisfied with these two wins that we just got. Yes, they were against good teams, but we can’t be satisfied,” said Jeff Green, who had nine points and 14 rebounds. “We’ve got to keep moving forward.” Chris Wilcox had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a rare extended appearance off the bench, and Desmond Mason added 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Thunder mounted a 52-35 rebounding edge. Prince and Richard Hamilton scored 18 each to lead Detroit, but Prince was injured and on the bench when Oklahoma City pulled away.

Nenad Krstic already helping Thunder

The Oklahoman (Darnell Mayberry) reports: It’s taken Nenad Krstic only five games to show Oklahoma City how much better he makes the Thunder. Krstic recorded his first double-double in Wednesday night’s 114-93 win over the Utah Jazz, scoring 14 points with 11 rebounds in a season-high 32 minutes. He added two blocked shots for the fourth time in five games, continuing to contradict his critics who have labeled him a defensive liability. “He’s a great addition,” said Kevin Durant, who scored 21 points with nine rebounds. “He’s getting used to everybody. Any player would take a couple of games, but he’s getting used to it quick. He’s learning quick, and he’s doing well.” Because of his relatively cheap three-year contract at just less than $16 million, Krstic was a low-risk addition when Thunder general manager Sam Presti lured him away from his Russian club team.