Thunder-Rockets Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Jan 07 2012 1:07AM

The Oklahoma City Thunder's stretch of three games in three nights got off to a solid start.

They'll look to keep it going against the same struggling opponent.

Oklahoma City visits the Houston Rockets as the teams conclude a home-and-home series Saturday night.

The Thunder (6-2) got back on track after back-to-back defeats, beating Houston 109-94 on Friday. They fell 100-87 to Dallas on Tuesday and 103-93 to Portland the following night after beginning the season with five straight wins.

Oklahoma City, which hosts San Antonio on Sunday, got a break to help lessen its fatigue Friday when it was able to rest its starters in the fourth quarter after taking a 21-point lead. The Thunder also led by 17 by halftime and forced 12 turnovers.

"I don't know how we're going to play for three games but to start off like this, first of all with the confidence, it helps a lot," said Thabo Sefolosha, who started but went scoreless in 20 minutes. "And it's good that we got some of the main guys to get some rest."

Kevin Durant scored 26 points in 28 minutes and Russell Westbrook finished with 15 in 25. James Harden had 23 points and shot 8 of 11 off the bench.

"(The rest) was important to us since we've got these back-to-back-to-back, then a day off, then another back-to-back," Durant said.

It also doesn't hurt that the Thunder are beginning their grueling stretch with back-to-back games against the Rockets (2-5), who have lost three straight.

Kevin Martin and Terrence Williams each scored 13 points for Houston in Friday's defeat.

"Right now, we're not playing very well," coach Kevin McHale said. "We're digging ourselves a bit of a hole but we're going to have to dig our way out. The only people that are going to dig themselves out are the players, and I told them that."

Playing without Kyle Lowry didn't help, and McHale isn't sure if his starting guard will play Saturday.

Lowry, averaging 15.3 points and 10.0 assists, sat out with an apparent foot injury. However, he also was charged with battery Friday for allegedly assaulting a female referee by throwing a ball at her in a pickup game between NBA players in Las Vegas during the lockout.

Goran Dragic replaced Lowry in the starting lineup and finished with 10 points and 11 assists.

Power forward Luis Scola scored 10 points, but shot 5 of 14 and had only two rebounds.

"So far, it's not working. It's early in the season but we've got a lot of work to do," Scola said. "We just need to regroup and go back to work."

The Thunder have won five of the last six in this series, though the Rockets had won 11 straight meetings in Houston prior to Oklahoma City's 118-112 victory last Jan. 12.

Durant scored 30 points in that contest for the Thunder, while Scola had 31 and 11 rebounds to lead the Rockets.

Durant comes up big as Thunder beat Rockets 98-95

Posted Jan 07 2012 11:59PM

HOUSTON (AP) Kevin Durant continues to improve in late-game situations - and the star forward says he doesn't care about them.

Durant came through in the clutch Saturday night, hitting a jumper with 22 seconds left and nailing two free throws to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a 98-95 win over the Houston Rockets.

"It might sound odd, but late in the game I just don't care anymore," Durant said of his heroics. "If you think about it too much, you end up overdoing it or missing, so I just don't care. If I miss a shot, I miss it. If I make it, I make it."

Durant finished with 27 points and six rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 25 points and six assists, and reserve Nazr Mohammed had a season-high 17 points and six rebounds for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City (7-2) won its second straight over Houston after defeating the Rockets 109-94 Friday in Oklahoma City and plays its final game of a back-to-back-to-back stretch Sunday in San Antonio.

"When you play a team back-to-back, it's always hard to win," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "We had enough energy to win the game. We executed down the stretch and made big plays and made big shots. We hit some big free throws."

Luis Scola had a season-high 28 points and seven rebounds, Goran Dragic had a season-best 20 points and eight assists, and Kevin Martin had 16 points to lead the Rockets (2-6), who have lost four straight.

"I think we played a great game," Scola said. "This is one of the best teams in the NBA right there. At the end, we put ourselves in a situation to win the game. They were just too good. They made some great plays, and at the end of the game, it comes down to great players making great plays."

