Thunder-Nuggets Preview

Posted Apr 25 2011 12:49AM

DENVER (AP) Denver Nuggets coach George Karl said a few weeks ago he wanted to match up with the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

On the brink of being swept by Oklahoma City in the first round, his feelings are understandable.

Denver's 97-94 loss on Saturday night put the Nuggets a game from losing in the first round for the seventh time in eight years. Injuries, player meltdowns and Karl's battle with throat and neck cancer have been factors in previous early exits.

This time, Denver might just be dealing with a bad matchup.

"There's a big part of me that's disappointed because of our failures," Karl said Sunday. "But I also know that sometimes some of the best teams lose in the first round because of matchups and circumstances. Oklahoma City does a good job against some of our strengths. We like the rim, and they have four defenders that like to protect the rim, and do it pretty well."

The Thunder's defense has frustrated the Nuggets late in games, and Denver has struggled to find a go-to player in crunch time.

On Saturday, J.R. Smith nearly brought his team back from 10 points down in the final 50 seconds when he hit two 3-pointers, but he air-balled a 29-footer in the final seconds that could have sent the game into overtime.

Now the Nuggets are trying to avoid being swept for the second time in four seasons.

"When you're on the verge of getting swept it's always embarrassing," Smith said. "You never want to get swept let alone lose six out of eight to this team in the season. It's not a good feeling."

The Thunder have beaten the Nuggets five times in the past 18 days. Three of those games have been close, including Games 1 and 3 of this series. Denver has hurt itself with poor execution down the stretch and missed free throws.

The Nuggets were 30 for 45 from the free throw line on Saturday and they're shooting 68.7 percent from there in the series.

The Nuggets feel their little mistakes have made this series appear less competitive.

"They're good. They're a good basketball team, but do you reverse it and say we're the best team if we make five more free throws and we win the game?" Arron Afflalo said. "Now we're up 3-0."

The Thunder are trying to maintain a balance while trying to win their first series since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle three years ago. They have the youngest roster in the league and only five Oklahoma City players have advanced past the first round - Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson, Nazr Mohammed, Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha.

They don't feel their inexperience will be an issue Monday.

"The closeout game is all mental," said Perkins, who won an NBA title with Boston in 2008. "It's going to have to be a mental game for us, mental toughness. It's not going to be easy, we're going to have to stick together and play possession by possession and make sure we make the extra effort."

Denver is trying to do what no other NBA team has done - win a series after going down 3-0. The first step is getting back in the series, and Karl can draw on his experience when he coached the SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA finals.

"We were 3-0 against a team called the Chicago Bulls, and they had a rehearsal on our court on handing out the trophy," he said. "They had a stage they were going to bring on the court. They had people with scripts on who was going to do what and who was going to be where. We proceeded to win Game 4 and 5."

Karl shared the anecdote with his team Sunday in the hope of giving his players something grab onto, but the biggest motivator for the Nuggets is pride.

"I've been part of that on a bigger stage team celebrating on your home court," forward Kenyon Martin said. "It's not a good feeling by any stretch of the imagination. So we need win - bottom line. There's no other way to put it."

If they don't win, Denver will again make another early exit from the playoffs. Two years ago, the Nuggets reached the Western Conference finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, but that's the only time in the past eight years they advanced past the first round.

Despite recent history, Karl's not ready to concede anything.

"We still think the process of learning and winning in the playoffs is still going on," he said.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Nuggets hold off Thunder to avoid sweep

By PAT GRAHAM
Posted Apr 26 2011 4:09AM

DENVER (AP) It sure looked familiar: a furious last-minute comeback ending with a 3-pointer coming up short.

Only this time it was Russell Westbrook misfiring and begging for a whistle, instead of J.R. Smith.

The Denver Nuggets avoided a first-round playoff sweep with a 104-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night behind Ty Lawson's career playoff-high 27 points.

Denver still faces a huge challenge as it attempts to become the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

"It's an opportunity to do something special," said Arron Afflalo, who limped around after the game with a sore right knee and a troublesome left hamstring.

"I'm not going to sit here and say we're going to beat you four straight times, but I will say we can beat you."

With Denver leading by 10 and just under 3 minutes remaining, the crowd sensed the Nuggets' first victory over the Thunder in a half-dozen tries this month.

