Mar 20, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime with a score of 90-89. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports

The word “panic” and the regular season don’t go well together in Oklahoma City. In the NBA, teams can get the 8^th seed for the playoffs; get hot during the playoffs, and the next thing you know, they are receiving their ring. Especially for the Thunder, this team will only be judged on what they do in the postseason.

However, lets panic and worry a little bit, because hey, there’s something to panic about. It seems as if this Oklahoma City team has no identity after all. Back to back losses, at home against a hot Nuggets team, and in Memphis. Neither of those teams are contenders in the first place. So, why? What’s going on? Is it time to panic?

             1.       Derek Fisher taking up quality minutes

Scott Brooks always talking about having a veteran in locker room with pure experience and leadership. But, does that untimely mean he has to get big time minutes? Think about this for a second: If Oklahoma City’s “identity” is to run and get out in transition, why have Fisher in the minutes? He is clearly being overmatched night in and night out. Plus, I would definitely rather  have Brewer, Lamb, or Liggins on the floor.

        2.  Poor Shooting

The Thunder is 11 for 64 from beyond the arc in their last few games. Specifically, they shot an atrocious 5-21 against Dallas, 4 of 25 in a loss to Denver, and 2 for 18 in a loss to Memphis last night.

        3.  Inconsistency

One possession you can say to yourself, “This team is unstoppable, and unguardable ” and then the next possession Westbrook will drive and take a low percentage shot or it will just become isolation basketball. That can’t happen.

Lets see what others are saying:

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on Oklahoma City’s lost to Memphis and recent woes: “Like I said, they almost did enough to win this game. But it’s not enough, and that’s now losses to Denver and Memphis inside of a week. They need better late-game execution and better consistency in their sets. They have some things to work on.”

Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman: “This could totally be a reactionary question. I’m willing to admit that. But what is the Thunder’s identity? Does this team have one? We know it has two all-league players in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and wins a lot of games. But what exactly is this team’s hallmark beyond that? Defense? We’ve seen enough this season to know that’s closer to a dream than a reality. Offense? Then why such struggles when it matters most? Teamwork? That’s laughable. Inside? Outside? What is it? I can’t really tell you at the moment. But, hey, all these regular season wins sure look nice.”

Aren’t the Thunder lucky they play a poor Magic team on Friday? Phew.

Mar 19, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) loses the ball while being guarded by Denver Nuggets forward Corey Brewer (13) during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets won their 13th game in a row last night defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-104 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Nuggets have really been on a roll lately and looked great last night. They killed the Thunder in the paint scoring 72 points there for the game, which was nearly their season-high.

The Thunder led 34-26 after the first quarter then Denver really got going in the second outscoring OKC 39-32. The Nuggets then led by seven after the third quarter.

The Thunder couldn’t make the plays down the stretch to come back as cold outside shooting was a big reason why. OKC made just 4-of-25 threes for the game.

Here are the Game Grades:

Kevin Durant – 43 minutes, 34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists – B

Durant played a lot of minutes so scoring 34 was not difficult for him. He really struggled with his shot again going 0-for-6 from behind the three-point line. He also turned it over six times. Durant seemed more intent on penetrating than usual last night and perhaps that was because his jumper wasn’t going down as much as usual. This was not his best performance.

Russell Westbrook – 37 minutes, 25 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds – B+

Westbrook played efficiently and the Thunder still lost. That rarely happens. He was 10-for-21 from the field but 0-for-4 from downtown. He only turned the ball over once and was again under control for the most part on his drives. He got off to a great start then kind of cooled down for the rest of the game.

Serge Ibaka – 24 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 blocks – D

The Thunder simply needed more from Ibaka last night. He only played half the game but that was because he wasn’t able to get back on defense or get any defensive rebounds. There’s no excuse for Ibaka to get outplayed the way he did last night.

Kevin Martin – 23 minutes, 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists – B

Martin has been playing better lately but his minutes have still been going down. He scored efficiently making 2-of-4 threes and 4-of-7 field goals overall. He even made plays for others with three assists. Scott Brooks has been consistently going with Thabo Sefolosha to close games out over Martin lately.

Kendrick Perkins – 23 minutes, 4 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block – B

Perkins did his job last night so you can’t really blame him for the loss. He got a bunch of rebounds and wasn’t a liability on offense either.

Thabo Sefolosha – 28 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists – B

You can’t blame Thabo for getting the nod over Martin down the stretch and he’s played pretty well this season too. But last night the Thunder were simply better with Martin on the floor instead of Sefolosha. Sefolosha made a pair of threes in the game but both came in the fourth quarter and he was quiet offensively after.

Nick Collison – 26 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists – B+

Collison got a lot of minutes instead of Ibaka because he could do a better job of getting back on defense. Collison was very good while he was out there but he simply cannot be the same scoring threat that Ibaka can be at times.

Reggie Jackson – 19 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist – B

Jackson was kind of like a two-guard for most of his minutes last night. He had a couple of nice dunks and one missed dunk that would have been really nice. He went 0-for-4 from three but some of those were garbage attempts. Brooks had him out there instead of Martin for his defense as the Thunder tried to come back late (doesn’t make perfect sense). He also blocked two shots.

Derek Fisher – 11 minutes, 0 points, 2 steals – D

Fisher was a waste last night. He went 0-for-4 from the field with three of those attempts being threes. He also turned the ball over twice and had no assists. The Thunder were outscored by seven while he was out there but OKC outscored Denver by seven in Martin’s 23 minutes. Basically, Fisher was awful.

Ronnie Brewer – 5 minutes, 0 points – C

Brewer played very little early in the game as the Thunder went small to match the Nuggets. He was essentially playing power forward and couldn’t find any rhythm while he was out there.

Mar 1, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will look for their fourth consecutive won tonight as they host the surging Denver Nuggets who are winners of their last 12 games.

This will be the fourth time this season that the Thunder and Nuggets have played with the Thunder having won only the first of the three previous meetings.

Oklahoma City won 117-97 back on Jan. 16 in OKC. That was one of the best games the Thunder had played all year up to that point.

They really blew out the Nuggets that night leading by 25 after three and not needing to play their starters in the fourth.

Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin each scored 20 but it was Russell Westbrook who stole the show with 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting in just 28 minutes of action.

The Nuggets won the next two meetings, both of which were in Denver and close games. The Nuggets beat OKC 121-118 in overtime on Jan. 20 thanks to 26 points off the bench from Corey Brewer.

Durant had 37 and Westbrook had 36 in that game as the dynamic duo lived at the line shooting a combined 35-for-38.

Denver then won 105-103 on a last-second shot by Ty Lawson on March 1. This time it was Wilson Chandler scoring 35 off the bench to lead the Nuggets.

Westbrook had another nice scoring night with 38 in the loss and Durant scored 25. Martin only had three points in that game as the Thunder bench was outscored 71-11.

The Nuggets have certainly proven that they can hang with the Thunder this season and even do so late in close games.

Only the Miami Heat are playing better than the Nuggets right now so tonight has all the making of another challenging game for the Thunder.

The reality is that the Thunder play much better at home and it doesn’t seem likely that their bench will be outscored by 60 points again.

Since Westbrook has played so well against Denver this season, that is another good sign that the Thunder will have a strong showing tonight.

The Nuggets are a far different team on the road than at home as well. They are 30-3 at home this season and just 16-19 on the road.

The game will tip at 8 p.m. EST and air nationally on NBATV.

Mar 1, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) react during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Denver Nuggets tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Nuggets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now and if not for the 23-game winning streak the Miami Heat are currently on, people would definitely be talking more about Denver and their 12-game streak.

Remember at the beginning of the season when everyone was so high on Denver? John Hollinger even picked them to win the Western Conference and win 60-plus games.

A tough early schedule made everyone forget about those expectations pretty quickly but now it looks like the Nuggets have really hit their stride. They look like they may even be a team that could come out of the West.

How much should the Thunder be worried about a potential playoff matchup with the Nuggets?

The most difficult thing about playing a team like Denver in the playoffs is their home court advantage. Denver is 30-3 at home this season, which is tied with Miami for the best home record in the league.

The Thunder will have home court vs. Denver but that puts more pressure on a team to make sure they win at home. We’ve seen it happen before in a series too when a team wins a couple of games in a row at home, it completely shifts the momentum of that series. Denver has the capability to pull something like that off.

On paper, the Thunder really shouldn’t have a lot of trouble with the Nuggets in a series. A big reason why the Nuggets have been so good lately in the regular season has been their incredible depth. They really have 11 or 12 players that can play at a high level on any given night.

