Thunder-Timberwolves Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Mar 28 2013 2:45PM

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the highest-scoring team in the NBA, but it's defense that has keyed their latest winning streak.

Now they'll look to continue their domination of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are in the midst of one of their best offensive stretches of the season.

The visiting Thunder go for their 15th win in 16 meetings with the Timberwolves on Friday night.

Oklahoma City (53-19) has closed to within 1 1/2 games of San Antonio for the Western Conference lead thanks in part to its play at the defensive end, as it's held four straight opponents to 90 or fewer points. The Thunder, scoring a league-high 106.2 per game, have only averaged 101.0 during a three-game winning streak.

Oklahoma City limited Washington to 32.1 percent shooting in a 103-80 home win Wednesday. The Thunder have given up 84.0 points - 12.8 below their average - and 38.0 percent shooting in the three consecutive victories.

The defensive effort has allowed Oklahoma City hold a 42-24 advantage on fast-break points in their past two wins.

"When you don't have to take the ball out of the net, you get an opportunity to use your athleticism and get out in transition," coach Scott Brooks said. "Our first three steps can get down to half-court pretty quick and then we put pressure on the defense. It's all about defending. It's all about rebounding and getting out on the break."

Brooks' club, one of the league's best on the fast break at 16.9 points per game, has outscored the Timberwolves 70-35 in that category while winning two of three meetings this season. Minnesota ranks near the bottom of the NBA at 14.1 fast-break points allowed per game.

The last-place Timberwolves (25-45) gave up 70 second-half points in a 120-117 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

"Sometimes it's not fair because we give 100 percent and sometimes we can't control things," guard Ricky Rubio said. "But we have to improve things that we can control."

They haven't been able to control Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook recently. Durant, the NBA leader at 28.2 points per game, has averaged 39.0 and 56.8 percent shooting in his last four trips to Minnesota, while Westbrook has scored 34.0 per contest in his last five overall in the series.

With the Wolves coming off a rough performance at the defensive end, this game could prove to be a high-scoring affair. Minnesota, averaging 95.3 points on the season, has scored 117 twice and 105 once in the past four contests.

Center Nikola Pekovic, who had 19 points and 16 boards Wednesday, posted three consecutive double-doubles versus Oklahoma City before finishing with five points and two boards in a 127-111 road loss Feb. 22.

Minnesota did have a strong defensive effort Dec. 20 when it held the Thunder to 40.2 percent shooting in a 99-93 victory. That snapped a 12-game losing streak and seven-game home skid in the series, but the Thunder have responded by winning the last two meetings by an average of 19.0 points.

Oklahoma City has scored 115.2 points per game in its last 11 against the Timberwolves.

Copyright 2013 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

Pekovic powers Timberwolves over Thunder 101-93

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Posted Mar 29 2013 11:50PM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) If the Oklahoma City Thunder aren't able to catch the San Antonio Spurs in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, Kevin Durant and Co. may look back to a late March night in Minnesota as the moment they let it slip away.

Barreling down on the Spurs with 11 victories in their previous 14 games, the rolling Thunder slammed into a 6-foot-11, Montenegrin road block and a feisty Timberwolves team they never saw coming.

Nikola Pekovic had 22 points and 15 rebounds and Ricky Rubio added 17 points and seven assists to help the Timberwolves stun the Thunder 101-93 on Friday night.

"We'll be fine," Durant said. "You know, just a little bump in the road."

Chase Budinger scored 13 points and Andrei Kirilenko played superb defense on Durant in the second half to help the Wolves deal the Thunder an unexpected setback in their pursuit of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

Durant had 36 points and seven rebounds, but was just 4 for 9 in the final 22 minutes. Russell Westbrook added 18 points and nine assists for the Thunder, who fell to 2 1/2 games behind the Spurs in the West after San Antonio beat the Clippers.

"I'm pretty sure he's tired right now," Kirilenko said of Durant.

The Thunder could regret this one, but they can also take solace that they won't see the Timberwolves - one of only five teams to beat them twice this year - in the playoffs. The Wolves had just 25 wins on the season, tied for second fewest in the West, having suffered through a litany of injuries. They were playing without Olympian Kevin Love, who has missed most of the season with a broken right hand.