But this is the young and talented Thunder, and they refused to roll over and conserve energy for another crack at the Nuggets 48 hours later.

Highlighting a wild final minute, Kevin Durant hit a long 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds remaining to pull Oklahoma City within two. After Raymond Felton hit one of two free throws, Westbrook had a chance to tie it, but his 35-foot runner at the buzzer was off target as Kenyon Martin flashed in front of him.

Westbrook glanced at the officials with an incredulous look as no foul was called. He was just as animated as Smith was when he didn't get the whistle on his 3-point miss at the end of Denver's 97-94 loss Saturday night.

"Ahhh, I just missed the shot," Westbrook said in the locker room 20 minutes later, after he cooled off.

That was a far cry from the reaction Smith had two nights earlier when he felt he was fouled by James Harden. Asked about it afterward, Smith said he might have made the shot had Harden not mauled him.

Being up 3-1 may have been one reason for Westbrook's diplomatic tone.

"They just got the upper hand tonight," Westbrook said.

The Nuggets sank some clutch free throws down the stretch - Felton hitting 4 of 6 in the final 23 seconds - and received a key performance from reserve Smith, who drained three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points.

Danilo Gallinari found his rhythm and scored 18 points, all in the second half, and Martin added 13 as the Nuggets finally corralled the Thunder despite 31 points from Durant and 30 from Westbrook.

"They have great players on the offensive side of the ball. We were trying to limit them to one shot," Martin said. "We did an excellent job of finding (Durant); he made some tough shots."

So did Westbrook, who scored his 30 points on 30 shots.

"He took how many?" Martin asked when told of Westbrook's shooting night. "We'll take that. If he can get 30 up and miss 18 of them, we'll take that. We'll take that every day."

The Nuggets started doing something they hadn't been able to since trading away All-Star Carmelo Anthony along with Chauncey Billups: hit their free throws - at least enough of them in crunch time.

Despite shooting just 31 of 44 from the line, the Nuggets sank eight straight during one key stretch in the fourth quarter, then made 6 of 8 in the final 23 seconds.

"That's been our Achilles' heel this whole series," said Lawson, who was 9 of 9 from the foul line. "I'm comfortable. I've played in big games, so I embrace the opportunity."

Staving off elimination gave the Nuggets a boost.

"It's big for our confidence," Smith said. "It proves to ourselves that we can hang with his team."

Durant said the Thunder got something out of this game, too.

"We kept fighting," he said. "That's one thing we can take out of this. We kept fighting."

NOTES: Thunder F Serge Ibaka finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds for his second straight double-double. ... Durant has scored 20 or more points in nine of his 10 career playoff appearances. ... The Nuggets are trailing 3-1 in a playoff series for the 10th time in franchise history. ... The Nuggets had just eight turnovers, while the Thunder had 15.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Thunder-Nuggets notebook

By Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday April 26, 2011 2:57AM

THE FACTS: Ty Lawson scored a career playoff high 27 points, Danilio Gallinari had 18 and the Denver Nuggets staved off elimination with a nail-biting 104-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 31 and Russell Westbrook had 30. Serge Ibaka had 13 points and 14 rebounds for his third double-double of the series.

The Nuggets avoided being swept for the second time in four years but had to sweat it out late in the game.

Denver led 97-87 with 2:44 left when Oklahoma City made a furious comeback. Durant hit two 3-pointers to cut the lead to 103-101 with 4.1 seconds left. After Raymond Felton hit 1 of 2 free throws, Westbrook's 3-pointer bounced off the iron as time expired.

QUOTABLE: "Russell got a good look, and from where I was it looked like it was going in."
-- Durant, on Westbrook's last-second shot.

THE STAT: The Nuggets had six players in double figures, and J.R. Smith led them off the bench with 15.

TURNING POINT: After the Thunder cut Denver's nine-point lead to two with 4:30 left, Lawson drove through the lane for a bucket and Gallinari scored five straight points -- including a crowd-erupting 3-pointer -- to push the lead to 96-87 with 3:05 left.

QUOTABLE II: "Coach just told me to attack. He says when I attack it fuels the rest of the team and gets everyone involved. That's what I wanted to do in the second half."
-- Lawson.