In the playoffs, rotations always shrink and the team that used depth to its advantage in the regular season often sees that advantage fade away in the playoffs.

One thing the Nuggets do have going for them is they have a couple of players that can at least do a decent job defending Kevin Durant. Andre Iguodala, Corey Brewer and Wilson Chandler (Iguodala much more than Brewer and Chandler) are three guys that can put up a fight against KD.

Durant really should be able to do fine in a series against Denver but if you can get him to have an off-shooting night one or two games, that may be all Denver needs to steal the series. Iguodala, Brewer and Chandler may be able to do this to Durant.

There is some really good news Thunder fans and that is that the Nuggets will have no chance containing Russell Westbrook in a seven-game series. Westbrook is averaging 35.3 points on 49.3 percent shooting from the field vs. Denver this season.

Ty Lawson and Andre Miller are simply no match for staying in front of Westbrook, who has had his way with the Nuggets this year. As important as Durant is to the Thunder, if you know Westbrook is going to have a good series then you feel as good as you can about the Thunder’s chances to win.

We will see Denver and OKC for the fourth time this season tonight. It may very well be a preview of what will definitely be one of the most entertaining playoff series this year.

Mar 1, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket past Denver Nuggets forward Corey Brewer (right) during the second half at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Ty Lawson made a jump shot with 0.2 seconds left to lift the Denver Nuggets past the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-103 Friday night at the Pepsi Center.

The Thunder trailed by 10 points entering the fourth quarter but would storm back early in the final period to make this game close.

Denver burned the Thunder early and often in this game with fast break points and points in the paint. The Nuggets had 20 fast break points and 60 points in the paint for the game.

Denver also had a huge advantage in terms of their bench contribution getting 71 points from their bench while OKC got just 11.

The Thunder fall to 42-16 on the year with the loss and end their three-game winning streak. They will play on the road vs. the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow for their next game.

Here are the Game Grades:

Kevin Durant – 40 minutes, 25 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists – B

Durant did not shoot it particularly well last night and it hurt the Thunder. He went just 9-for-20 from the field and had more turnovers (4) than assists (3). He missed three shots in a row in the final minutes of the game then made a great driving bank shot to tie the game at 103. He made a few ridiculous layups in the game but overall it was not his best effort.

Russell Westbrook – 38 minutes, 38 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds – A

Westbrook had one of his best games of the year last night and it would have been his best if he would have made his free throws. Westbrook went just 12-for-17 from the free throw line which essentially cost the Thunder the win. He was very aggressive as he seemed to feed off the booing from the Denver crowd. He finished at the rim as well as he has all season and was the primary ball handler down the stretch instead of Durant.

Serge Ibaka – 38 minutes, 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks – B+

Ibaka got a lot of minutes and produced fairly well. He hit a few jumpers including a three and had some makes inside as he crashed the glass for three offensive boards. He also moved the ball around nicely a few times within the offense which is something he has been getting better at this season.

Kevin Martin – 24 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block – F

The Thunder cannot afford to have Marin score just three points in a game. He was scoreless in the first half and hardly played and had no rhythm whatsoever all night.

Kendrick Perkins – 21 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists – C

Perkins made some nice passes but that was about all he did well. He just didn’t seem athletic enough to compete in this game and the Thunder were better off with him off the floor and Ibaka or Nick Collison in at the five instead.

Thabo Sefolosha – 37 minutes, 8 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists – B+

Sefolosha knocked down a couple of threes in the fourth quarter and did a ton of other things as well. The 12 boards is a season-high for him and he also had two steals and three blocks. The only issue is that he let Lawson nail the jumper in his face to lose OKC the game.

Nick Collison – 22 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block – B+

Collison was solid as usual. Three of his four boards came on the offensive end. The second unit for OKC couldn’t muster much offense however but it wasn’t Collison’s fault.

Reggie Jackson – 16 minutes, 6 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound – B+

Jackson was pretty good again scoring a few times at the rim and with a jumper. He turned the ball over twice but made up for one of those by taking a charge at the other end. It’s only a matter of time before he posterizes someone too by the way.

Derek Fisher – 5 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist – F

Fisher is just plain awful. He threw up two bricks and missed both in five minutes. OKC was outscored by seven with him out there. He needs to stop getting minutes.

Mar 1, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

It looked as if the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to roll over in this one, but a late surge pushed this game to the brink, only to see OKC ultimately fall to the Denver Nuggets 105-103 in dramatic fashion on Friday night.

With 0.2 seconds left in the game, Ty Lawson put up a cold-blooded shot inside the three-point arc, nailed it, and brought home the W to Denver.

Russell Westbrook led the Thunder in scoring with 38 points–a season high for him–and Kevin Durant had 25 of his own.

For the Nuggets, Wilson Chandler came out incredibly hot, nailing 13 of 19 shots on the night,for 35 points.

Denver looked as if it would run away with this one early, leading the Thunder by at least 10 often, at various points in the game. In the second quarter, it took the Thunder more than four minutes to record a single bucket; meanwhile, the Nuggets were landing their shots and having their way on the court.

The Thunder trailed 85-75 going into the fourth quarter, but kicked it into overdrive and ultimately made it a game when Russell Westbrook nailed a pair of free throws to tie it at 91. To make things more climactic, the Thunder and Nuggets went tit for tat all the way down to the wire, when Durant tied it again–this time at 103–off a driving bank shot with 17.6 seconds left in the game.

It looked as if OKC was going to make an inspiring comeback, but Lawson had other plans.

With the win for Denver, the Nuggets improve to 2-0 against Oklahoma City and 25-3 at home. The Thunder on the other hand have dropped five of their last six road games; an interesting change of pace for a team that has played dominantly on the road this season.

the Thunder now hold a 42-16 record, 16-12 on the road. They will face the Los Angeles Clippers next, On Sunday, Mar. 3 at Staples Center.

January 20, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durrant (35) drives to the basket against Denver Nuggets forward Corey Brewer (13) during the overtime period at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 121-118 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play the Denver Nuggets for the third time this season tonight at the Pepsi Center at 10:30 p.m. EST.

The Thunder and Nuggets have split their season series so far this year with the home team winning each time.

The Thunder played one of their best games of the year back on Jan. 16 when they beat the Nuggets 117-97 in OKC.

Kevin Durant had 20 points in that game but it was Russell Westbrook who dominated the most with a game-high 32. Kevin Martin chipped in with 20 off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting.

The Thunder would lose the next time they played Denver 121-118 in overtime in Denver.

Durant had 37 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the game but went just 7-for-20 from the field. He did go 20-for-21 from the foul line.

Westbrook had 36 to go with nine dimes and eight boards. He went 10-for-26 from the field and 15-for-17 from the free throw line.

Denver got back to their bread and butter in that game with 20 offensive rebounds and 66 points in the paint. Corey Brewer led the team with 26 off the bench.

It’s a big game tonight for the Thunder who would like to keep up the positive momentum they’ve been having lately. The Thunder won their last three games (all at home) by an average of 30.3 points. This all coming after the Thunder had their longest losing streak of the season of three games.

Denver has been one of the best teams in the league of late and that is only amplified when they play at home where they are 24-3 on the year.

They’re going to want to get up and down and do so early on. If the Thunder aren’t hitting early and can’t get back on defense, they may find themselves in a hole quickly.

Westbrook will be the key early on. He will surely be aggressive from the start since he has been shooting so well recently. Even though Ty Lawson is quick, Westbrook does not see him as any kind of threat to defend him so Westbrook will definitely be shooting early and often.

The Thunder have been getting good games from role players recently too. They will definitely need Martin and/or Serge Ibaka to step up tonight, which they do less frequently when on the road.

The game will tip-off at 10:30 p.m. EST tonight and air nationally on ESPN.

November 20, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard James White (4) dunks against the New Orleans Hornets during the fourth quarter of a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Knicks defeated the Hornets 102-80. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It’s NBA All-Star Weekend and the 2013 Slam Dunk Contest will be held tonight. The Saturday night festivities will begin at 8:30 p.m. EST. The dunk contest will be the final event and likely to start between 9:30-10:00 p.m. EST.

There won’t be any superstars participating in this year’s contest but there is more hope than usual that the contest will return to glory this year.

There is a new format this year where the six contestants will be divided into their respective conferences. There are two rounds where the best scores from each conference will then meet in a final round.