So they used Pekovic's broad shoulders and Dante Cunningham's grit to get a surprising victory, one that moved coach Rick Adelman three away from 1,000 for his career.

"They're a great team," Pekovic said of the Thunder. "I'm sure they'll be one of the teams that is going to go for the title."

With Minnesota leading 84-81 early in the fourth, Pekovic bulled to the basket for two layups, and Cunningham, who was playing with a bruised shooting hand, hit a jumper and converted a tough layup in traffic for a 92-81 lead.

The Thunder got as close as five points down the stretch, but Pekovic held them off with a putback that pushed the lead back to 96-87 with 1:34 to go. Westbrook was just 7 for 17 from the floor, Kevin Martin was 1 for 9 and Durant was relatively quiet after a 9-for-10 start.

"We keep it the same," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "We're a very even-keel team, we always focus on just playing good basketball whoever we play, and they play well against us. They're a good team."

Oklahoma City has nine games remaining to make up for it. Getting that No. 1 seed is very much a goal for these Thunder, who want to play as many games as possible in front of their raucous home fans in the playoffs. It was in Oklahoma City last year when the series against the Spurs turned so dramatically. Down 2-0 to San Antonio and in serious danger of being swept by the veteran Spurs, the Thunder exploded for a 20-point win in Game 3 at home. That gave them the confidence and momentum, and they reeled off three more in a row to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since moving from Seattle.

Seven of Pekovic's 15 boards came on the offensive end and the Wolves committed just 11 turnovers to get the win.

"If we want to get to where we want to get to, we've got to get up for every game," Durant said. "And I think we were up for tonight, but we just ran into a team that played better."

NOTES: Love's doctors in New York conferred with Timberwolves doctors on his hand. He was not given clearance to resume contact work and will be evaluated again next week. There is still not timetable for his return. ... Give J.J. Barea points for ingenuity. In the second quarter, the 5-foot-10 PG was met at the top of the key by the 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet. With nowhere to go, Barea tried to go between Thabeet's legs. He didn't quite make it, and Reggie Jackson was called for a foul on the play. ... Derek Fisher hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter to snap an 0-for-19 drought from the field.

Copyright 2013 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

Notebook: Timberwolves 101, Thunder 93

Peter Kapsner, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:53 PM - Updated Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:53 PM

THE FACTS: The Oklahoma City Thunder stumbled in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves 101-93 on Friday.

Nikola Pekovic led the Wolves (26-45) with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Ricky Rubio chipped in with 17 points, seven assists and four steals. Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder (53-20) with 36 points.

The game was tight throughout the night with neither team managing a double-digit lead until the Wolves went up by 11 with 5:25 left in the fourth quarter. The teams traded mini-runs from there before the Wolves put the game away with a late 5-0 burst, featuring a critical tip-in by Pekovic to move back up by 10 with a minute left. The loss pushed the Thunder 2.5 games back of the West-leading San Antonio Spurs.

TURNING POINT: The Thunder went on a quick 6-0 run to pull within five with 3:31 left. They got a defensive stop and looked to assert themselves against the suddenly reeling Wolves, but Rubio stole the ball from Durant on a spin move and fed Andrei Kirilenko who was fouled on a layup. Kirilenko went just 1-for-2, but it slowed the momentum as the Wolves made their 5-0 move to put the game away.

QUOTABLE: "We tried to be more aggressive and tried to trap [Durant]. He likes that move when he reverses and he draws a lot of fouls, so it was a little risky. I got lucky and could get the steal and that helped us."

--Ricky Rubio on his crucial steal of Durant

THE STAT: The 101 points scored by the Wolves are part of a recent offensive surge where they've averaged just over 100 points over their past 11 games. In seven games previous to this streak, the Wolves were limited to just 86.3 points per game, and the Thunder had limited their last three opponents to just 85.7 points per game. But the Wolves attacked the Thunder for all 48 minutes tonight.

QUOTABLE II: "They came out and executed their offense and it was tough to stop.They move the ball so well and spread you out and pick-and-roll, and they got so many great passers and slashers and shooters. You really have to be on point every minute of the game against them. You can't have any mistakes because they execute on it all."