HOT: Gallinari had scored 13 points in the previous two games combined before breaking out in the third quarter with 11.

NOT: Nuggets newcomer Wilson Chandler couldn't find his rhythm. Chandler is now 5-for-24 in the series and didn't get off the bench in the second half.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Three minutes before the announced tip time the Pepsi Center seats were less than half occupied. The seats filled up by the time the national anthem was performed.

GOOD MOVE: After getting called for a borderline charge in the third quarter, Gallinari took the ball to the basket on the next possession, got the touch call and went to the line.

GOOD MOVE II: Chris Andersen tipped an offensive rebound out to Felton, who swung the ball to Smith for a 3-pointer that gave Denver a 71-69 lead heading into the fourth.

BAD MOVE: Kendrick Perkins picked up unnecessary technical with 9.9 seconds left in the half that allowed the Nuggets to tie it going into intermission.

QUOTABLE III: "When a guy catches 25 feet, 27 feet, he's 6-10 and you're switching a 6-2 guard on him there's not much you can do."
-- Nuggets coach George Karl, on Durant's two 3-pointers late in the game.

QUOTABLE IV: "We'll take that. Jeez boy. We'll take that. If he can get 30 up and miss 18 of them, we'll take that. We'll take that every day."
-- Kenyon Martin, on Westbrook's 30-shot night.

NOTABLE: The Thunder finished with 15 turnovers, their most this series. ... This was the Nuggets first playoff victory without Carmelo Anthony since beating Utah on May 19, 1994.

UP NEXT: Game 5 is in Oklahoma City on Wednesday at 9:30 P.M. ET.

• Thunder: Aldrich, Mullens, Vaden
• Nuggets: Ely, Mozgov

• Thunder: Perkins
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 12
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #10 Ron Garretson, #38 Michael Smith
• Attendance: 19155
• Duration: 2:43