Here’s a look at each contestant and their dunking highlights:

Eastern Conference

James White, New York Knicks
Stats: 6.7 MPG, 1.8 PPG, 0.8 RPG

White is 30 years old and only in his third season in the NBA. He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2006 and has never really found a home in the league playing in just 44 career games so far. White’s claim to fame has always been his dunking. He finished second in the McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk Contest and has become a YouTube sensation with some of his dunks in dunk contests around the world. This is the first time White has been on an NBA team at the time of All-Star Weekend so it is fitting that he will be competing in the contest as one of the favorites to win it. White loves getting running starts for his dunks and jumping off one foot. He will use his great speed to his advantage with at least a few attempts from the free throw line tonight.

Gerald Green, Indiana Pacers
Stats: 19.8 MPG, 6.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG

Green has a history with the NBA Slam Dunk Contest already having won it back in 2007. Like White, Green was also out of the league for a little while but has come back strong the past few seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and now Indiana Pacers. Green and White have met before in a dunk contest in Russia a few years back which is known as one of the best ever. Green is a two-footed dunker and gets up extremely high with his face nearly level with the rim often times.

Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors
Stats: 16.9 MPG, 6.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG

Ross was drafted 8th overall by the Toronto Raptors in this past NBA Draft. He came in as a solid outside shooter and great athlete which he has lived up to with his invite to this contest. Ross will join a long list of participants from Toronto in the history of the dunk contest which includes Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. Ross has been especially good with windmill dunks this season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets once again met for a great game last night at the Pepsi Center.

The Nuggets would come out on top in overtime 121-118 despite 37 points from Kevin Durant and 36 points from Russell Westbrook.

The game was intense down the stretch and Westbrook in particular was fired up. So fired up he even decided to get involved with Denver’s mascot, Rocky, and block his halfcourt shot attempt not once, but twice.

Rocky was attempting blind halfcourt shots during timeouts late in the game and with the players about to return to the floor, Westbrook came flying by to deny the shots.

You could tell that Westbrook loved doing this and loved the reaction from the Denver crowd reining boos down on him.

It sparked Westbrook to play with an added edge down the stretch that included a cold-blooded 3-pointer with 22 seconds left that tied the game at 109 and would send it into overtime.

Westbrook was a monster for most of the game making plenty of big plays down the stretch but it wouldn’t be enough for OKC. Westbrook not only scored 36 points but had nine assists and eight rebounds as well as he nearly had a triple-double.

The Thunder will be off tonight and then travel to play the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow night.

January 20, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives past Denver Nuggets guard Andre Iguoldala (right) during the first half at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Despite both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook having 30-point games, it wasn’t enough to lead Oklahoma City to victory: the Thunder narrowly lost 121-118 to the Denver Nuggets in overtime on Sunday night, after besting them last Wednesday. With the Nugget getting this win, they effectively snapped OKC’s six-game winning streak.

Sunday night’s game loss was especially tough and emotionally draining for Oklahoma City head coach Scott Brooks, whose mother, Lee (79) died on Saturday.

The Thunder were coming off a previous overtime thriller on Friday, where Durant’s 52-point effort carried them over the Mavericks. This loss comes as the first one in five overtime games this season.

The Nuggets took a 101-90 lead after Ty Lawson scored on a putback with nearly seven minutes left in the game. But the Thunder pushed back and made it 103-96 after Durant drained a three with 4:17 on the clock. Andre Miller responded with a layup and Corey Brewer knocked down a pair of free throws to further cushion Denver’s lead, and with three minutes left, it looked as if they would pull this one out.

But OKC had other plans. They surged back with a 10-0 run, capped by successive three-pointers by Durant and Kevin Martin. Their efforts brought the score to 107-106 Denver with a minute to go. Danilo Gallinari made a pair of free throws to end OKC’s run, but Westbrook responded by putting up a clutch triple and making it. With 22 seconds left, Ty Lawson failed to get a shot off before the buzzer, and the game went into overtime.

For Denver, Brewer led the effort with 26 points–15 of which came in the fourth quarter–and six rebounds, while Durant and Westbrook had 37 and 36 points, respectively.

But it was Kenneth Faried who stole the show, as he laid in the go-ahead bucket in overtime to give the Nuggets the win. He ended the night with a double-double, 16 points and 10 boards.

In losing, OKC’s record is now 32-9, tying them with the Los Angeles Clippers for the best record in the NBA. As fate would have it, these two teams will clash on Jan. 22 at the Staples Center to sit atop the league with the most wins.

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets will play the second of four meetings this season tonight at 8 p.m. EST at the Pepsi Center.

The Thunder won the first meeting just four days ago in Oklahoma City 117-97. That game was one of the Thunder’s best complete games of the year as they blew out the Nuggets from the tip.

Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Westbrook scored 16 of his points in the first quarter as his pull-up jumper was on point.

Kevin Durant scored 20 points and also had five steals in the game. Kevin Martin scored 20 points off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting.

The Thunder shot 51.8 percent from the field as a team and got 15 offensive rebounds.

Denver wasn’t horrible shooting 45.2 percent from the field but went just 2-for-15 from downtown. They also only had 11 offensive rebounds despite being the best offensive rebounding team in the league in terms of offensive rebound rate.

Ty Lawson only played 20 minutes in the game and went 1-of-4 from the field. Danilo Gallinari went 3-for-10 from the field and scored just 11 points.

The lone bright spot for the Nuggets was the play of their centers Kosta Koufos and JaVale McGee who combined to shoot 11-for-12 from the field and score 31 points.

The Thunder have won their last six games will the Nuggets have dropped their last two, vs. OKC then two nights ago at home to the Washington Wizards.

OKC has been playing at a very high level led by Durant who scored a career-high 52 points in the Thunder’s last game, an overtime win on the road vs. the Dallas Mavericks. Durant’s previous career-high was 51 points which he scored in an overtime victory vs. the Denver Nuggets last season.

Playing in Denver is tougher than playing in Oklahoma City. The altitude is a factor and especially while on a road trip it can get the best of you. The Nuggets are 15-3 at home this season.

Martin has not shot well on the road either this year and that fact may be amplified tonight in Denver.

Another player that needs to step up for the Thunder during this road trip is Serge Ibaka. Ibaka has only averaged 7.0 points per game over his last four games. He only scored five points in 27 minutes vs. the Nuggets last week.

Tonight’s game promises to be closer than the one between these teams last week was. The Thunder have been playing at a very high level lately though while the Nuggets haven’t so OKC should still be able to pull this one out.

Jan 16, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) attempts a shot against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder rolled the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday evening, beating them 117-97 at home.

Russell Westbrook had an All-Star caliber night and let the assault on Denver, putting up 32 points, half of which came in the first quarter alone. He simply couldn’t miss; be a jumper, a free throw, or driving for a layup, Westbrook struck gold from all over the court. This, coming off a season-best 36-point performance against Phoenix on Monday night. Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin each dropped 20 in this winning effort.

Additionally, Serge Ibaka returned to the lineup after missing a few games with a chest contusion, and had five points, six boards, and five blocks on the night.

In dismantling Denver, Oklahoma City snapped the Nuggets’ six-game winning streak, their longest of the season thus far.

For Denver, Kosta Koufas led the team with 16 points and nine rebounds.

The rout was on early at Chesapeake Arena, with Westbrook hitting six of his first eight shots and racking up 16 points in the first 10 minutes. Oklahoma City scored the first seven points of the game, to which Denver had no answer, and also had a pair of 8-0 spurts in the first quarter alone. The dagger came in the first three minutes of the second quarter when Kick Collision’s two-handed slam extended OKCs domination to a 45-23 lead. Finally, Denver called a timeout to regroup, but they never got within 17 points after that dunk.

Denver could get nothing going defensively, nor could they play with enough energy to move the ball on offense. And it didn’t help that they committed 21 turnovers, free points that the Thunder greedily gobbled up.

These Western Conference foes will meet again on Sunday, this time in Denver’s house.

Oklahoma City advances to 31-8 on the season, and will have a challenge on Fri., Dec. 18, when they face the Dallas Mavericks on the road.

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Denver Nuggets for the first of four meetings this season tonight at the Chesapeake Arena.

The Nuggets got out of the gates slow this season but have since turned it on winning their last six games.

The Nuggets will be playing their second game in two nights tonight having beaten the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime last night.

Denver does it by committee as well as any team in the league. They have six players on the roster averaging double-figures in scoring with Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson and Andre Iguodala leading the way.