--Kevin Durant on the Timberwolves offense tonight

HOT: Pekovic continues to be a beast inside for the Wolves. After rolling for 18 points and 11 boards in a blow-out of Detroit last Tuesday, he went toe-to-toe with Dwight Howard on Wednesday, going off for 19 points and 16 boards. Kendrick Perkins didn't fare any better tonight against the big Grecian. He fouled out with just two points and five rebounds.

QUOTABLE III: "[Pekovic] was a handful for them. They really didn't have an answer for him and he took advantage of it."

--Wolves coach Rick Adelman on Pekovic's dominant interior play

NOT: Kevin Martin. After hitting double figures in each of his past five games, Martin finished the evening with just four points on 1-for-9 shooting. He was 0-for-6 with three fouls in eight first-half minutes.

GOOD MOVE: Adelman played back-up point guard J.J. Barea for 16 minutes in the first half while Rubio played only 10. Rubio was limited to 28 minutes against the Lakers on Wednesday because of foul trouble, and picked up two first-half fouls tonight. By sitting Rubio and avoiding a third foul, the Wolves had their star guard for 20 of 24 minutes in the second half of a tight game.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: In leagues needing a consistent source of rebounds, Pekovic returned from injury eight games ago and has given owners a huge boost in that category.

NOTABLE: Kevin Love remains out with a broken hand, and his planned CT scan was delayed to next week. There is no timetable for his return. ... Oklahoma City is now 9-4 on the front-end of back-to-backs this season and has completed just five "sweeps" so far. They swept nine such series last year. ... Russell Westbrook played in his 385th consecutive game -- the longest active games played streak in the NBA. He has never missed a game for the Thunder, nor did he miss a game in college with UCLA. ... With the win, Adelman is just three games shy of 1,000 career victories. Only seven coaches have achieved that plateau in NBA history. ...The Wolves join the Spurs, Nuggets, Heat, and Grizzlies as one of five teams to beat the Thunder twice this year.

UP NEXT: For the Thunder, Saturday @ Milwaukee, Thursday vs. San Antonio, Friday @ Indiana. For the Wolves, Saturday vs. Memphis, Monday vs. Boston, Wednesday @ Milwaukee.

• Thunder: Liggins, Orton
• Timberwolves: Lee, Roy

• Thunder: Ibaka
• Timberwolves: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #34 Kevin Cutler, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 18121
• Duration: 2:14