Oklahoma City Thunder (55-28)		Denver Nuggets (51-32)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Nene vs Ibaka (Martin gains possession)
	11:45	Gallinari Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Sefolosha Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:43
Durant Jump Shot: Missed	11:20
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	11:19
Ibaka Jump Bank Shot: Missed	11:17
	11:15	Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:03	Nene Running Hook Shot: Missed
Durant Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:01
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed	10:54
	10:52	Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Ibaka Violation:Defensive Goaltending	10:50
	10:50 [DEN 2-0]	Lawson Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Ibaka Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Sefolosha (1 AST)	10:34 [OKC 2-2]
	10:19	Martin Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Westbrook (1 ST)
Sefolosha Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	10:12
	10:10	Nene Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	09:57 [DEN 4-2]	Martin Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Afflalo (1 AST)
Durant Jump Shot: Missed	09:32
	09:30	Afflalo Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	09:14	Nene Jump Shot: Missed
Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:12
	08:54	Nene Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Perkins Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	08:54
Team Rebound	08:54
Perkins Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	08:54
	08:52	Nene Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	08:37	Nene Layup Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (1 BLK)
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	08:35
	08:33	Lawson Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Westbrook Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	08:33 [OKC 3-4]
Westbrook Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	08:33
	08:32	Gallinari Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:19	Gallinari Driving Dunk Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (2 BLK)
Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	08:17
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS)	08:11 [OKC 5-4]
	07:55	Lawson Jump Shot: Missed
	07:54	Nene Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	07:50 [DEN 6-5]	Lawson Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Nene (1 AST)
Durant Jump Shot: Missed	07:37
	07:36	Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	07:23 [DEN 8-5]	Martin Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Nene (2 AST)
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Missed	07:04
Durant Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	07:02
Durant Jump Shot: Missed	07:00
	06:59	Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	06:54 [DEN 10-5]	Afflalo Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:45
	06:40	Martin Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Westbrook Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)	06:40 [OKC 6-10]
Westbrook Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)	06:40 [OKC 7-10]
Ibaka Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	06:19
	06:19	Martin Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	06:19	Team Rebound
	06:19 [DEN 11-7]	Martin Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
Durant Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)	06:04 [OKC 9-11]
	05:51 [DEN 13-9]	Martin Jump Hook Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Gallinari (1 AST)
Perkins Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	05:36
	05:26	Lawson Substitution replaced by Felton
	05:17	Martin Jump Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	05:16
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Missed	05:07
	05:05	Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
Westbrook Foul : Personal Block (1 PF)	05:02
	04:43 [DEN 15-9]	Nene Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Sefolosha 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Durant (1 AST)	04:21 [OKC 12-15]
Sefolosha Substitution replaced by Harden	04:02
Perkins Substitution replaced by Collison	04:02
	04:00	Felton Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Harden (1 ST)
	03:57	Nene Foul : Shooting Block (2 PF)
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)	03:57 [OKC 13-15]
	03:57	Nene Substitution replaced by Andersen
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)	03:57 [OKC 14-15]
	03:46 [DEN 18-14]	Felton 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS)
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Harden (1 AST)	03:28 [OKC 16-18]
	03:20 [DEN 20-16]	Martin Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Afflalo (2 AST)
Durant 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (1 AST)	02:58 [OKC 19-20]
Collison Foul : Shooting Block (1 PF)	02:39
	02:39	Team Timeout : Regular
	02:39	Gallinari Substitution replaced by Chandler
Ibaka Substitution replaced by Mohammed	02:39
	02:39 [DEN 21-19]	Afflalo Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	02:39 [DEN 22-19]	Afflalo Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Mohammed Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	02:23
	02:06 [DEN 24-19]	Afflalo Driving Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Missed	01:42
	01:40	Felton Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	01:34	Afflalo Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Collison (1 BLK)
Team Rebound	01:33
Westbrook Substitution replaced by Maynor	01:33
	01:33	Martin Substitution replaced by Harrington
	01:25	Chandler Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)	01:25 [OKC 20-24]
	01:25	Afflalo Substitution replaced by Smith
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	01:25