The Nuggets are a team that has been torched in recent history by Kevin Durant who also happens to be torching any team he sees lately. Durant averaged 38.7 points per game over the last three Thunder games that were all road wins for OKC.

Iguodala is one of the better perimeter defenders in the league and has a history of forcing Durant to have tough shooting nights back to his Philadelphia days. Even a great defender like Iguodala is unlikely to slow down Durant if he keeps playing as well as he has of late.

Durant wasn’t alone in the Thunder’s last win over the Phoenix Suns. Durant scored 41 while Russell Westbrook added 36. Westbrook has also been shooting it well lately and was especially deadly from midrange in that Phoenix game.

Denver is top five in the league in pace so this game promises to be up and down with a lot of scoring. That may be a better sign for the Nuggets because the Thunder have found themselves winning recently because of defense and execution down the stretch.

The Thunder have been without Serge Ibaka for their last two games. Ibaka missed those games with a chest contusion and he is listed as day-to-day and will be a game-time decision tonight.

The Thunder could use their fourth leading scorer to return to the lineup while they try and keep up with Denver and pray for Kevin Martin to find his shooting stroke.

Denver came into this season with as much hype as almost any team in the Western Conference. Everyone has forgotten about that since their slow start but they are starting to show signs recently of why people thought so highly of them.

The Nuggets are one of the best teams in the conference right now and beating them even while at home will be no easy task for the Thunder. OKC will need to play well and make shots to get the job done tonight. They’ve been doing it lately but not against teams as talented as Denver.

The game will tip at 8 p.m. EST tonight.

Soobum-Im-US PRESSWIRE

Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson will become a restricted free agent next summer unless he signs a contract extension with the Nuggets prior to Oct. 31.

Lawson has said since the season ended that he thinks both sides will agree on an extension.

“I’m still confident,” Lawson said to HOOPSWORLD. “My agent is working with Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke so I feel like in the next couple of weeks something will get done. We’ll see.”

According to sources close to the situation, the Nuggets’ current offer is in the neighborhood of $44 million over four years, which is just south of what it will likely take to get a deal done before free agency. The 2013 free agency class isn’t going to be overflowing with starting-caliber point guards like Lawson. On the open market, he could very easily receive an offer in the $12-13 million range per year.

So, while the Nuggets may need to up their offer a bit, the two sides do appear to be close enough to where an agreement can be made before the deadline.

via HoopsWorld.com

A max offer sheet would be a 4-year, $58 million deal. So Lawson is clearly pretty far off from getting that.

Lawson averaged 16.4 points and 6.6 assists per game in 34.8 minutes per game for the Nuggets last season. Those are great numbers but with the league being as deep as it’s ever been at the point guard position, perhaps that is why Lawson isn’t in the max-contract ballpark.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s James Harden on the other hand is. Harden is already one of the five best shooting guards in the league and will without question receive a max offer sheet next summer if a restricted free agent.

The Thunder also have until Oct. 31 to reach a deal with Harden and it seems less likely that they will than Lawson and Denver.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Denver Nuggets Team Overview

The Nuggets finished their first full season post-Carmelo Anthony with a 38-28 record and 6-seed in the West. They went on to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round in the playoffs in seven games.

Denver started off the year great then had to battle some injuries which really slowed them down. They played at one of the highest paces in the league and were one of the most efficient offenses but their lack of a superstar still seemed to hold them back at the end of the day.

This summer they were part of the Dwight Howard trade and ended up getting Andre Iguodala out of the deal. They gave up Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington in the deal so they made out very well, except for the fact that they helped the team that just beat them in the playoffs in getting the best center in the league.

The Nuggets re-signed JaVale McGee and Andre Miller, signed free agent Anthony Randolph and drafted Evan Fournier and Quincy Miller. Denver will also be parting ways with Chris Andersen and Rudy Fernandez from last year’s roster.

The Nuggets will once again have one of the deepest teams in the league next year and have now added an All-Star to the roster in Iguodala. Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari are both on the cusp of becoming All-Stars and if either takes the next step, Denver could become a serious contender in the West.

Last year

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets played three times last year with the Thunder winning the season series 2-1.

The first meeting was on Feb. 19 in Oklahoma City in a very memorable overtime game that the Thunder won 124-118.

Kevin Durant scored a career-high 51 points in the game while Russell Westbrook scored 40. James Harden struggled with just 10 points on 2-of-12 shooting. Serge Ibaka had a triple-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocks.

Afflalo led the Nuggets with 27 and Miller had 21 points and 10 assists off the bench.

The Thunder then beat the Nuggets next in Denver on March 15 103-90. Durant had 24, Westbrook 23 and Harden 18.

The Nuggets were short-handed having just traded away Nene. Miller led them with 17. Denver really struggled from three making just 5-of-22 attempts.

Denver finally would beat OKC in their final meeting of the year in Oklahoma City on April 25 106-101. The Thunder were without Harden who had just recently been elbowed in the head by Metta World Peace. Durant scored 32 and Westbrook had 30.

Lawson led the way for Denver with 25.

Durant averaged 35.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game vs. the Nuggets. He shot .591 percent from the field and .579 percent from three.

Westbrook averaged 31.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. He shot .500 percent from the field and from three.

Harden averaged just 14.0 points and 5.0 assists per game and shot .348 percent from the field. Ibaka averaged 11.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per game.

The matchup

The Nuggets were one of the best teams in the league last year getting out and running and it showed as they were third in the NBA in transition offense in terms of points per possession. The Thunder were just 16th in the NBA vs. transition.

The Nuggets were also a very good pick-and-roll team as they featured many ball handler options on the floor at a time. They were ninth in the NBA while the Thunder were 11th in the league vs. the pick-and-roll.

Denver also got 9.4 percent of their offense off cuts which ranks them among the best in the league. This was testament to their depth and solid ball movement thanks to their point guards Lawson and Miller.

Defensively, Denver was ranked overall just 26th in the league. They were third best with their post defense but the Thunder hardly get any offense from the post.

Denver was ranked 21st vs. isolation and pick-and-roll plays which makes it very hard for them to match up with the Thunder offense.

The addition of Iguodala should help their defense overall. In one game vs. Iguodala and the Sixers last season, Durant struggled going 7-for-18 from the field against the elite defender.

Next year

The Nuggets and Thunder will play four times next season. They will play first on Jan. 16 in OKC, then in Denver just four days later. They’ll play in Denver again on March 1 and then in OKC March 19.

Denver was very good last year and if they had stayed healthy, could have ended up with a slightly higher seed in the West. The addition of Iguodala could be huge for them next season and push them close to getting over that hump and becoming a legitimate title contender.

The Thunder have always played well against the Nuggets though, especially in the last two seasons. Durant and Westbrook tore them up last year and those kinds of things usually stick with players.

Denver really needs to improve on defense to match up with the Thunder and they are trying to do that with the additions of Iguodala and McGee.

OKC and Denver will always make for fun games as they are two of the best up-tempo teams in the league. A playoff series between these two teams would be really fun.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight Howard has finally been traded from the Orlando Magic as part of a 4-team blockbuster sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers and a bunch of other players elsewhere.

The Lakers got Howard as well as Chris Duhon and Earl Clark from Orlando. The Magic received Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Moe Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga as well as some future draft picks. Denver received Andre Iguodala and Philadelphia got Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.

Howard heading to L.A. surely headlined this trade but it wasn’t the only important part of the trade.

Here’s a breakdown of the four teams involved with the trade:

Los Angeles Lakers

We might as well start with Howard’s destination, L.A. The Lakers did it again here, snagging the top center in the league to remain relevant. They did so by only having to give up Andrew Bynum and somehow hanging on to Pau Gasol.

The Lakers have now acquired Howard and Steve Nash in one summer and will strut out a starting lineup with them, Gasol and Kobe Bryant. They’ve immediately put themselves into the NBA title conversation with what many are calling the best starting five in the NBA now.

The Lakers got everything they wanted here and more. Pairing Nash and Howard will make for one of the more deadly pick-and-rolls in NBA history, even at Nash’s age. Throw in Gasol who should get an appropriate amount of touches with Nash handling the rock and Kobe at a point in his career, ready to sacrifice even more to win and the Lakers look better than ever.

They may or may not be favored to make it to the NBA Finals but that doesn’t really matter. They are now in position to match up much better with the West’s biggest competition, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Howard has said he wants to test out free agency next summer but still, the Lakers should be able to hang on to him long-term. They can offer him an extra year and $20 million more on his contract and after a year in L.A., it seems very unlikely he’d want to bolt.