After Durant put the Thunder on top 96-95 with 22 seconds left, Chandler Parsons missed a 3-point attempt, but the ball went out of bounds off the Thunder. Dragic missed a running jumper with 7 seconds left, and Durant grabbed the rebound and was fouled.

Durant hit both free throws for the final margin before Dragic threw the ball out of bounds with less than a second remaining to seal it.

Houston coach Kevin McHale said they were trying to get the ball to Martin in the corner on the final play.

"The play was for (Martin), and they switched on (Martin)," Dragic said. "Then I saw Luis wide open, but the ball just slipped. It was high, high, but you know it was a good play. Luis was open. I just couldn't make the pass, but it was my fault, so that's it."

Durant, who scored 13 points in the fourth, said he wanted to be the guy to make big shots earlier in his career, but now, he doesn't care.

"I made a few (big shots), but I wasn't as successful as I wanted to be," Durant said. "I think I cared about it too much, so now, I'm just letting it play out. Whatever happens, happens. I'm still confident in myself that I can make those shots. Hopefully, I make more shots."

After Durant nailed a 3-pointer to put the Thunder up 90-87, the Rockets answered with a 6-0 run to take the lead on a Dragic lay-up before extending it to 93-90 on Scola's jumper with 2:03 left.

Durant closed the gap to 95-94 on a jumper with 1:22 remaining and Martin turned it over on the other end, but Durant missed a jumper with under a minute left. Patrick Patterson had a chance to put Houston back up by three, but he missed from 20 feet.

Houston began the second half with a 6-0 run to take a 52-48 lead on a Martin dunk, and answered back-to-back jumpers from Westbrook with an 14-2 run highlighted by 10 points from Dragic, including a 3-pointer with 4:41 left in the third to make it 66-54.

Oklahoma City, however, responded with a 12-0 run over the final 2:38 to tie it 72-all and ended the quarter on a lay-up by Mohammed. Westbrook and Mohammed each had four points in the run as the Rockets missed their last six shots of the quarter and committed three turnovers.

Mohammed said the Thunder came back with defense.

"We got stops, and we pushed it right down their throats," Mohammed said. "We executed. Russell did a great job of getting in the lane and knocking down shots. James hit some three's. Defense got it done."

The Thunder continued the momentum into the fourth quarter, taking an 82-77 lead on a James Harden 3-pointer with 8:42 remaining, but Houston answered with six straight points capped by a 3-pointer from Martin to put Houston back up 83-82 midway through the fourth.

Oklahoma City led 48-46 at the half behind 12 points from Durant and 11 points apiece from Westbrook and Mohammed. Scola was the only Houston player in double-figures with 12 points.

Notes: Oklahoma City back-up guard Eric Maynor was carried to the locker room with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter after a drive to the basket. Maynor immediately went down on the baseline and grabbed his right knee. The entire Thunder bench went over to check on Maynor before he was carried to the locker room by teammates. Brooks said Maynor has a right leg injury that will be re-evaluated Sunday. ... Both teams shot poorly from long range. The Thunder went 7 for 21 (33 percent) while the Rockets were 5 of 14 (36 percent). . Rockets guard Kyle Lowry missed a second straight game with a bruised right foot.

Notebook: Thunder 98, Rockets 95

By Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday January 7, 2012 11:59PM

THE FACTS: With Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder struggling mightily through two-plus quarters, Russell Westbrook took charge in the third. Then with Westbrook unable to score late in the fourth, Durant took the wheel and guided Oklahoma City to victory.

Durant netted 27 points on 10-for-25 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and nailed a clutch 19-foot jumper and two free throws in the final 30 seconds to lift the Thunder to a 98-95 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday at Toyota Center. Westbrook nailed 10 of 20 shots for 25 points and handed out six assists, while Nazr Mohammed poured in 17 points and pulled down six boards for Oklahoma City (7-2), which has won the first two games of its lone back-to-back-to-back set this season.