	01:23	Harrington Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	01:10	Felton Running Jump Shot: Missed
Harden Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	01:09
Mohammed Driving Layup Shot: Missed	00:49.9
	00:48.9	Chandler Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Collison Foul : Personal (2 PF)	00:41.7
Collison Substitution replaced by Sefolosha	00:41.7
	00:37.8 [DEN 26-20]	Smith Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Andersen (1 AST)
Maynor Running Jump Shot: Missed Block: Andersen (1 BLK)	00:17.9
	00:15.6	Andersen Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:04.0	Harrington 3pt Shot: Missed
Maynor Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:01.5
End of 1st Quarter
Oklahoma City Thunder (55-28)		Denver Nuggets (51-32)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
Harden Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)	11:40
Maynor Foul : Personal (1 PF)	11:30
	11:15	Harrington Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed
Sefolosha Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	11:14
Harden Driving Layup Shot: Missed	11:05
	11:03	Harrington Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	10:48	Felton Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Cook Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:47
Harden 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Maynor (1 AST)	10:38 [OKC 23-26]
	10:20	Chandler Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Cook (1 ST)
	10:18	Smith Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
	10:18	Team Timeout : Regular
Maynor Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	10:18
Team Rebound	10:18
Maynor Free Throw 2 of 2 (1 PTS)	10:18 [OKC 24-26]
	10:01 [DEN 28-24]	Smith Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Cook Turnover : Step Out of Bounds Turnover (1 TO)	09:44
	09:21	Harrington Driving Layup Shot: Missed
	09:20	Chandler Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	09:17	Chandler Layup Shot: Missed
	09:16	Chandler Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
	09:06	Chandler Running Jump Shot: Missed
Sefolosha Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	09:05
Sefolosha 3pt Shot: Missed	08:51
	08:49	Smith Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Mohammed Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	08:42
Sefolosha Substitution replaced by Collison	08:42
	08:42	Felton Substitution replaced by Lawson
	08:42 [DEN 29-24]	Harrington Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	08:42 [DEN 30-24]	Harrington Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Maynor Running Jump Shot: Made (3 PTS)	08:30 [OKC 26-30]
Mohammed Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	08:15
	08:15 [DEN 31-26]	Harrington Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	08:15	Harrington Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Cook Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	08:14
Collison Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	08:01 [OKC 28-31]
	07:45	Chandler Jump Shot: Missed
Collison Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	07:43
Maynor Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS)	07:36 [OKC 30-31]
	07:13	Lawson 3pt Shot: Missed
Cook Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	07:12
	07:06	Andersen Substitution replaced by Nene
	07:06	Chandler Substitution replaced by Afflalo
Cook Substitution replaced by Durant	07:06
Maynor Substitution replaced by Westbrook	07:06
Mohammed Substitution replaced by Ibaka	07:06
Durant Jump Shot: Missed	07:02
Collison Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	07:00
Westbrook Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS)	06:44 [OKC 32-31]
	06:36 [DEN 34-32]	Lawson 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Harrington (1 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:21
Durant Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Harrington (1 ST)	06:13
	05:56	Smith Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Harden (1 BLK)
	05:55	Team Rebound
	05:50	Harrington Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	05:48
Collison Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (2 AST)	05:35 [OKC 34-34]
	05:11	Afflalo Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	05:10
Harden 3pt Shot: Missed	05:03
Team Rebound	05:02
Collison Substitution replaced by Perkins	05:02
	05:02	Harrington Substitution replaced by Martin
	05:02	Smith Substitution replaced by Felton
	05:02	Afflalo Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed	04:48
	04:47	Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)
	04:41	Felton Layup Shot: Missed
Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	04:40
Durant Jump Shot: Missed	04:34
Harden Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	04:33
	04:30	Martin Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	04:30 [OKC 35-34]
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	04:30 [OKC 36-34]
	04:17	Lawson Running Jump Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	04:16
	04:07	Lawson Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Ibaka Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Harden (2 AST)	03:58 [OKC 38-34]
	03:37 [DEN 36-38]	Lawson Driving Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS)
Perkins Jump Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS)	03:11 [OKC 40-36]
	03:01	Nene Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)
	03:01	Afflalo Substitution replaced by Gallinari
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed	02:48
Westbrook Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	02:46
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed Block: Martin (1 BLK)	02:44
	02:43	Gallinari Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	02:43 [DEN 38-40]	Felton Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Gallinari (2 AST)