Oklahoma City Thunder (53-20)		Minnesota Timberwolves (26-45)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Pekovic vs Ibaka (Rubio gains possession)
	11:40	Williams Jump Shot: Missed
	11:39	Kirilenko Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	11:29	Ridnour 3pt Shot: Missed
Westbrook Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:28
Ibaka Driving Layup Shot: Missed	11:10
	11:09	Pekovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:53	Rubio Pullup Jump shot: Missed
Sefolosha Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:52
Sefolosha Driving Layup Shot: Missed	10:44
	10:43	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:32 [MIN 2-0]	Ridnour Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Rubio (1 AST)
Sefolosha Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Rubio (1 ST)	10:21
	10:10	Kirilenko Jump Shot: Missed
	10:09	Pekovic Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	10:08	Pekovic Layup Shot: Missed
	10:06	Ridnour Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	10:04	Ridnour Jump Shot: Missed
	10:03	Pekovic Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
	10:03 [MIN 4-0]	Pekovic Tip Shot: Made (2 PTS)
	09:43	Rubio Foul: Shooting (1 PF) (2 FTA)
Westbrook Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	09:43
Team Rebound	09:43
Westbrook Free Throw 2 of 2 (1 PTS)	09:43 [OKC 1-4]
	09:40	Kirilenko Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)
Durant Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (1 AST)	09:28 [OKC 3-4]
	09:09	Pekovic Layup Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (1 BLK)
Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:08
Westbrook Jump Bank Shot: Missed	08:50
Perkins Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	08:49
Westbrook Running Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS)	08:38 [OKC 5-4]
	08:18 [MIN 6-5]	Pekovic Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Durant Layup Shot: Missed Block: Kirilenko (1 BLK)	08:05
Team Rebound	08:04
Durant Step Back Jump shot: Made (4 PTS)	07:57 [OKC 7-6]
	07:40	Ridnour Jump Shot: Missed
Durant Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	07:39
Sefolosha 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (2 AST)	07:31 [OKC 10-6]
Durant Foul: Personal (1 PF)	07:16
Perkins Foul: Personal (1 PF)	07:11
	07:07 [MIN 8-10]	Rubio Pullup Jump shot: Made (2 PTS)
Westbrook Pullup Jump shot: Missed	06:53
	06:52	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	06:42	Kirilenko Layup Shot: Missed Block: Durant (1 BLK)
	06:41	Kirilenko Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)
	06:39 [MIN 10-10]	Kirilenko Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Ibaka Jump Shot: Missed	06:26
	06:25	Pekovic Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	06:07	Williams Jump Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (2 BLK)
Durant Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	06:06
Ibaka Jump Shot: Missed	05:56
	05:55	Pekovic Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)
	05:46	Williams Layup Shot: Missed
Perkins Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	05:44
	05:43	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:33	Rubio Foul: Shooting Block (2 PF) (2 FTA)
Westbrook Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)	05:33 [OKC 11-10]
	05:33	Rubio Substitution replaced by Barea
Westbrook Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)	05:33 [OKC 12-10]
	05:14 [MIN 12-12]	Williams Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Ridnour (1 AST)
Durant Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)	04:54 [OKC 14-12]
	04:36	Kirilenko Jump Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	04:35
Westbrook Pullup Jump shot: Made (7 PTS)	04:29 [OKC 16-12]
	04:14	Kirilenko Running Layup Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	04:13
Sefolosha Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (3 AST)	04:06 [OKC 18-12]
	03:49	Barea Layup Shot: Missed
	03:48	Pekovic Rebound (Off:3 Def:3)
	03:48 [MIN 14-18]	Pekovic Tip Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Perkins Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)	03:26
Sefolosha Substitution replaced by Martin	03:26
	03:14 [MIN 16-18]	Ridnour Pullup Jump shot: Made (4 PTS)
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Missed	03:00
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	03:00
	03:00	Williams Foul: Shooting (1 PF) (2 FTA)
Ibaka Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	03:00 [OKC 19-16]
Durant Substitution replaced by Jackson	03:00
	03:00	Kirilenko Substitution replaced by Budinger
Ibaka Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	03:00
	03:00	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	02:49 [MIN 18-19]	Barea Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Martin Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	02:35
	02:34	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	02:25	Barea Jump Shot: Missed
	02:23	Pekovic Rebound (Off:4 Def:3)
	02:23 [MIN 20-19]	Pekovic Tip Shot: Made (8 PTS)