Howard is said to likely not be ready for the start of the season, still nursing his ailing back but that’s not a problem for the Lakers at all.

Orlando Magic

The Magic waited a pretty long time before finally dealing Howard. The idea was that they were holding out for a really good package and would keep him as long as possible, maybe even through the trade deadline of next season.

It was more than surprising to see the kind of deal Orlando made out with here. The package of young talent and picks they are getting isn’t as good as the one Houston had been offering them. They didn’t want to deal with Houston though only because the Rockets wouldn’t take on enough of their bad contracts apparently.

Afflalo and Harrington are basically pointless and they couldn’t even get Gasol out of the deal, whether they wanted to keep him or not they could have easily traded him somewhere for something.

They aren’t screwed with guys like Afflalo and Harrington now and it is clear that new GM Rob Hennigan wants to try and emulate what the Thunder did, bottoming out and drafting high for three years in a row. Good luck with that finding the next Durant-Westbrook-Harden trio in the next three drafts.

Denver Nuggets

Denver is very happy with what they did in this trade, besides allowing the Lakers to acquire Howard, which in the long run may have made this a bad move by them.

But getting Iguodala while parting ways with Afflalo and Harrington is a big upgrade for them. Iguodala will fit in perfectly with what they’re doing over there. As an athletic wing and defensive stopper, Iguodala will thrive in Denver’s up tempo offense and give them something they were missing on defense.

Denver was going to be a playoff team next year and now become that much better. They have a legitimate shot at getting to a 4-5 seed in the West and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers are also very happy getting Bynum here as hard as it was to say goodbye to Iguodala, who gave them so much over the past eight years. Bynums don’t come around too often and upgrading to the second-best center in the league is a big move for Philly, especially since they’re in the East.

Bynum will be a very tough matchup for any team in the East, including the Miami Heat. No one’s saying they are going to compete with the Heat now but they definitely took a step closer.

They were a 7-9 seed team with Iguodala as their best player and Bynum will raise that ceiling. They should be right there with Indiana, Boston and Chicago now.

There is a chance Bynum won’t work out perfectly though. He’s a knucklehead and has had some big injury concerns in the past. But Philly had to take this chance. Bynum was a first-time All-Star last season and now in a place where he can get 20-plus shots a night, might blossom even more.

Oklahoma City Thunder

We have to include the Thunder in this trade because they are very much affected too, along with the rest of the league. OKC looked to have the West locked up for the next five years easily but now they are being questioned as the favorites in the conference.

The Lakers definitely upgraded and should be highly touted but the Thunder aren’t making any lateral moves next year either. They expect to improve simply from the invaluable experience they gained after an NBA Finals trip as well as adding some bodies to the rotation like Eric Maynor and Perry Jones.

Howard is scary to a lot of teams but the Thunder actually have a guy who can match Howard’s physicality in Kendrick Perkins. Yes, Perkins is now relevant again. It looked like the league might have been shifting to small ball but not so fast. Perkins is exactly what the Thunder need to contend with Howard next season.

The Thunder actually matchup well with the Lakers elsewhere too. Serge Ibaka can keep up with Gasol, Westbrook is a nightmare for Nash on defense and no one is slowing down Kevin Durant.

It was never going to get easier to win titles and this trade is an example of that.

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight Howard has finally been traded from the Orlando Magic and it’s the Los Angeles Lakers that will be acquiring him as first reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein. Sources say that a trade call will be made to the league office Friday morning to complete the deal that will involve a total of four teams.

The Lakers would acquire Howard and the Magic would get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless and a first round pick from each team at least. The Denver Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala and the Philadelphia 76ers will get Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.

Howard finally being traded is a long time coming and just about everyone is glad to see him finally leave Orlando. Howard has said he does not want to sign an extension and wants to test free agency next summer.

The Lakers will have until June 30 next year to get Howard to sign an extension. In the long-term, extending with the Lakers would benefit Howard the most financially so there’s still a good chance he will do so or simply re-sign with the Lakers next summer while he’s testing free agency.

It was reported yesterday afternoon that this 4-way deal might happen and it was including Pau Gasol in the deal then. Now it appears the Lakers will not have to give up Gasol and are basically just swapping Bynum for Howard.

The Magic were patient in their quest to part ways with Howard and wanted to wait for the best deal possible. Somehow that is coming in the form of what they are getting here.

Philadelphia and Denver both should be happy to be a part of this. Philadelphia has wanted for awhile now to find a way to become more than a perennial 6-8 seed in the East and getting Bynum for Iguodala might have the potential to make them a serious contender in the East.

Denver is kind of in the same boat and isn’t losing much in this deal while acquiring an All-Star in Iguodala who will certainly make them a better team.

Howard’s saga in Orlando seemed to last forever and there were times where it didn’t look like there was going to be an endpoint. It’s good that is finally over and of course it’s the Lakers once again swooping in and acquiring the best center in the NBA.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Trade talks have resumed again over Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. The Magic and Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to come up with a deal that would send Howard to L.A. for a few weeks now.

The latest development now involves a proposed blockbuster trade that would include the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers as part of a 4-team trade, according to Yahoo! Sports.

The Lakers would receive Howard and Al Harrington, Orlando would get Pau Gasol and Arron Afflalo, Andre Iguodala would go to the Nuggets and Andrew Bynum to the 76ers.

The biggest thing keeping Orlando from dealing Howard thus far is that they haven’t seen a deal out there worthy yet. Gasol and Afflalo are nice pieces and it is also believed though they would try and flip Gasol somewhere for young players and picks.

The Houston Rockets could possibly be interested in Gasol as they have stockpiled a roster full of young talent and draft picks. Houston was part of the 3-way trade that was vetoed last year that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers and Gasol to Houston.

More details will have to come out with this potential deal though because Orlando still definitely wants to give up more than just Howard. They want to start over in a sense, ridding themselves of all their bad contracts. Taking on Gasol and Afflalo doesn’t exactly accomplish that.

Kobe Bryant said earlier this summer that Pau was his guy and wasn’t going anywhere. The Lakers roster already looks very nice for next year with Steve Nash alongside Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. They’d be trading two for one to take on Howard in this deal which is a little bit of a risk.

The other interesting wrinkle in this deal is Iguodala and Bynum’s potential landing spots. You have to think Philadelphia would be all for swapping Iguodala for Bynum and trying to build their team around the young center.

Iguodala would probably seamlessly fit in with Denver and what they’re doing with the top scoring offense in the NBA, possibly making them a little bit more of a dangerous playoff team.

The deal isn’t close to being done though as the teams are just in early talks right now.

Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder might be interested in another free agent. According to Sam Amico of Fox Sports, the Thunder and Denver Nuggets have shown some interest in free agent point guard Lester Hudson.

Hudson played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies last season a combined total of 16 games and averaged 10.9 points per game and shot 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Hudson is 27 years old and point guard isn’t exactly a need for the Thunder right now seeing as they already have three on their roster in Russell Westbrook, Eric Maynor and Reggie Jackson.

Hudson showed some promise last season during a three game stretch in which he scored 23, 26 then 25 points for Cleveland including going 6-for-12 from three in one of those games. Hudson’s the kind of energy scorer from the guard position a lot of teams wouldn’t mind having on their roster.

The Thunder simply don’t have much need for anyone else and being that Hudson isn’t a big name, it feels unlikely that OKC will seriously consider going after him.

The Thunder have filled a 15-man roster for next season anyway. They are losing Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey from last year’s team and have so far replaced them with rookies Perry Jones and Hollis Thompson and free agent Hasheem Thabeet.

Here are draft grades for every team:

New Orleans Hornets
No. 1 overall – Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
No. 10 overall – Austin Rivers, G, Duke
No. 46 overall – Darius Miller, G/F, Kentucky

The Hornets really couldn’t go wrong possessing the first overall pick in the draft and chance to take Anthony Davis. Davis has a chance to be a franchise changer and playing alongside Eric Gordon in New Orleans is a good start. The Hornets took Rivers 10th overall which is what they wanted to do. The Hornets believe Rivers can play some point for them although he is a scoring guard at heart. Gordon is a good playmaker himself though so the two may be able to share ball handling duties a la Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. The Darius Miller pick is nice too. He is an athlete that could make it in the NBA and was a teammate of Davis’ at Kentucky.

