Morning Report: Sefolosha connects from long range; Durant dishes
Nov 9 2009 1:57AM
Kevin Durant smirked and gave Thabo Sefolosha a new nickname.
“I call him ‘sniper’ now,” Durant said.
Sefolosha chuckled.
“I don’t know if we’re there yet,” he sheepishly said.
Either way, there was no skirting around Sefolosha’s sharp shooting during Sunday’s 102-74 win over the Orlando Magic.
Sefolosha went 4-for-6 from the field for 13 points, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc.
Sefolosha’s already proven to be the Thunder’s resident defensive pest; he added two steals, a block and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season Sunday.
He’s also one of the team’s most active players offensively; Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has called him the team’s hardest cutter.
And through his offseason work and the first six games of the regular season, Sefolosha’s showing that his long range jump shot could become another reliable weapon. Sefolosha is 8-for-12 from 3-point range this season.
“Thabo can always hit that shot, and teams are just going to have to respect it,” forward Jeff Green said. “Now they can’t help out a lot now. That’s really going to open the lane a lot more for other guys, and when other guys get into the lane and when they do help a guy like Thabo can knock down that shot.”
On Sunday, Sefolosha said he was simply catching and shooting. He wasn’t trying to think much about it.
Two of his three-pointers came in the second quarter. The first broke a 37-all tie with 6:13 left in the half. The second one extended OKC’s lead to six with 4:27 left. Both were assisted by Durant, and both came from the weak side. One of them came on a quick swing pass from Durant, who started to penetrate the lane as an extra defender came to help. Durant got rid of the ball just in the nick of time, and Sefolosha knocked it down in stride.
“Well I like the fact that the game was telling him to shoot the ball,” Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said. “We were passing the ball. We weren’t hesitating throwing the ball. The ball was not sticky tonight. We moved it. He was taking rhythm shots, and that’s what basketball is about. You explore the strong side, but you always get the ball to the weak side.”
SHARING THE BALL
Speaking of finding his teammates, Durant finished with five assists against the Magic. And while it didn’t show in the box score, Brooks said that Durant was making the extra pass that led to an assist. Sometimes Durant helped move the ball around the perimeter. Other times he dished off to teammates on plays that were designed for him.
“I thought Kevin was moving the ball extremely well,” Brooks said. “He had a couple of times he could have kicked it to Nenad (Krstic) and Nick (Collison) on the right side corner but for the most part he did a great job moving the basketball. I thought some of his other passes were great passes and we just missed the shot. That’s basketball. That’s what we need to continue to build on and work on.”
BEYOND THE FINAL SCORE
The Thunder picked up its third win of the season and now stands at 3-3 as it heads into Sacramento on Tuesday. Last year, the Thunder didn't notch its third win until Dec. 19 at home against Toronto.
“I thought about that 3-29 (start) all summer long,” Brooks said. “You know, we’re playing better basketball. But we still have to come to work tomorrow morning and get better and take it on the road. That’s a challenge in itself.”
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“I call him ‘sniper’ now,” Durant said.
Sefolosha chuckled.
“I don’t know if we’re there yet,” he sheepishly said.
Either way, there was no skirting around Sefolosha’s sharp shooting during Sunday’s 102-74 win over the Orlando Magic.
Sefolosha went 4-for-6 from the field for 13 points, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc.
Sefolosha’s already proven to be the Thunder’s resident defensive pest; he added two steals, a block and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season Sunday.
He’s also one of the team’s most active players offensively; Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has called him the team’s hardest cutter.
And through his offseason work and the first six games of the regular season, Sefolosha’s showing that his long range jump shot could become another reliable weapon. Sefolosha is 8-for-12 from 3-point range this season.
“Thabo can always hit that shot, and teams are just going to have to respect it,” forward Jeff Green said. “Now they can’t help out a lot now. That’s really going to open the lane a lot more for other guys, and when other guys get into the lane and when they do help a guy like Thabo can knock down that shot.”
On Sunday, Sefolosha said he was simply catching and shooting. He wasn’t trying to think much about it.
Two of his three-pointers came in the second quarter. The first broke a 37-all tie with 6:13 left in the half. The second one extended OKC’s lead to six with 4:27 left. Both were assisted by Durant, and both came from the weak side. One of them came on a quick swing pass from Durant, who started to penetrate the lane as an extra defender came to help. Durant got rid of the ball just in the nick of time, and Sefolosha knocked it down in stride.
“Well I like the fact that the game was telling him to shoot the ball,” Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said. “We were passing the ball. We weren’t hesitating throwing the ball. The ball was not sticky tonight. We moved it. He was taking rhythm shots, and that’s what basketball is about. You explore the strong side, but you always get the ball to the weak side.”
SHARING THE BALL
Speaking of finding his teammates, Durant finished with five assists against the Magic. And while it didn’t show in the box score, Brooks said that Durant was making the extra pass that led to an assist. Sometimes Durant helped move the ball around the perimeter. Other times he dished off to teammates on plays that were designed for him.
“I thought Kevin was moving the ball extremely well,” Brooks said. “He had a couple of times he could have kicked it to Nenad (Krstic) and Nick (Collison) on the right side corner but for the most part he did a great job moving the basketball. I thought some of his other passes were great passes and we just missed the shot. That’s basketball. That’s what we need to continue to build on and work on.”
BEYOND THE FINAL SCORE
The Thunder picked up its third win of the season and now stands at 3-3 as it heads into Sacramento on Tuesday. Last year, the Thunder didn't notch its third win until Dec. 19 at home against Toronto.
“I thought about that 3-29 (start) all summer long,” Brooks said. “You know, we’re playing better basketball. But we still have to come to work tomorrow morning and get better and take it on the road. That’s a challenge in itself.”
Contact Chris Silva