Jackson Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	01:59 [OKC 21-20]
Martin Foul: Personal (1 PF)	01:40
Team Timeout : Regular	01:40
Westbrook Substitution replaced by Fisher	01:40
Ibaka Substitution replaced by Collison	01:40
Martin Foul: Personal (2 PF) (2 FTA)	01:32
	01:32 [MIN 21-21]	Budinger Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	01:32 [MIN 22-21]	Budinger Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Martin Running Jump Shot: Missed	01:17
Collison Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	01:16
Jackson Pullup Jump shot: Made (4 PTS)	01:03 [OKC 23-22]
Collison Foul: Personal Block (1 PF) (2 FTA)	00:43.4
	00:43.4 [MIN 23-23]	Ridnour Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
	00:43.4	Williams Substitution replaced by Cunningham
Perkins Substitution replaced by Thabeet	00:43.4
	00:43.4	Ridnour Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Thabeet Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:43.4
Fisher Jump Shot: Missed	00:30.9
Collison Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	00:29.9
Jackson Running Jump Shot: Missed	00:06.9
	00:04.9	Cunningham Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:00.0	Cunningham Jump Shot: Missed
	00:00.0	Team Rebound
End of 1st Quarter
Oklahoma City Thunder (53-20)		Minnesota Timberwolves (26-45)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
Thabeet Driving Slam Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Collison (1 AST)	11:36 [OKC 25-23]
	11:19	Cunningham Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Jackson (1 ST)
Jackson Driving Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)	11:15 [OKC 27-23]
	10:56	Budinger Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Thabeet (1 ST)
	10:47	Cunningham Foul: Personal (1 PF)
Fisher 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS)	10:39 [OKC 30-23]
	10:20 [MIN 25-30]	Barea Pullup Jump shot: Made (4 PTS)
Martin Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	10:08
Jackson Foul: Personal (1 PF)	10:00
Fisher Foul: Personal (1 PF)	09:56
	09:48	Barea 3pt Shot: Missed
Collison Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	09:47
Martin Jump Shot: Missed	09:39
	09:38	Cunningham Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	09:24	Cunningham Jump Shot: Missed
Jackson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:23
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	09:13
Thabeet Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	09:11
Jackson Jump Shot: Missed	09:03
	09:01	Shved Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:50	Shved Jump Shot: Missed
	08:48	Cunningham Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	08:48 [MIN 27-30]	Cunningham Putback Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Martin Jump Shot: Missed	08:29
Thabeet Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	08:28
Jackson Running Jump Shot: Missed	08:19
	08:18	Cunningham Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	08:00 [MIN 30-30]	Budinger 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Cunningham (1 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	07:55
Jackson Substitution replaced by Durant	07:55
Fisher Jump Shot: Missed	07:36
	07:35	Budinger Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	07:30 [MIN 32-30]	Barea Driving Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	07:16
	07:15	Stiemsma Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Martin Foul: Shooting (3 PF) (2 FTA)	07:00
	07:00 [MIN 33-30]	Shved Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
Martin Substitution replaced by Sefolosha	07:00
Thabeet Substitution replaced by Ibaka	07:00
	07:00 [MIN 34-30]	Shved Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Durant Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Fisher (1 AST)	06:49 [OKC 32-34]
	06:31	Budinger Floating Jump shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	06:29
Durant Running Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)	06:19 [OKC 34-34]
	06:05 [MIN 37-34]	Budinger 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Barea (1 AST)
Ibaka Driving Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Durant (1 AST)	05:44 [OKC 36-37]
	05:44	Stiemsma Foul: Shooting (1 PF) (1 FTA)
	05:44
Collison Substitution replaced by Perkins	05:44
Fisher Substitution replaced by Westbrook	05:44
Ibaka Free Throw 1 of 1 (4 PTS)	05:44 [OKC 37-37]
	05:29 [MIN 39-37]	Cunningham Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Shved (1 AST)
Durant Jump Bank Shot: Made (12 PTS)	05:05 [OKC 39-39]
	04:47	Shved 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	04:46
Perkins Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Stiemsma (1 ST)	04:36
Perkins Foul: Personal (2 PF)	04:34
	04:34	Stiemsma Substitution replaced by Pekovic
	04:34	Budinger Substitution replaced by Kirilenko
	04:25 [MIN 41-39]	Shved Driving Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Westbrook Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Cunningham (1 ST)	04:05
	04:01	Shved Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