Luis Scola led Houston (2-6), which has lost four consecutive games, with a season-high 28 points but needed 28 shots to get there. Goran Dragic netted 20 points to go with eight assists and four rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "It might sound odd, but late in the game I just don't care anymore. I think that's the best way to go about it. You think about it too much, then you end up overdoing it or missing [shots]. ... I wanted to be that guy who made big shots [the first four years of my career]. ... I think I cared a little bit too much."
-- Durant on taking clutch shots.

THE STAT: After allowing their last two opponents to average 31.5 free throws, the Thunder sent Houston to the line for only 15 free-throw attempts. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, shot 22 free throws and went 15-for-15 from the charity stripe after halftime.

TURNING POINT: Houston held a 72-60 lead with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter when Oklahoma City ripped off a 19-2 run, led by a combined 14 points from Mohammed and Westbrook, to claim a 79-74 advantage early in the fourth.

QUOTABLE II: "Russell willed our team to win with his toughness on both ends of the floor. He was controlling the game with his shots, his attacks, his penetration."
-- Oklahoma City head coach Scott Brooks on Westbrook's crucial contributions.

TURNING POINT II: Houston held a 95-92 lead with 1:30 left in regulation, but the Thunder clamped down defensively to force the Rockets into two turnovers and three missed shots over their final four possessions. Oklahoma City also executed well on offense during this stretch, as Durant nailed a pair of key jumpers off the pick-and-roll with Westbrook and connected on two free throws to finish the game on a personal 6-0 run.

GOOD MOVE: Despite shooting 6-for-18 overall through three quarters, Durant did not shy away from taking big shots when his team needed them most. With Westbrook unable to carry his third-quarter scoring dominance into the fourth, Durant rescued the Thunder by scoring 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting in the final period.

QUOTABLE III: "[The Thunder] were just too good. They made some great plays, and at the end of the game it comes down to great players [like Durant] making great plays."
-- Scola.

HOT: Dragic delivered another good performance in place of injured point guard Kyle Lowry (bruised right foot), finishing with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, eight assists and two turnovers. In two starts with Lowry sidelined, Dragic has averaged 15.0 points on 55.0 percent (11-for-20) shooting, 9.5 assists and only 1.0 turnover.

NOT: After a 4-for-11 outing Saturday, Kevin Martin is averaging just 13.8 points on 39.1 percent (18-for-46) shooting overall -- including 20.0 percent (3-for-15) shooting from behind the arc -- this January.

BAD MOVE: Oklahoma City's roster is not full of 3-point sharpshooters, but it threw up 21 attempts from behind the arc. Not surprisingly, the Thunder finished the game 33.3 percent (7-for-21) from long range. Durant and James Harden were the main culprits, combining to hit five of 15 shots from downtown.

NOTABLE: Thunder guard Eric Maynor had to be carried to the locker room after suffering a right leg injury on a drive to the basket early in the fourth quarter. Brooks said after the game that Maynor's injury will be reevaluated Sunday. ... In addition to Lowry, Houston played without reserve guard Courtney Lee (strained right calf). ... Coach Kevin McHale made a pair of changes to his starting five, inserting rookie Chandler Parsons in place of Chase Budinger and center Samuel Dalembert for Jordan Hill. Parsons posted team highs of eight rebounds and three steals. ... Oklahoma City grabbed 16 of the game's first 17 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. ... The Rockets lost for the first time this season when holding a double-digit lead. ... Dragic's 20 are his most points in a game since he was traded to Houston from Phoenix in Feb. 2011.

UP NEXT: For the Thunder, Sunday vs. San Antonio (NBA TV), Tuesday @ Memphis, Wednesday @ New Orleans. For the Rockets, Tuesday @ Charlotte, Wednesday @ San Antonio, Friday vs. Sacramento.

• Thunder: Ivey, Reid
• Rockets: Lee, Morris

• Thunder: --
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 10
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #42 Eric Lewis, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 14327
• Duration: 2:11