Thunder notebook: Close call against Nets; Kyle Weaver will get opportunity with James Harden out
Oklahoman
Leave a comment
Published: March 13, 2010
(Too) close call
The Thunder led by double digits most of the game, was up by as many as 16 points and still led 100-90 with just under three minutes left. But three turnovers and two 3-pointers from the Nets’ Jarvis Hayes made a sellout crowd sweat out the final seconds of a 104-102 win.
Eric Maynor hussles upcourt on a break during Friday’s game against the Nets at the Ford Center. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
Multimedia
DURANT SETS FRANCHISE RECORD
Durant scored 32 points to set a franchise record for most 30-point games in a season. He surpassed Spencer Haywood’s 35-game, 30-point mark nearly 30 years ago in Seattle.
"We all know the scoring gets a lot of attention and rightfully so,” Brooks said. "But one area he’s really improved is his defense, his rebounding, his ability to block shots and get his hands on balls for deflections and steals.”
Durant, who grabbed 12 rebounds to record his team-high 20th double-double, also closed the gap on LeBron James in the NBA scoring race. James is averaging 29.9, Durant 29.7.
CLOSE CALL
Russell Westbrook nearly had the wrong kind of triple double. Westbrook scored 11 points and dished out 10 assists — but he also matched his career high with nine turnovers.
"He’s been playing great basketball, but tonight wasn’t one of his better games,” Brooks said. "In this league, the good pros accept it, learn from it and move on. You can’t deny Russell had nine turnovers, and it wasn’t one of his better games. I will talk to him about it.”
Weaver’s opportunity
With rookie James Harden out 2-4 weeks with a strained right hamstring, Kyle Weaver will join the nine-man rotation for the first time all season.
"He’s really changed his body,” Brooks said. "He’s a strong guard now. He’s not a lanky wing player. He’s a big guard that defends. He has a knack for making incredible defensive plays. You think he’s getting beat but always comes from behind and blocks shots from behind or steals from behind. He has great hands. His anticipation is good.”
BY MIKE BALDWIN
Related Topics:
Basketball, Sports
NewsOK is in the process of upgrading its commenting and user profile capabilities. We will be adding features that will allow you to enhance your NewsOK profile and connect to other social networking platforms. We hope you find useful tools within these upgrades to enhance your experience on NewsOK.
Would you like to leave a comment?
Log in or sign up (it's free).