Grade: A+

Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 28 overall – Perry Jones, III, F, Baylor

To win a championship, sometimes it takes a little luck. The Thunder got the steal of the 2012 NBA Draft with the No. 28 pick. Perry Jones III we knew was going to fall because of concerns mainly surrounding his knee but sliding this far to a franchise that is perfect for him just seems unfair to the rest of the league. It was a Spurs-like snag for OKC and they know it already. Jones III has lottery talent and top-5 pick potential. One knock on him is that he never really stepped up and dominated and was more of a supporting role type of mindset and player. Well, come on down to OKC that sounds just fine!

Grade: A+

Charlotte Bobcats
No. 2 overall – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
No. 31 overall – Jeffrey Taylor, G/F, Vanderbilt

The Bobcats were supposed to either trade the No. 2 pick or take Thomas Robinson if they couldn’t. Instead, they shocked everyone selecting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall. MKG is a player that will shine no matter where he plays, even in Charlotte. He has the potential to be the second best player in this draft class and it was a wise choice to make here by Michael Jordan. Jeffrey Taylor is a good pick too in the second round. Taylor was projected to go a little earlier in the draft and is a nice value find at 31.

Grade: A

Washington Wizards
No. 3 overall – Bradley Beal, SG, Florida
No. 32 overall – Tomas Satoransky, G, Czech Republic

The Wizards got the man they wanted at No. 3 but had to hold their breath and pray before doing so. As the Bobcats were shopping the No. 2 pick, any team that may have gotten it was probably going to take Bradley Beal second overall. The Wizards desperately wanted an elite shooter and wing to place alongside John Wall and they believe Beal is that guy. Beal measured just under 6-foot-5 so he’s not huge but he is physical and can do a lot of things on a basketball court. Tomas Satoranksy in the second round apparently is friends with Jan Vesely which makes that pick awesome too.

Grade: A

Sacramento Kings
No. 5 overall – Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas

It was impossible not to fall in love with Thomas Robinson watching him break down after being selected fifth overall by the Kings. He won over a lot of fans with that reaction. Robinson is touted as one of the surest things at the top of this draft. The Kings wanted him bad too at No. 5, more than anybody else. Sacramento was going to pull off a trade with this pick with Houston if Robinson was off the board but obviously that didn’t happen. Robinson and DeMarcus Cousins are going to be able to get a lot of rebounds playing together.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons
No. 9 overall – Andre Drummond, PF/C, Connecticut
No. 39 overall – Khris Middleton, SF, Texas A&M

The Pistons are extremely happy that Andre Drummond fell to them. Before the draft, they were hoping for this but planning to settle on John Henson. Drummond has as much upside as anyone in this draft. There are questions surrounding him but he is very young. It was the right pick here for Detroit without question. Khris Middleton isn’t someone that jumps out as a great pick here but at No. 39, there’s not a lot to expect.

Grade: A

Milwaukee Bucks
No. 14 overall – John Henson, PF, North Carolina
No. 42 overall – Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky

The Bucks were pretty happy to see John Henson at No. 14 especially after trading down from 12 with Houston. Henson is the kind of guy Milwaukee wanted and someone who will block a lot of shots and grab some rebounds but really needs to put on some weight first. Doron Lamb is another player they were happy to see at No. 42. He could have gone in the first round and is an irrational confidence guy who can shoot and play some D too.

Grade: B+

Cleveland Cavaliers
No. 4 overall – Dion Waiters, SG, Syracuse
No. 17 overall – Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina

It wasn’t a huge shocker that Cleveland took Dion Waiters No. 4. They were planning on possibly doing so and after being unable to trade up to No. 2 and take Beal, Waiters was the next guy on their list, probably just ahead of Harrison Barnes. It wasn’t an overly popular pick but Waiters has an NBA-ready body and next to Kyrie Irving should do well. With Tyler Zeller sliding in the draft, the Cavaliers pulled the trigger on a trade with Dallas to get to No. 17 and take the North Carolina center. They gave up three picks for Zeller so they must really like him. Now with a core of Irving, Waiters, Thompson and Zeller, Cleveland’s future looks kind of alright.

Grade: B

Portland Trailblazers
No. 6 overall – Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State
No. 11 overall – Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois
No. 40 overall – Will Barton, SG, Memphis

Before the Draft, Portland was intent on keeping their 6th and 11th picks and they also loved Damian Lillard. Six may sound high for Lillard but Portland did something smart: picking their favorite guy and not caring where they did it. They then filled a need at 11 with Meyers Leonard, the center from Illinois. Portland was projected in some mocks to take Andre Drummond and either Austin Rivers or Jeremy Lamb. That sounds a little better than what they ended up with. They get Will Barton at No. 40 which is another solid value pick as he was projected late-first by many.

Grade: B

Golden State Warriors
No. 7 overall – Harrison Barnes, G/F, North Carolina
No. 30 overall – Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt
No. 35 overall – Draymond Green, F, Michigan State
No. 52 overall – Ognjen Kuzmic, C, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Despite his overall disappointing feeling, many still feel Harrison Barnes can be an All-Star in the NBA. Getting him at No. 7 was a pretty solid pick for the Warriors, who are starting new next year post-Monta Ellis and with Andrew Bogut. Festus Ezeli with the last pick of the first round is understandable too and he is a high-character guy who will work hard for them. Draymond Green is another good pick to get in the second round. The Warriors didn’t have a flashy draft but they made some value picks and that’s always a good strategy.

Grade: B

Houston Rockets
No. 12 overall – Jeremy Lamb, SG, Connecticut
No. 16 overall – Royce White, F, Iowa State
No. 18 overall – Terrence Jones, F, Kentucky

The Rockets were stockpiling draft picks with one thing on their mind: Dwight Howard. That hasn’t happened yet and now feels like it won’t. They were hoping to move up to No. 5 to take Andre Drummond but since Thomas Robinson fell to the Kings there, they weren’t trading that pick. The Rockets will settle for three pretty solid players starting with Jeremy Lamb at No. 12 who has a lot of pro potential as a scorer. When they took Royce White at No. 16, you knew they weren’t trading their picks anymore. White has gotten a lot of buzz this draft as a more athletic Boris Diaw who plays a little like Charles Barkley too. Terrence Jones two picks later is another talented forward that can do a variety of things. You always feel players Daryl Morey drafts are guys who can find a spot in the NBA. The Rockets just had bigger sights for this draft than this.

Grade: B

Phoenix Suns
No. 13 overall – Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina

It’s just about official now that Steve Nash is on his way out in Phoenix. Kendall Marshall is their point guard of the future. Marshall was one of the best assists men in college the past two seasons and has drawn comparisons to Mark Jackson and Andre Miller so yeah, he’s not quick. He’s fun to play with and will make the players around him better. They like that in Phoenix.

Grade: B

Chicago Bulls
No. 29 overall – Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky

The Bulls were either going backup point here or combo-guard shooter. Marquis Teague is a talented player with this pick and someone who may be able to play alongside Derrick Rose some. It’s nothing special for the Bulls but a good pick nonetheless. Bulls fans were dying for Perry Jones III to slip one more pick into their laps.

Grade: B

Toronto Raptors
No. 8 overall – Terrence Ross, SG, Washington
No. 37 overall – Quincy Acy, PF, Baylor
No. 56 overall – Tomislav Zubcic, PF, Croatia

The Raptors would have loved to see Harrison Barnes fall one more pick into their laps. They would have loved even more to move up and snag Dion Waiters. They settle for Terrence Ross who can do things that will make him have a solid NBA career: shoot threes and defend. Quincy Acy in Round 2 could be a Reggie Evans type which is something this franchise has experience with. Tomislav Zubcic will not come over right away. If Toronto gets Steve Nash, a lot of their problems will appear solved.

Grade: C+

Orlando Magic
No. 19 overall – Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure
No. 49 overall – Kyle O’Quinn, C, Norfolk State

The Magic are in a weird situation and have been ever since Dwight Howard started pouting. Howard ran their head coach and GM out of town and still wants out himself. He hasn’t gotten it yet but it’s really only a matter of time. Orlando’s picks of Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn may have been logical, but they won’t make their fans feel better yet

Grade: C+

Boston Celtics
No. 21 overall – Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State
No. 22 overall – Fab Melo, C, Syracuse
No. 51 overall – Kris Joseph, SF, Syracuse

We knew Jared Sullinger would drop, we just didn’t know how far. The Celtics are in a rebuilding stage now and looking to bulk up their front court with Sullinger and Fab Melo. The Celtics were hoping for Royce White here or to trade up and take Doc Rivers’ son Austin Rivers in the lottery. The best case scenario for Kris Joseph (taken No. 51 overall) is Gary Forbes, according to DraftExpress.

