Suns-Thunder Preview

By JUSTIN EINHORN
Posted Mar 06 2012 12:25PM

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off a win despite one of their worst offensive performances. He's really struggled against the Phoenix Suns recently, but that also hasn't prevented the team from winning.

The two-time reigning scoring champion tries to lift the Thunder to a 14th consecutive home win and fifth in a row over the surging Suns on Wednesday night.

Durant, averaging 28.1 points to rank second in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant, scored at least 35 in his first two games this month before being held to 22 on Monday against Dallas. He shot 6 of 18 from the field - his second-worst percentage of the season - and tied a season high with seven turnovers, but Oklahoma City won 95-91.

"The thing is with us, we've just got to continue to just keep playing hard no matter if we're making shots or not, and playing together on both ends," Durant said.

The Thunder improved to 7-1 following a loss - they fell in Atlanta two nights earlier - and won their 13th straight in Oklahoma City. The franchise hasn't had a longer streak at home during a single season since a 17-game run in Seattle in 1994-95.

They're also riding their longest run of consecutive victories over Phoenix since winning six straight meetings bridging the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. Oklahoma City (30-8) has won four in a row in this series, averaging 114.0 points on 51.7 percent shooting, even with Durant playing poorly.

He's averaged 17.3 points in the past three matchups while shooting 34.9 percent. His 20.8 scoring average versus the Suns since the start of last season is his lowest against any opponent he's faced more than once.

Durant had a season-low 12 points in a 107-97 home win over Phoenix on Dec. 31. He was 4 of 11 from the field, but the Thunder shot 53.2 percent and never trailed.

They hit 38.2 percent on Monday - their second-worst mark of the season - and now face a Phoenix team that has held its last three opponents below 40.0.

The Suns (17-20) came back from double-digit deficits to win all three games, something they hadn't done since November 2002, and match their longest winning streak of the season.

"We've got a great rhythm right now, we are playing well and hopefully we are going to show up next game ready to play against Oklahoma," center Marcin Gortat said after grabbing 17 rebounds in a 96-88 win over Sacramento on Monday.

That victory capped a 5-1 homestand. Phoenix hasn't been nearly as good on the road lately, losing three straight while allowing 107.3 points per game.

Oklahoma City averages a league-leading 104.9 at home.

The matchup in the middle could be key. Gortat has averaged 18.0 points and 12.2 rebounds over his last 10 games. He's been held to averages of 11.5 and 8.0 in two matchups with Oklahoma City when playing against Kendrick Perkins, who has averaged 10.4 boards in his last seven contests.

Russell Westbrook has gotten the better of Steve Nash when the All-Star point guards have gone head-to-head lately. Westbrook has helped limit Nash to averages of 9.8 points, 9.3 assists and 44.1 percent shooting during the Thunder's four-game win streak over Phoenix. Westbrook has shot 51.7 percent in that span while averaging 21.3 points and 8.5 assists.

Nash tops the NBA with 10.9 assists per game and leads all guards in field-goal percentage at 53.8.

Thunder rally from 16 down back, beat Suns 115-104

By JEFF LATZKE
Posted Mar 08 2012 12:26AM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) No matter how big the deficit, Kevin Durant always believes the Oklahoma City Thunder can come back.

It's no wonder, considering the fantastic foursome leading the way.

Russell Westbrook scored 31 points, James Harden added a career-high 30 off the bench and the Thunder roared back for a 115-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

Durant also chipped in 30 points and Serge Ibaka contributed 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Oklahoma City won its 14th straight at home despite trailing by 16 late in the third quarter.

Even that deficit wasn't daunting for Durant.

"We never think that way, especially at home. I always think that we can come back," he said.

In its previous largest home deficit of the season, Oklahoma City stormed back from 14 points down against Denver on Feb. 19 and became the first team in NBA history with a 50-point scorer (Durant), 40-point scorer (Westbrook) and a third player with a triple-double (Ibaka).

This time, Harden got in on the action to give the franchise its first trio of 30-point scorers since Tom Chambers, Dale Ellis and Xavier McDaniel did it in 1988.