Durant Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	02:43
	02:43
	02:43	Felton Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed
	02:41	Nene Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
Ibaka Foul : Personal (2 PF)	02:36
	02:36	Nene Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	02:36	Team Rebound
	02:36	Nene Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Harden Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	02:35
	02:18	Nene Foul : Personal (3 PF)
	02:18	Nene Substitution replaced by Andersen
Perkins Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	02:18
Team Rebound	02:18
Perkins Free Throw 2 of 2 (3 PTS)	02:18 [OKC 41-38]
	02:01 [DEN 40-41]	Lawson Driving Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS)
Ibaka Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (6 PTS)	01:39 [OKC 43-40]
	01:17 [DEN 42-43]	Martin Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Lawson (1 AST)
Harden 3pt Shot: Missed	00:54.9
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)	00:53.9
	00:53.1	Martin Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Ibaka Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)	00:53.1 [OKC 44-42]
	00:53.1	Martin Substitution replaced by Chandler
Ibaka Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	00:53.1 [OKC 45-42]
	00:36.9	Chandler 3pt Shot: Missed
Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	00:35.9
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Missed	00:28.9
	00:27.9	Gallinari Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
Harden Foul : Personal (1 PF)	00:09.9
	00:09.9 [DEN 43-45]	Lawson Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)
	00:09.9 [DEN 44-45]	Lawson Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)
Perkins Technical	00:09.9
	00:09.9 [DEN 45-45]	Lawson Free Throw Technical (14 PTS)
	00:09.9	Lawson Substitution replaced by Afflalo
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Andersen (2 BLK)	00:04.2
Team Rebound	00:04.2
Team Timeout : Short	00:04.2
Ibaka Substitution replaced by Cook	00:04.2
Harden Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	00:02.5
	00:02.5	Team Timeout : Short
Cook Substitution replaced by Sefolosha	00:02.5
	00:02.5	Andersen Substitution replaced by Lawson
Perkins Substitution replaced by Cook	00:02.5
	00:00.8	Lawson 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:00.0	Team Rebound
End of 2nd Quarter
Oklahoma City Thunder (55-28)		Denver Nuggets (51-32)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
Ibaka Jump Shot: Missed	11:37
Westbrook Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	11:36
Westbrook Tip Shot: Made (11 PTS)	11:36 [OKC 47-45]
	11:16 [DEN 47-47]	Martin Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Gallinari (3 AST)
Perkins Turnover : 3 Second Violation (2 TO)	10:51
	10:38	Gallinari Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)	10:36
Durant Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS)	10:24 [OKC 49-47]
	10:13	Lawson Jump Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)	10:11
Westbrook Layup Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Sefolosha (2 AST)	10:01 [OKC 51-47]
	09:44 [DEN 50-51]	Gallinari 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Afflalo (3 AST)
Durant Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	09:28
	09:27	Afflalo Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	09:23	Afflalo Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Durant (1 ST)
Sefolosha Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Gallinari (1 ST)	09:12
	09:05	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:8)	09:04
Perkins Jump Hook Shot: Missed	08:43
	08:41	Nene Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)
	08:28	Nene Dunk Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (3 BLK)
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:9)	08:26
	08:18	Lawson Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Westbrook Free Throw 1 of 2 (14 PTS)	08:18 [OKC 52-50]
Westbrook Free Throw 2 of 2 (15 PTS)	08:18 [OKC 53-50]
Westbrook Foul : Personal (2 PF)	08:06
	07:51	Afflalo Driving Layup Shot: Missed
	07:48	Martin Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	07:47	Martin Putback Dunk Shot: Missed
Durant Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	07:45
Ibaka Jump Shot: Missed	07:40
	07:39	Afflalo Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	07:33	Afflalo Layup Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (4 BLK)
	07:33	Nene Rebound (Off:3 Def:3)
Durant Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	07:33
	07:33 [DEN 51-53]	Nene Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	07:33 [DEN 52-53]	Nene Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Ibaka Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (3 AST)	07:18 [OKC 55-52]
	06:59	Lawson Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (5 BLK)
	06:58	Nene Rebound (Off:4 Def:3)
	06:57 [DEN 54-55]	Nene Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Perkins Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	06:57
	06:57	Nene Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:10)	06:54
Durant Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Nene (1 BLK)	06:40
	06:38	Martin Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
	06:35	Gallinari Foul : Offensive (1 PF)
	06:35	Gallinari Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
Ibaka Jump Shot: Missed	06:20
	06:19	Gallinari Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
Sefolosha Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	06:15
	06:15 [DEN 55-55]	Gallinari Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)
	06:15	Gallinari Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Durant Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	06:13
Durant 3pt Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (4 AST)	05:59 [OKC 58-55]
