Thursday, March 31, 2011

Thunder stops Suns from shining, 116-98


On Wednesday night at the US Airways Center, Thunder played yet another phenomenal game. OKC added a third victory on their last two games - this time Phoenix Suns was their "victim" (116-98).

Looking back at his last appearances, it's no surprise to know that Harden, coming off the bench, scored high 22 points.

In his three previous games against the Suns, Durant had averaged 23.3 points. This time he scored 22 but only as a result of Grant Hill's noteworthy ability to guard him.

Serge Ibaka had 15 while Westbrook contributed with 16 points and eight assists.
A low number of points is not an indication of a job not done well enough - it's completely the opposite; Westbrook showed to everyone that he plays for the name in front on the jersey, not the one on the back.

Coach Scott Brooks had nothing but words of praise for him. -"Russell was really good tonight. He's had better stats in the past but he really controlled the game. He was active on the ball and I thought his command of the game put us in a position to win tonight."

With only eight games left in the season, Thunder meets with Portland Blazers on Friday night. Let's hope this game will be one of those games where the Thunder does what it does best - bring bad weather to other teams.

THUNDERUP!!!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Thunder plays quality music to Jazz II, 94-106


All-Stars Durant and Westbrook, combined together stupendous 60 points which gave the Thunder a bounce-back win against Utah Jazz on Wednesday night (94-106).

To this victory, except Westbrook's 31 and Durant's 29 points, the ones that contributed were also Serge Ibaka and Nazr Muhammed.
Ibaka's great performance was crowned with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Muhammed scored 10, respectively four.

Sefolosha's two steals and four assists, and Perkins' two blocks, increased Thunder's opportunity for the fifth time to hold opponents to less than 100 points.

OKC's and Jazz's game during the third quarter was crucial at determining the winner of the game. Tied at 61 with only four minutes left, the Thunder took a nine point lead into the fourth quarter.

As the end of the game was approaching, humble Durant hit two 3-pointers to boost the lead to 16 points. This high deficit made OKC comfortable enough to continue their path straight to victory.

"It's good to get a nice bounce-back win. They're a very physical team. We knew they would play with desperation and I thought we matched their physical play" - said coach Scott Brooks.

Brooks also said a few nice words about Mohammed's game - "Nazr did a good job of giving us a good spark when we needed it," he mentioned. "He is a very smart player and understands his role, what the team needs and when it needs it".

Thunder next game is against Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday.

Until then,

THUNDERUP!!!




Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Thunder's power weakens against Raptors, 95-93


OKC Thunder's château of six straight victories collapsed Sunday night by Toronto Raptors (95-93).

Coming off the bench, James Harden led the Thunder with 23 points, followed by Westbrook's contribution with 22 and Durant's assistance with 20.

Kendrick Perkins did a great job by grabbing 12 rebounds but failed at scoring two crucial free throws that would have given OKC the lead by five points during the last seconds of the game.

"Our defense was great tonight but we just couldn't make any shots at the end. It is what it is. We just gotta work on it and move on" - said humble Durant.

Toronto's forward Amir Johnson, decided the final result of the game when he scored with only 1.4 seconds left. However, Durant took the responsibility to change the final result. He shot at the buzzer but failed. Hopes fell and so did the Thunder.

Next up for OKC is the game against Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

Until then - don't forget,

chin up and

THUNDERUP!!!











Saturday, March 19, 2011

OKC Thunder shows claws to Bobcats, 82-99


Thunder started the weekend on the right foot by winning their sixth game in a row against Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night (82-99).

Humble Durant left the game earlier due to a bruised left shoulder; an injury which is not believed to be serious.
Even though he was taken to the locker room, Durant still managed to lead the team by scoring 25 points.

Fresh from the bench, Harden scored 21 points while Westbrook contributed with 18. Serge Ibaka had wild numbers: 12 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots.

"Our offense was out of sync for some reason tonight but our defense was solid and we really picked it up defense in the fourth quarter"- said coach Scott Brooks.

Thunder's biggest lead of the night (94-79) was made the moment Westbrook stole an inbound pass that was finished with a dunk.

"Russell got himself going on the defensive end. He got the big steal and basket in front of their bench late in the game and I thought that was really big" - mentioned Brooks.

This victory increased Thunder's winning streak to a season best, six games. This game also marks the fourth straight game that OKC managed to hold opponents under 90 points.

Thunder is playing against Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Until then,

THUNDERUP!!!



Thursday, March 17, 2011

Thunder turns off Miami's heat, 96-85



OKC's magical duo, Durant and Westbrook, displayed their superhuman abilities by combining 47 points to Wednesday night's victory against Miami Heat (96-85).

If you separate these two, they still remain strong individually. Humble Durant led OKC with 29 points, while Westbrook added 18. Double points weren't enough for Durant - he also grabbed seven rebounds and had six assists.

Wade and Bosh scored 21 points for the Heat meanwhile James added 19. Together, they combined to shoot 21 of 69, one of their worst outings of the season.

OKC's reserves scored 31 points altogether.

The Thunder held Miami Heat to 38.5% shooting from the field, as Durant beat LeBron James for the first time in seven attempts.

With a determined defense, especially in the third quarter, OKC took a 67-62 lead into the fourth quarter and never looked back again.

"This was a good win against a team on the road. I told the guys before the game, it's a big game but there are 82 of them. We can't treat this game any different than we did Washington last game or Charlotte coming up Friday night" - said coach Scott Brooks.

This game marks the fifth win in a row for Oklahoma City Thunder. Next up is the game against Charlotte Bobcats on Friday.

Until then,

THUNDERUP!!!






Thursday, March 3, 2011

OKC grabs thunderous victory from Indiana Pacers, 113-89


"I wanted us to set the tone on defense from the start " - said coach Scott Brooks and that's exactly what the Thunder did on Wednesday night against Indiana Pacers.

From the very beginning, the Pacers had trouble keeping up with OKC. On the first quarter, the latter kept a high margin of 10 points and continued increasing it throughout the whole game (113-89).

Besides the strong D, Thunder's offence was well-rounded -- every active player scored. Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and nine assists while James Harden added 20.

Humble Durant contributed only 21 points as a result of a sprained left ankle on the third quarter when he stepped in Tyler Hansbrough's foot and had to be taken to the locker room.

Hansbrough led the Pacers with 13 points while Dahntay Jones scored 12.

At the end of the third quarter OKC led by 27 due to a wonderful teamwork. This brilliant collaboration was also noticed at the free throw line where the Thunder scored an impeccable 19-for-19.

The new Thunder players - Nazr Mohammed and Nate Robinson had their first debut with the team. They were saluted with a standing ovation by all Thunder's fans and bench.

A victory such as last night's, keeps the Thunder three games ahead of Denver in the division competition.

OKC Thunder's next game is on Friday against Atalanta Hawks.

THUNDERUP!!!