	04:01	Shved Substitution replaced by Rubio
Ibaka Fadeaway Jump Shot: Missed	03:46
	03:45	Barea Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	03:36	Cunningham Jump Shot: Missed
Durant Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	03:35
Durant Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)	03:27
	03:27	Team Timeout : Short
	03:27	Cunningham Substitution replaced by Williams
	03:10	Barea 3pt Shot: Missed
	03:09	Williams Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	03:07	Williams Layup Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (3 BLK)
	03:06	Team Rebound
	02:53	Pekovic Jump Hook Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	02:51
Durant Dunk Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (4 AST)	02:39 [OKC 41-41]
Westbrook Foul: Personal (1 PF) (2 FTA)	02:28
	02:28	Team Timeout : Regular
	02:28	Barea Substitution replaced by Ridnour
	02:28 [MIN 42-41]	Rubio Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	02:28 [MIN 43-41]	Rubio Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Perkins Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (3 TO)	02:16
	02:06 [MIN 45-41]	Rubio Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Durant Running Jump Shot: Made (16 PTS)	01:45 [OKC 43-45]
	01:35 [MIN 48-43]	Williams 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Rubio (2 AST)
Perkins Jump Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS)	01:10 [OKC 45-48]
	00:43.9 [MIN 51-45]	Rubio 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Ridnour (2 AST)
	00:33.4	Pekovic Foul: Defense 3 Second (0 PF)
Durant Free Throw Technical (17 PTS)	00:33.4 [OKC 46-51]
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS)	00:28.7 [OKC 48-51]
	00:10.5	Rubio Jump Shot: Missed Block: Sefolosha (1 BLK)
	00:09.5	Team Rebound
Ibaka Foul: Shooting (1 PF) (2 FTA)	00:08.1
Ibaka Technical	00:08.1
	00:08.1 [MIN 52-48]	Ridnour Free Throw Technical (6 PTS)
	00:08.1 [MIN 53-48]	Williams Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)
	00:08.1	Rubio Substitution replaced by Barea
	00:08.1	Williams Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Westbrook Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	00:08.1
	00:03.1	Ridnour Foul: Personal Take (1 PF)
Team Timeout : Short	00:03.1
Ibaka 3pt Shot: Missed	00:01.4
	00:00.3	Pekovic Rebound (Off:4 Def:4)
End of 2nd Quarter
Oklahoma City Thunder (53-20)		Minnesota Timberwolves (26-45)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
Westbrook Pullup Jump shot: Missed	11:46
Ibaka Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)	11:45
Ibaka Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)	11:42 [OKC 50-53]
	11:26	Williams 3pt Shot: Missed
Sefolosha Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	11:25
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed	11:15
	11:13	Rubio Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:09	Rubio Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Durant (1 ST)
	11:08	Kirilenko Foul: Personal (1 PF)
Durant 3pt Shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (5 AST)	10:56 [OKC 53-53]
	10:29 [MIN 56-53]	Kirilenko 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Williams (1 AST)
Durant Running Jump Shot: Missed	10:12
	10:11	Williams Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
Perkins Foul: Personal (3 PF)	10:02
Westbrook Foul: Personal Block (2 PF)	09:56
	09:49	Williams Jump Shot: Missed Block: Perkins (1 BLK)
Durant Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	09:47
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Durant (2 AST)	09:30 [OKC 56-56]
	09:13	Kirilenko 3pt Shot: Missed
Perkins Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	09:12
Perkins Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Kirilenko (1 ST)	09:09
	09:03	Ridnour 3pt Shot: Missed
	09:02	Pekovic Rebound (Off:5 Def:4)
	08:59 [MIN 58-56]	Kirilenko Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Pekovic (1 AST)
Ibaka Foul: Offensive (2 PF)	08:46
Ibaka Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	08:46
	08:32	Rubio Jump Shot: Missed
	08:31	Pekovic Rebound (Off:6 Def:4)
	08:31 [MIN 60-56]	Pekovic Tip Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Sefolosha 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (6 AST)	08:09 [OKC 59-60]
	07:56 [MIN 62-59]	Kirilenko Alley Oop Layup shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Rubio (3 AST)
Ibaka Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (7 AST)	07:39 [OKC 61-62]
	07:39	Pekovic Foul: Shooting (1 PF) (1 FTA)
Ibaka Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed	07:39
	07:39	Williams Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	07:17 [MIN 64-61]	Ridnour Driving Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS)
Perkins Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	06:53
Ibaka Rebound (Off:3 Def:4)	06:52
	06:45	Ridnour Foul: Shooting (2 PF) (2 FTA)
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (21 PTS)	06:45 [OKC 62-64]
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 (22 PTS)	06:45 [OKC 63-64]