Down the stretch, Durant was pumping his fist and Westbrook was celebrating each 3-pointer as the Thunder reveled in the comeback.

"I think we play better when we play with emotion on the defensive end, and I think they did that. This team, they leave everything on the floor," coach Scott Brooks said.

"It's not always to perfection but they try. They try. Sometimes it takes a while for it to kick in."

Marcin Gortat had a career-best 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead Phoenix, which built the largest lead for an opponent this season inside Chesapeake Energy Arena only to watch it disintegrate in an instant.

Oklahoma City limited the Suns to two baskets over an 11-minute stretch, outscoring Phoenix 33-9 to eliminate a big deficit and take control.

Westbrook had a steal for a right-handed, slam during a 16-2 burst that got the Thunder back in the game and his 3-pointer cut the deficit to 86-84 in the final minute of the period.

Sticking with reserve guard Royal Ivey instead of playing with a center, the Thunder took the lead for good on Durant's layup in the first 3 minutes of the fourth quarter and never looked back.

"It's a good measuring stick. They're a good team, they're the best team in the West," Grant Hill said. "We came out and we played well. We had the lead at halftime, going into the fourth. ... It'd be better if the game was three quarters but unfortunately it's four and we just didn't have it there in the fourth."

Jared Dudley had 17 points and a season-best 11 rebounds for Phoenix, which had six players in double figures while bidding for its first four-game win streak of the season. Channing Frye scored 13, and Steve Nash had 12 points and 13 assists but none in the second half.

"We kind of let him do what he wanted to do in the first half," Westbrook said. "We tried to put a little pressure on him and put pressure on his passes in the second."

After heading into the All-Star break with coach Alvin Gentry delivering a podium-pounding speech questioning whether his team was a "tease" or a real playoff contender, the Suns had rallied from double-digit deficits in each of their first three games to start March.

This time, the tables were turned.

Gentry said before the game that the key for the Suns' bid to the playoff chances will be improving their 10-9 record at home. After the team's only road game in an eight-game stretch, he pointed out that Oklahoma City is 17-1 at home this season.

"I thought we gave ourself a chance and we just weren't able to close it out. On the road, that's all that you hope for," Gentry said. "You hope for a chance to be able to compete and put yourself in a position to where maybe making a couple of plays down the stretch you'll be able to win the game."

Nash had seven assists by the time Phoenix finished a 10-0 spurt to go up 24-11 after Gortat's free throw with 3:56 left in the first quarter. Durant then sat down after picking up two fouls in 11 seconds, and the Suns went on to lead by as much as 15 in the opening period.

Harden crouched over with three fingers extended on his right hand for an extended celebration after hitting back-to-back 3-pointers, then taunted Shannon Brown by saying "Boom" right in his face after dunking over him on a fast break.

Brown responded right back with his own right-handed slam to end the first quarter with Phoenix up 34-25, hanging on the rim for an extra moment when he was done.

Harden converted a three-point play off a finger roll against Brown early in the second quarter, and Brown came right back with two more right-handed slams before the tensions simmered down between the two reserves.

Nash drove for a pair of layups during a 14-4 Phoenix run soon after halftime, and the Suns' lead ballooned to 84-68 after Ibaka was called for goaltending on Dudley's layup try with 4:13 left in the third.

That's when Oklahoma City's small lineup started paying dividends.

"It's all about fighting and having each others' backs. That's what we finally did at the end of the third and the fourth quarter," Ivey said. "We decided we were going to play some defense."

Notes: Gentry, when asked before the game about the prospect of eight-time All-Star Nash being traded before next week's trade deadline, said: "I think that there's a lot of teams that would like to see him traded. We're just not one of them. ... We never talk about trading him." ... Hill got a rare technical foul for disputing his third foul midway through the second quarter when he was knocked to the floor by Perkins and Harden tripped over him. ... Westbrook got one for slapping the ball against the floor in protest of an out of bounds call in the third.

Notebook: Thunder 115, Suns 104

Posted Thursday March 8, 2012 12:03AM

By Randy Renner, NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Oklahoma City Thunder roared back from a 16-point deficit behind 30-point nights from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden plus a 20-rebound effort from Serge Ibaka to stun the Phoenix Suns 115-104 inside a raucous Chesapeake Energy Arena. It is just the second time in NBA history three players scored at least 30 points and a fourth grabbed 20 rebounds.