	05:48	Nene Reverse Layup Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	05:48
	05:48	Team Timeout : Regular
Westbrook Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Nene (1 ST)	05:34
	05:16 [DEN 57-58]	Nene Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Gallinari (4 AST)
	05:01	Martin Foul : Personal (4 PF)
	05:01	Afflalo Substitution replaced by Smith
	05:01	Martin Substitution replaced by Harrington
Westbrook Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Harrington (2 ST)	04:53
	04:47 [DEN 59-58]	Gallinari Driving Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Sefolosha Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS)	04:35 [OKC 60-59]
	04:28	Lawson Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:11)	04:27
Westbrook Jump Shot: Made (17 PTS)	04:21 [OKC 62-59]
	04:05 [DEN 62-62]	Smith 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Lawson (2 AST)
Westbrook Jump Shot: Made (19 PTS)	03:41 [OKC 64-62]
	03:30 [DEN 65-64]	Gallinari 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Harrington (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	03:21
Perkins Substitution replaced by Collison	03:21
Sefolosha Substitution replaced by Harden	03:21
	03:21	Lawson Substitution replaced by Felton
Westbrook Jump Shot: Made (21 PTS) Assist: Durant (2 AST)	03:12 [OKC 66-65]
Durant Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	03:00
	03:00	Gallinari Free Throw 1 of 3 Missed
	03:00	Team Rebound
	03:00 [DEN 66-66]	Gallinari Free Throw 2 of 3 (10 PTS)
	03:00 [DEN 67-66]	Gallinari Free Throw 3 of 3 (11 PTS)
Collison Layup Shot: Missed	02:46
Westbrook Rebound (Off:3 Def:0)	02:44
Westbrook Tip Shot: Missed	02:44
	02:42	Nene Rebound (Off:4 Def:4)
	02:32	Smith Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
Collison Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Durant (3 AST)	02:20 [OKC 68-67]
	02:20	Nene Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
	02:20	Nene Substitution replaced by Andersen
Collison Free Throw 1 of 1 (7 PTS)	02:20 [OKC 69-67]
	02:03	Andersen Dunk Shot: Missed Block: Westbrook (1 BLK)
Harden Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	02:01
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed	01:55
	01:54	Gallinari Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	01:49	Felton 3pt Shot: Missed
	01:48	Andersen Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	01:33	Felton Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Harden Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	01:32
Durant Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	01:18
	01:17	Andersen Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	01:08	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
	01:07	Team Rebound
Westbrook Substitution replaced by Maynor	01:07
	01:01	Gallinari 3pt Shot: Missed
	01:01	Team Rebound
Harden Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)	01:01
	01:01	Andersen Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	01:01	Team Rebound
	01:01 [DEN 68-69]	Andersen Free Throw 2 of 2 (1 PTS)
Harden Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Andersen (1 ST)	00:47.9
	00:38.8	Gallinari Running Jump Shot: Missed
	00:37.9	Andersen Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	00:35.4 [DEN 71-69]	Smith 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Felton (1 AST)
Durant Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)	00:20.0
	00:20.0	Andersen Substitution replaced by Lawson
Durant Substitution replaced by Cook	00:20.0
Ibaka Substitution replaced by Sefolosha	00:20.0
	00:02.4	Felton 3pt Shot: Missed
Sefolosha Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	00:00.1
End of 3rd Quarter
Oklahoma City Thunder (55-28)		Denver Nuggets (51-32)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
	11:44	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
	11:43	Lawson Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	11:34 [DEN 74-69]	Lawson 3pt Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Andersen (2 AST)
Cook Turnover : Step Out of Bounds Turnover (2 TO)	11:14
Harden Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	11:03
	11:03 [DEN 75-69]	Felton Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)
	11:03 [DEN 76-69]	Felton Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)
Cook 3pt Shot: Missed	10:51
	10:50	Andersen Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)
Cook Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	10:46
	10:46 [DEN 77-69]	Lawson Free Throw 1 of 2 (18 PTS)
Maynor Substitution replaced by Westbrook	10:46
Ibaka Substitution replaced by Durant	10:46
	10:46 [DEN 78-69]	Lawson Free Throw 2 of 2 (19 PTS)
	10:36	Smith Violation:Kicked Ball
	10:36	Team Timeout : Regular
Harden Driving Dunk Shot: Made (5 PTS)	10:21 [OKC 71-78]
	10:08	Andersen Jump Shot: Missed
Harden Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	10:07
Westbrook Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (23 PTS)	09:58 [OKC 73-78]
Cook Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	09:40
	09:40 [DEN 79-73]	Smith Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)
	09:40 [DEN 80-73]	Smith Free Throw 2 of 2 (12 PTS)
Durant Jump Shot: Made (17 PTS)	09:26 [OKC 75-80]
	09:26	Harrington Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
	09:26	Harrington Substitution replaced by Gallinari
Durant Free Throw 1 of 1 (18 PTS)	09:26 [OKC 76-80]
	09:10	Lawson Running Jump Shot: Missed Block: Harden (2 BLK)
	09:09	Lawson Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)
	09:02	Smith Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	09:00	Lawson Rebound (Off:3 Def:0)
	08:47 [DEN 82-76]	Lawson Driving Layup Shot: Made (21 PTS)
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Missed	08:30
Collison Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	08:27
Collison Tip Shot: Missed	08:27
	08:26	Andersen Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)