	06:30 [MIN 66-63]	Pekovic Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Kirilenko (1 AST)
Durant 3pt Shot: Missed	06:04
	06:03	Pekovic Rebound (Off:6 Def:5)
Ibaka Violation:Defensive Goaltending	05:46
	05:46 [MIN 68-63]	Pekovic Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Rubio (4 AST)
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed	05:32
Perkins Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	05:31
Perkins Tip Shot: Missed	05:31
	05:30	Pekovic Rebound (Off:6 Def:6)
Sefolosha Foul: Personal (1 PF)	05:25
	05:25	Team Timeout : Regular
Perkins Foul: Personal (4 PF)	05:18
Perkins Substitution replaced by Collison	05:18
	05:09	Kirilenko 3pt Shot: Missed
	05:08	Pekovic Rebound (Off:7 Def:6)
Collison Foul: Personal (2 PF) (2 FTA)	05:07
	05:07 [MIN 69-63]	Pekovic Free Throw 1 of 2 (15 PTS)
	05:07 [MIN 70-63]	Pekovic Free Throw 2 of 2 (16 PTS)
Westbrook Pullup Jump shot: Missed	04:47
	04:46	Pekovic Rebound (Off:7 Def:7)
Sefolosha Foul: Shooting (2 PF) (2 FTA)	04:39
	04:39 [MIN 71-63]	Rubio Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)
Sefolosha Substitution replaced by Martin	04:39
	04:39 [MIN 72-63]	Rubio Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Made (14 PTS)	04:20 [OKC 65-72]
	04:20	Ridnour Foul: Shooting (3 PF) (1 FTA)
Westbrook Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed	04:20
	04:20	Williams Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
	04:03	Pekovic Layup Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:3 Def:5)	04:02
Durant Jump Shot: Missed	03:53
	03:52	Williams Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)
	03:40	Rubio Layup Shot: Missed Block: Collison (1 BLK)
Durant Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	03:38
Westbrook Driving Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Durant (3 AST)	03:35 [OKC 67-72]
	03:11	Rubio Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (4 BLK)
	03:10	Team Rebound
	03:07 [MIN 74-67]	Pekovic Jump Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Kirilenko (2 AST)
Westbrook Pullup Jump shot: Made (18 PTS)	02:51 [OKC 69-74]
	02:35	Ridnour Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Collison (1 ST)
	02:31	Williams Foul: Shooting (2 PF) (2 FTA)
Team Timeout : Regular	02:31
	02:31	Ridnour Substitution replaced by Budinger
Westbrook Substitution replaced by Jackson	02:31
Martin Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	02:31 [OKC 70-74]
Martin Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)	02:31 [OKC 71-74]
	02:16 [MIN 76-71]	Rubio Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Williams (2 AST)
Durant Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Kirilenko (2 ST)	02:00
	01:55 [MIN 78-71]	Budinger Driving Dunk Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Rubio (5 AST)
Martin Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)	01:31 [OKC 73-78]
	01:10	Rubio Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Durant Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)	01:09
	01:04	Kirilenko Foul: Shooting (2 PF) (2 FTA)
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (23 PTS)	01:04 [OKC 74-78]
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 (24 PTS)	01:04 [OKC 75-78]
	00:48.9	Budinger Jump Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:3 Def:6)	00:46.9
Durant Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Rubio (2 ST)	00:36.9
Jackson Foul: Shooting (2 PF) (2 FTA)	00:33.1
	00:33.1 [MIN 79-75]	Rubio Free Throw 1 of 2 (14 PTS)
	00:33.1	Pekovic Substitution replaced by Stiemsma
	00:33.1	Williams Substitution replaced by Cunningham
	00:33.1 [MIN 80-75]	Rubio Free Throw 2 of 2 (15 PTS)
Durant 3pt Shot: Missed	00:16.9
Team Rebound	00:14.7
Durant Running Bank shot: Made (26 PTS) Assist: Jackson (1 AST)	00:00.2 [OKC 77-80]
End of 3rd Quarter
Oklahoma City Thunder (53-20)		Minnesota Timberwolves (26-45)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
	11:45 [MIN 82-77]	Budinger Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Kirilenko (3 AST)
Jackson Jump Shot: Missed	11:18
	11:17	Stiemsma Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	10:58	Budinger Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Jackson (2 ST)
Durant Driving Dunk Shot: Made (28 PTS) Assist: Martin (1 AST)	10:53 [OKC 79-82]
	10:34	Budinger Running Jump Shot: Missed
Durant Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)	10:33
	10:22	Kirilenko Substitution replaced by Shved
Collison Jump Shot: Missed	10:16
	10:15	Shved Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	09:54 [MIN 84-79]	Stiemsma Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Shved (2 AST)
	09:37	Stiemsma Foul: Shooting (2 PF) (2 FTA)
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (29 PTS)	09:37 [OKC 80-84]
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 (30 PTS)	09:37 [OKC 81-84]
	09:16	Cunningham Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
Martin Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:15
Fisher 3pt Shot: Missed	09:00
	08:59	Cunningham Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
