The Thunder tips off at 8:30 p.m. tonight in Game 2 of Round 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. This morning after shoot-around, forward Nick Collison and Head Coach Scott Brooks addressed the media, and guard Russell Westbrook spoke with Thunder broadcaster Kelly Crull.
Collison said that the Thunder needs to be locked in defensively tonight and that it will look to replicate some of the things it did well in Game 1. He continued to talk about the confidence the team has in its entire roster, as the Thunder played its standard 10-man rotation on Monday in addition to getting minutes to all 13 active players.
Coach Brooks said that center Kendrick Perkins will be a game-time decision, but that he did take part in most of shoot-around this morning. Brooks also talked about the way he relies on reserve players like Nazr Mohammed and that the continuity this team has built over the past few years has allowed the Thunder to play more efficiently and effectively together.
Westbrook talked about staying in attack mode, which led him to a hyper-efficient 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 27 minutes in Game 1. He expects the Lakers to be more physical and aggressive tonight.
Check back later on this afternoon for Crull's 1-on-1 interview with Westbrook, post-practice video interviews with Brooks and Collison as well as my game preview and Fast Break Points notebook.