Grade: C+

Philadelphia 76ers
No. 15 overall – Maurice Harkless, SF, St. John’s
No. 27 overall – Arnett Moultrie, PF/C, Mississippi State

Philadelphia fans are not happy with the decision to take Maurice “don’t call me Moe” Harkless 15th overall. When you draft a guy who plays the same position as your best player at No. 15, it never feels like it makes sense. Harkless came out after just one year at St. John’s and is said to have some pro potential but he’s nothing special. The 76ers traded up with Miami to get Arnett Moultrie at No. 27. It’s just another lateral move here for Philly. Their fans want more than that.

Grade: C

Denver Nuggets
No. 20 overall – Evan Fournier, SG, France
No. 38 overall – Quincy Miller, G/F, Baylor
No. 50 overall – Izzet Turkyilmaz, PF, Turkey

The Nuggets surprisingly went with Evan Fournier at No. 20 despite some talent sitting on the board. Fournier will not come over to the NBA next season but was the highest rated international prospect of the draft. The Nuggets clearly weren’t looking to try and strike gold with late first round picks this year. They’ve already accomplished that with Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried. Their pick at No. 38 felt a little better. Some fans wanted Quincy Miller with the 20th pick so getting him this late is a win in that sense. Miller is young with a ton of potential but has the usual question marks. Denver went with another international product late in the second round that we won’t see in the NBA right away.

Grade: C

Atlanta Hawks
No. 23 overall – John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt
No. 43 overall – Mike Scott, F, Virginia

Nothing special here for Atlanta. John Jenkins could be decent but he won’t turn any heads. He can really shoot it though and might get some run for the Hawks where Josh Smith is on the way out. It would have been great if Atlanta had decided to draft Marquis Teague here and run an all-Teague backcourt with his brother Jeff. Love the Mike Scott pick.

Grade: C

Dallas Mavericks
No. 24 overall – Jared Cunningham, G, Oregon State
No. 33 overall – Bernard James, C, Florida State
No. 34 overall – Jae Crowder, F, Marquette

It doesn’t seem like Dallas was trying to do a ton in this draft. They dealt their 17th overall pick to Cleveland probably because there was no one they were in love with. They got three picks back for it and didn’t do anything crazy with them. One of the cooler moments in the draft though was Bernard James having his name called and walking to the podium. The crowd started chanting “U-S-A” because James served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dallas’ main priority this offseason is wooing Deron Williams and/or Dwight Howard.

Grade: C

Memphis Grizzlies
No. 25 overall – Tony Wroten, Jr., PG, Washington

The Grizzlies wanted a point guard and a lot of mocks had them going with Marquis Teague but they choose Tony Wroten, Jr. instead. Jay Bilas calls Wroten, Jr. a taller Rajon Rondo. That means he’s a good passer and can’t shoot a lick. Maybe it’s what Memphis needs and there is some upside there.

Grade: C

Utah Jazz
No. 47 overall – Kevin Murphy, SG, Tennessee Tech

Utah has enough young players from the last few drafts that they didn’t care too much about this year. Kevin Murphy is the only player from this draft to score 50 or more points in game last year in college. Why not?

Grade: C

Miami Heat
No. 45 overall – Justin Hamilton, C, LSU

Miami could have had Perry Jones III at No. 27 and it would have been just as scary as OKC getting him if not more so. They just didn’t want to have to pay a first rounder this year. Their cap space will be tight the next few seasons. They trade down here and get a 7-footer which they need. Something tells me we won’t see a ton of Justin Hamilton playing for the defending champs.

Grade: C

San Antonio Spurs
No. 59 overall – Marcus Denmon, G, Missouri

The Spurs drafted him so he’ll be an All-Star in four years. Marcus Denmon feels a little Patty Mills/James Anderson. The Spurs probably aren’t expecting too much from Denmon though.

Grade: C

New York Knicks
No. 48 overall – Kostas Papanikolaou, F, Greece

Not doing anything here. The home crowd really loved this pick at least.

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Clippers
No. 53 overall – Furkan Aldemir, PF, Turkey

Love this pick. He may never play in the NBA but he is a great rebounder and can only score on putbacks, according to Fran Fraschilla. What’s not to love?

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Lakers
No. 55 overall – Darius Johnson-Odom, SG, Marquette
No. 60 overall – Robert Sacre, C, Gonzaga

Darius Johnson-Odom plays the wrong sport. He’d be an awesome football player and used that to his advantage in college for Marquette. He will look a lot smaller in the NBA. If Robert Sacre is playing for the Lakers next season, it won’t be a good thing.

Grade: C-

Brooklyn Nets
No. 41 overall – Tyshawn Taylor, PG, Kansas
No. 54 overall – Tornike Shengelia, PF, Georgia
No. 57 overall – Ilkan Karaman, PF, Turkey

Brooklyn not trying to go crazy here. They are just praying for Deron Williams and Dwight Howard to hookup in their new city. Tyshawn Taylor might make it as a backup point in this league but nothing more. Tornike Shengelia goes by “Toko” and is a 6-foot-9 scorer who is good at attacking and can score around the rim well but has no jumper. Ilkan Karamen has a ton of tattoos and may “never play in the NBA” according to Fran Fraschilla.

Grade: C-

Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 58 overall – Robbie Hummel, SF, Purdue

Kevin Love, Chase Budinger and now Robbie Hummel. Good luck rest of league.

Grade: C-

Indiana Pacers
No. 26 overall – Miles Plumlee, PF, Duke
No. 36 overall – Orlando Johnson, SG, UCSB

This may have been the worst draft pick ever, worse than Sam Bowie. With names like Perry Jones III, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli on the board, Indiana elects to take the worst Plumlee brother, Miles. If they weren’t Indiana and known for their white hoopsters, this would be an even worse pick. It’s still so horrible though words can’t describe it. There’s nothing that could make this pick ever make sense. They get Orlando Johnson from UCSB in the second round who was a 20-point scorer last year and might do something for them.

Grade: F

I think all season long everybody in basketball thought Oklahoma City was the best team in the west, but were they mature enough to show that? I think last night, I think everybody right now, I think it’s going to be a San Antonio-Oklahoma City thing. San Antonio is playing with so much flow and rhythm and rhythmatic offense and their defense is not great but it is solid. It’s still a pretty good defensive team. Their offense is so in flow right now I love watching San Antonio play. And this is the time of year where there’s a separation and I’m not ready to sign the contract but I’m pretty sure Oklahoma City is a higher degree than everybody else right now, along with, probably, San Antonio. … I’m very prejudiced toward the west. I’ll be honest with you, I think there’s four or five teams in the West that can beat Miami.

I agree with Karl that the West is far better than the East and that Miami would have a better chance of not making the NBA Finals if they were in the Western Conference.

The Thunder and Spurs have looked better than anyone else recently and their eventual Western Conference Finals meeting will probably be the best series we’ll see all season.

And with the injury to Chris Bosh for the Miami Heat, they are going to have a very tough time even making the NBA Finals now.

The Lakers led 3-1 in the series after four games then played very poorly in games 5 and 6 losing each to Denver. The Lakers returned to form in Game 7 and did what they were supposed to do closing out Denver in Staples Center.

The Lakers took advantage of their greatest advantage which was size in Game 7. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum really showed up after essentially no-showing the last two games.

Gasol and Bynum combined for 33 points and 35 rebounds in Game 7 including 20 offensive boards.

Kobe Bryant was relatively quiet in the game scoring 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting but did also have eight assists.

The Thunder have been waiting awhile for this series to start. Oklahoma City beat Dallas in four games and that series ended last Saturday, May 5. The greatest concern for the Thunder is the health of starting center Kendrick Perkins who is still day-to-day and it is unknown if he will play in Game 1.

Game 1 will be Monday night at 9:30 p.m. EST.

The Thunder complete that series over a week ago now on May 5.

Tonight the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets are playing Game 7 of their series in Staples Center with the winner moving on to face the Thunder in Round 2.

The full schedule for the second round for the Thunder looks like this:

• Game 1 – Monday May 14 – LAL/OR/Den at Oklahoma City – 8:30PM – TNT
• Game 2 – Wednesday May 16 – LAL/OR/Den at Oklahoma City – 8:30PM – TNT
• Game 3 – Friday May 18 – Oklahoma City at LAL/OR/Den TBD – ESPN
• Game 4 – Saturday May 19 – Oklahoma City at LAL/OR/Den TBD – TNT
• Game 5 * – Monday May 21 – LAL/OR/Den at Oklahoma City TBD – TNT
• Game 6 * – Wednesday May 23 – Oklahoma City at LAL/OR/Den TBD – ESPN
• Game 7 * – Sunday May 27 – LAL/OR/Den at Oklahoma City – TBD – TNT

*if necessary

The Thunder will only get one game of rest after the first two games at home. Most teams had two days off for travel in the first round.