Collison Foul: Personal Block (3 PF)	08:52
	08:52
	08:35	Barea Jump Shot: Missed
	08:34	Team Rebound
	08:30	Cunningham Jump Shot: Missed
Collison Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)	08:29
	08:10	Shved Foul: Personal Block (1 PF)
	08:10	Stiemsma Substitution replaced by Pekovic
Collison Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)	08:07
	07:54	Shved Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)
	07:54	Shved Substitution replaced by Rubio
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	07:44
	07:43	Cunningham Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	07:24	Pekovic Layup Shot: Missed Block: Durant (2 BLK)
Collison Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	07:23
Collison Turnover : Poss Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO) Steal:Cunningham (2 ST)	07:23
	07:20 [MIN 86-81]	Pekovic Layup Shot: Made (20 PTS)
Jackson 3pt Shot: Missed	06:59
	06:58	Budinger Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	06:37 [MIN 88-81]	Cunningham Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Barea (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:34
Collison Substitution replaced by Ibaka	06:34
Fisher Substitution replaced by Perkins	06:34
Jackson Substitution replaced by Westbrook	06:34
Martin 3pt Shot: Missed	06:23
	06:22	Budinger Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
Perkins Foul: Personal (5 PF)	06:10
	05:58 [MIN 90-81]	Cunningham Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Rubio (6 AST)
Durant Step Back Jump shot: Missed	05:37
	05:35	Cunningham Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	05:19 [MIN 92-81]	Pekovic Layup Shot: Made (22 PTS) Assist: Rubio (7 AST)
Ibaka Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (8 AST)	05:02 [OKC 83-92]
	04:43	Barea 3pt Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:3 Def:7)	04:41
	04:36	Budinger Foul: Shooting (1 PF) (2 FTA)
Durant Free Throw 1 of 2 (31 PTS)	04:36 [OKC 84-92]
Martin Substitution replaced by Sefolosha	04:36
	04:36	Budinger Substitution replaced by Kirilenko
Durant Free Throw 2 of 2 (32 PTS)	04:36 [OKC 85-92]
Perkins Foul: Personal (6 PF)	04:25
	04:25	Barea Substitution replaced by Ridnour
Perkins Substitution replaced by Jackson	04:25
	04:19	Rubio Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)
Westbrook Running Jump Shot: Missed	04:07
	04:05	Pekovic Rebound (Off:7 Def:8)
Jackson Foul: Personal (3 PF)	03:58
	03:44	Pekovic Layup Shot: Missed Block: Ibaka (5 BLK)
	03:42	Team Rebound
	03:42	Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Durant Floating Jump shot: Made (34 PTS)	03:32 [OKC 87-92]
	03:14	Rubio Jump Shot: Missed
Ibaka Rebound (Off:3 Def:8)	03:13
Durant Turnover : Lost Ball (4 TO) Steal:Rubio (3 ST)	02:59
Westbrook Foul: Shooting (3 PF) (2 FTA)	02:56
	02:56	Team Timeout : Regular
	02:56	Cunningham Substitution replaced by Budinger
	02:56 [MIN 93-87]	Kirilenko Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)
	02:56	Kirilenko Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Westbrook Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	02:56
Sefolosha Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Budinger (1 ST)	02:40
	02:19	Pekovic Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)
	02:01	Rubio Foul: Personal (3 PF)
Westbrook Jump Shot: Missed	01:55
	01:54	Rubio Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	01:35	Budinger 3pt Shot: Missed
	01:34	Kirilenko Rebound (Off:3 Def:0)
	01:34 [MIN 95-87]	Kirilenko Tip Shot: Made (12 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	01:34
Ibaka Jump Shot: Missed	01:23
	01:22	Kirilenko Rebound (Off:3 Def:1)
Westbrook Foul: Personal (4 PF) (2 FTA)	01:06
	01:06 [MIN 96-87]	Rubio Free Throw 1 of 2 (16 PTS)
	01:06 [MIN 97-87]	Rubio Free Throw 2 of 2 (17 PTS)
Sefolosha Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Westbrook (9 AST)	00:58.8 [OKC 89-97]
Westbrook Foul: Personal (5 PF) (2 FTA)	00:57.8
	00:57.8	Budinger Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	00:57.8	Team Rebound
	00:57.8 [MIN 98-89]	Budinger Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)
Westbrook 3pt Shot: Missed	00:51.9
Jackson Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	00:49.9
Team Timeout : Short	00:49.6
Durant Jump Shot: Made (36 PTS)	00:44.0 [OKC 91-98]
Sefolosha Foul: Personal Take (3 PF) (2 FTA)	00:40.6
	00:40.6 [MIN 99-91]	Ridnour Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)
	00:40.6	Ridnour Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Sefolosha Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	00:40.6
Jackson Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS)	00:31.7 [OKC 93-99]
Durant Foul: Personal Take (2 PF) (2 FTA)	00:28.0
	00:28.0 [MIN 100-93]	Ridnour Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)
	00:28.0 [MIN 101-93]	Ridnour Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)
Jackson 3pt Shot: Missed	00:20.8
Westbrook Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	00:19.9
Westbrook Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Rubio (4 ST)	00:18.9
End of 4th Quarter