Westbrook led the way with 31 and also handed out 10 assists. Durant ended with 30 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Harden's 30 points are a career high, and he did it on just 12 shots. Ibaka's 20 rebounds are also a career high.

The Suns were led by 28 points from Marcin Gortat, who had vowed before the game to better his 12-point output from the last time these teams played. He also grabbed 11 rebounds. Jared Dudley had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Steve Nash added 12 points and 13 assists.

The Thunder clamped down on defense in the second half allowing the Suns to shoot only 34.3 percent and 0-for-11 on 3-pointers. It was even worse in the critical fourth quarter for Phoenix as the Suns could manage only 17.6 percent (3-for-17) and 0-for-8 from downtown.

QUOTABLE: "That fourth quarter defense was another great performance. We did a much better job (on defense) in the second half. We weren't getting back in the first half but we did in the second."
-- Thunder coach Scott Brooks

THE STAT: In the fourth quarter OKC outscored the Suns 31-16. The Thunder shot 50 percent while holding Phoenix to 17.6 percent. Durant and Westbrook scored 21 of those 31 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Gortat was 1-for-5 in the second half after going 8-for-14 in the first. Nash had 0 assists in the second half after dishing 13 in the first.

TURNING POINT: The Thunder trailed by 12 points, 84-72, when Westbrook was whistled for a technical foul. That seemed to light a fire that led to a 26-7 run. At about the same time Brooks went to a small lineup for scoring punch.

QUOTABLE II: "Royal (Ivey) had a big impact when we went small. You look at his stat line, 17 minutes, no points, no rebounds, no assists but he sparked us on defense. He would not get screened, he got on the floor for loose balls. We really got ourselves involved defensively when we went small."
-- Brooks

QUOTABLE III: "We probably could have weathered the 30 points from Durant but we can't do 30 from another guy. I thought we played great for three quarters and then we struggled offensively in the fourth. You gotta be able to do it for 48 minutes."
-- Suns coach Alvin Gentry

HOT: Nash had five assists in the first six minutes of the game and 13 at halftime ... The Suns were 9-for-14 (64.3 percent) in the first eight minutes ... Gortat was 5-for-10 (12 points) in the first quarter and 3-for-4 in the second ... The Suns shot 53.1 percent (26-for-49) at halftime ... Harden was 5-for-8 (17 points) at halftime ... Westbrook was 5-for-6 (14 points) in the second half.

NOT: Oklahoma City was just 7-for-21 (33.3 percent) and 0-for-6 on 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes ... OKC was 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from long range in the first half ... The Phoenix bench was 1-for-8 in the second half.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Supermodel Kate Upton sat courtside with members of the Thunder ownership group. She was part of another sellout crowd inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.

GOOD MOVE: In the third quarter Russell Westbrook was called for an offensive foul then got a technical when he complained to official Scott Foster. Westbrook, still clearly upset, stole the ball from Nash on the following possession, raced down court and hit a slam.

GOOD MOVE TOO: In the fourth quarter Brooks went to a small lineup, using three guards, Durant playing power forward and Ibaka at center. The Thunder outscored Phoenix 25-10 with that lineup in the first eight and a half minutes of the final quarter.

NOTABLE: The only other game where three players scored at least 30 points and a fourth had at least 20 rebounds was on November 18, 1969 when Mike Davis (40 points), Gus Johnson (30 points), Earl Monroe (30 points) and Wes Unseld (23 rebounds) did it for the Baltimore Bullets ... Oklahoma City has now won 14 consecutive games at home and is now 17-1 at home this season.

UP NEXT: For the Suns, Thursday vs. Dallas, Saturday vs. Memphis, Monday vs. Minnesota. For the Thunder, Friday vs. Cleveland, Saturday vs. Charlotte, Tuesday vs. Houston.

• Suns: --
• Thunder: Maynor, Sefolosha

• Suns: Hill
• Thunder: Westbrook

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #75 Eric Dalen, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 18203
• Duration: 2:24