	08:02	Gallinari Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	08:01	Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	07:58	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
Harden Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)	07:57
	07:53	Andersen Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Harden Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	07:53 [OKC 77-82]
Harden Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	07:53 [OKC 78-82]
Durant Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	07:35
	07:35 [DEN 83-78]	Lawson Free Throw 1 of 2 (22 PTS)
	07:35	Andersen Substitution replaced by Nene
Collison Substitution replaced by Ibaka	07:35
	07:35 [DEN 84-78]	Lawson Free Throw 2 of 2 (23 PTS)
Durant Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (3 TO)	07:19
	07:11 [DEN 87-78]	Smith 3pt Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Felton (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	07:11
Westbrook Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (25 PTS)	06:57 [OKC 80-87]
	06:32	Felton Jump Shot: Missed
Harden Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)	06:32
	06:32	Lawson Foul : Personal (4 PF)
Durant 3pt Shot: Made (21 PTS) Assist: Harden (3 AST)	06:15 [OKC 83-87]
	05:47 [DEN 89-83]	Gallinari Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Felton (3 AST)
	05:28	Gallinari Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	05:28	Felton Substitution replaced by Martin
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (22 PTS)	05:28 [OKC 84-89]
Cook Substitution replaced by Perkins	05:28
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 (23 PTS)	05:28 [OKC 85-89]
	05:06	Smith Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Westbrook Rebound (Off:3 Def:1)	05:05
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed	04:46
Westbrook Rebound (Off:4 Def:1)	04:44
	04:30	Smith Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (24 PTS)	04:30 [OKC 86-89]
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 (25 PTS)	04:30 [OKC 87-89]
	04:22 [DEN 91-87]	Lawson Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Made (25 PTS)
Westbrook Foul : Offensive (3 PF)	04:04
Westbrook Turnover : Foul (3 TO)	04:04
	03:46 [DEN 93-87]	Gallinari Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (15 PTS)
Durant 3pt Shot: Missed	03:26
Westbrook Rebound (Off:5 Def:1)	03:24
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Missed	03:17
	03:16	Martin Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)
	03:05 [DEN 96-87]	Gallinari 3pt Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Lawson (3 AST)
Team Timeout : Short	03:04
Westbrook Running Jump Shot: Missed	02:54
Perkins Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	02:53
Perkins Putback Layup Shot: Missed	02:52
	02:51	Gallinari Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)
Durant Foul : Shooting (5 PF)	02:44
	02:44	Nene Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	02:44	Team Rebound
	02:44 [DEN 97-87]	Nene Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
	02:33	Martin Foul : Shooting (5 PF)
Ibaka Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	02:33
Team Rebound	02:33
Ibaka Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)	02:33 [OKC 88-97]
	02:12	Lawson Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Perkins (1 ST)
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Made (27 PTS) Assist: Harden (4 AST)	02:08 [OKC 90-97]
	02:08	Nene Foul : Shooting (5 PF)
Westbrook Free Throw 1 of 1 (28 PTS)	02:08 [OKC 91-97]
Perkins Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	01:54
	01:54 [DEN 98-91]	Nene Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)
	01:54	Smith Substitution replaced by Felton
	01:54	Nene Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Durant Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	01:52
Ibaka Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Harden (5 AST)	01:41 [OKC 93-98]
	01:19	Gallinari Running Jump Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:12)	01:18
Durant 3pt Shot: Made (28 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (5 AST)	01:09 [OKC 96-98]
	00:52.9	Felton Jump Shot: Missed
Perkins Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	00:51.7
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Missed	00:29.9
	00:26.9	Nene Rebound (Off:4 Def:5)
Harden Foul : Personal Take (4 PF)	00:23.2
	00:23.2 [DEN 99-96]	Felton Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)
	00:23.2 [DEN 100-96]	Felton Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
Team Timeout : Short	00:23.2
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Made (30 PTS)	00:16.1 [OKC 98-100]
Perkins Foul : Personal Take (3 PF)	00:15.2
	00:15.2	Felton Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	00:15.2	Team Rebound
	00:15.2 [DEN 101-98]	Felton Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Missed	00:07.9
	00:06.5	Team Rebound
	00:06.5	Team Timeout : Short
Perkins Substitution replaced by Sefolosha	00:06.5
Westbrook Foul : Personal Take (4 PF)	00:06.2
	00:06.2 [DEN 102-98]	Lawson Free Throw 1 of 2 (26 PTS)
	00:06.2 [DEN 103-98]	Lawson Free Throw 2 of 2 (27 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	00:06.2
Durant 3pt Shot: Made (31 PTS) Assist: Sefolosha (3 AST)	00:04.1 [OKC 101-103]
	00:04.1	Team Timeout : Regular
Ibaka Substitution replaced by Cook	00:04.1
Westbrook Foul : Personal Take (5 PF)	00:03.5
	00:03.5	Felton Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	00:03.5	Team Rebound
Cook Substitution replaced by Collison	00:03.5
Sefolosha Substitution replaced by Ibaka	00:03.5
	00:03.5 [DEN 104-101]	Felton Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.7
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			TNT	National	10:30 pm ET
		--	ASE	Local	10:30 pm ET
		--	FSOK	Local	10:30 pm ET
canada			TSN2	national	10:30 pm ET