Also of note is that the Thunder will be playing back-to-back nights for Games 3 and 4 on the road. The Thunder are fully capable of playing two games in two nights and it may actually be an advantage for them even though the games will be away.

You can also download the podcast here.

Andre Iguodala made two free throws with two seconds left to put Philadelphia ahead.

The Bulls led 78-75 with 25 seconds left following an Omer Asik dunk. Thaddeus Young scored for the 76ers on the next possession then Asik was fouled at the rim with seven seconds left and would miss both free throws.

Iguodala rebounded the second miss and immediately pushed the ball back up court and drove hard right at Asik to the rim and was fouled to set up the game-winning free throws.

The Bulls were obviously not the same without Rose despite having success during the regular season when he was sidelined.

The series was very low-scoring for both teams but the Bulls simply did not have enough people step up with their injuries. Carlos Boozer scored three points in Game 6.

The 76ers win their first series since 2003 and will meet the Boston Celtics in the second round.

The Boston Celtics survived at home in Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks 83-80 to win the series 4-2.

The Celtics led by two with two seconds left and Al Horford was fouled attempting a layup. He would miss the first and make the second and the Celtics hung on to win.

Kevin Garnett came through with a classic performance. He scored 28 points to go with 14 rebounds and five blocks.

The Eastern Conference second round matchups are now set with the Celtics having homecourt against the 76ers and Miami with homecourt versus Indiana.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost 113-96 in Game 6 to the Denver Nuggets. There will be a Game 7 in this series now.

The Nuggets got off to a great start while the Lakers looked sluggish. Denver scored the first 13 points of the game and never looked back.

Kobe Bryant missed the shootaround before the game but still played of course. He looked sick but still scored 31 points on 13-for-23 shooting.

Kobe was the only Laker with anything going. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol for the second game in a row were not their usual selves. Bynum scored 11 points and Gasol was 1-of-10 fro the field with three points.

Ty Lawson led Denver with 32 points and made five threes in the game including four in the first quarter. Lawson has been the key for Denver in this series but hasn’t played too well on the road yet.

Game 7 will be Saturday between these teams meaning the Thunder won’t play Game 1 of the second round until Monday. With the Lakers up 3-1 it looked like they would easily move on but now Denver surely has momentum and could easily win this series.

Metta World Peace will return for Game 7 after being suspended for elbowing James Harden. I don’t think anyone looks at this series and says the Lakers could use World Peace and they’d be fine.

If the Lakers win tonight in Game 6 in Denver then Game 1 of the second round with the Thunder will be Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

If there is a Game 7 and the Lakers lose to Denver tonight then Game 1 will be played Monday at 8:30 p.m. EST on TNT. Game 2 would then be on Wednesday.

The Thunder are hoping for the Lakers-Nuggets series to go seven mainly so it gives Kendrick Perkins more time to rest.

Metta World Peace will miss the final game of his suspension tonight and will return Saturday night whether it’s for a Game 7 at home or a Game 1 in Oklahoma City.

The Los Angeles Lakers lead their first round series with the Denver Nuggets 3-2. They lost Game 5 at home with a chance to close out the series. Denver looked great in Game 5 playing their game and dictating the style of play to their liking.

Kobe scored 43 points in Game 5 including a stretch of three consecutive threes late in the fourth quarter. His symptoms today are vomiting and stomach pain.

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum did not look their best in Game 5 and the Lakers will need less from Kobe and more from them to beat this Nuggets team.

If the Lakers win tonight then Game 1 of the second round will be on Saturday in Oklahoma City. All indications however are that the Nuggets should be favored to win tonight at home and force a Game 7 in Staples Center.

Or we could have the potential for Kobe trying to emulate Michael Jordan with a famous “flu game” of his own.

The Thunder swept the Dallas Mavericks last Saturday and haven’t played since as they await the winner of the Lakers-Nuggets series.

The Lakers and Nuggets will play Game 6 Thursday night with the Lakers leading that series 3-2. If the Lakers win then Game 1 of the second round will be played Saturday in Oklahoma City.

If they lose then Game 7 of that series will be Saturday and the second round for the Thunder wouldn’t begin until Monday or Tuesday.

The Lakers went into Game 5 at home up 3-1 with a chance to shut the door on the Nuggets but Denver came out strong and survived a close one despite 43 points from Kobe Bryant.

The way that Denver played Game 5 on the road controlling the style of play and getting a big night from JaVale McGee they might as well be favored to win at home for Game 6 and force a Game 7.

The Thunder are fine with waiting as long as possible for the second round to begin because of the injury to Kendrick Perkins in Game 4 against Dallas. Perkins is still listed as day-to-day and may not play in the first few games of the next series.

Perkins was traded for last year specifically so that the Thunder could matchup better with the Lakers and not having them would make life a lot tougher.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today that starting center Kendrick Perkins suffered a right hip muscle strain in the Thunder’s Game 4 victory in Dallas Saturday night, as confirmed by an MRI.

Perkins was injured during the first quarter of Game 4 and did not return to the game. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

With the Thunder sweeping Dallas they will have as much time off as possible before their second round series begins.

The Thunder will await the winner of the Lakers-Nuggets series. The Lakers lead the series 2-1 and will play in Denver for Game 4 Sunday night.

You can also download the podcast here.

Soobum Im-US PRESSWIRE

The San Antonio looked like the best team in the league today. And they might really be just that.

The Spurs won Game 1 at home against the Utah Jazz 106-91 Sunday.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 28 points and eight assists and looked like the MVP-candidate he became this season.

The Spurs are just so fun to watch and play such perfect basketball. Now, they have a great offense this year and their matchup against Utah is a good one since Utah has the worst defense among playoff teams.

Every single player knows their exact role for the Spurs and today they all executed seemingly perfect.

Tim Duncan had a nice throwback game with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Every possession has so much purpose for this team and unless Utah is going to play their very best basketball, the Spurs will win every game in this series.

They should be considered the favorite to win the NBA title right now. They won’t be though and that’s how they like it.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Andrew Bynum recorded a triple-double as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 103-88.

Bynum scored 10 points to go with 13 rebounds and 10 blocks. The size of the Lakers’ bigs was just too much for the Nuggets to handle today.

Denver was fine beating their defenders off the dribble but with Bynum and Pau Gasol waiting for them they could not capitalize. The Lakers had 15 blocks as a team and held Denver to 35.6 percent field goal shooting.

If Denver is ever able to dictate the pace and tempo of a game against the Lakers they can win but the Lakers’ style is closer to what we always see in the playoffs so don’t expect that to happen enough for the Nuggets to have a real shot.

The Lakers know their identity and while the Nuggets do too to an extent, they don’t have the same kind of talent to execute their game plan well enough.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and Gasol had 13 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.

Denver is overmatched in this series and the Lakers should easily move on but they are known for being kind of “out of it” now and then so the series may still go six.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City had the toughest time winning their first playoff game of the top three seeds in the West.

But the Thunder are matched up with the defending champion Dallas Mavericks who looked like just that last night.

Kevin Durant’s heroics have been the best part of the playoffs so far but hopefully for the Thunder, they will not need to rely on that to get by the Mavericks in this series.

Assuming Oklahoma City does advance, San Antonio still looks like by far their toughest potential matchup. The Spurs played great in the regular season against the Thunder and have been great overall of late and today.

The way that the Thunder turned up their defense in the fourth quarter tonight is a really good sign though. If Russell Westbrook can play the kind of defense he did last night on Jason Terry for the rest of the playoffs, then the Thunder are looking pretty good.

The Lakers’ weakness of giving up dribble penetration is not an issue against Denver but if they plan Oklahoma City in Round 2, the Thunder will be able to make Los Angeles pay.

The Thunder will play Game 2 at home against the Mavericks tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

Head on over to Air Alamo and Lake Show Life for FanSided’s coverage on the Spurs and Lakers.

Dallas was one game behind Denver for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. If Dallas wins tonight and Denver loses then Dallas would jump Denver and avoid the Thunder in the first round.

At halftime of both games tonight, Dallas is trailing Atlanta 60-44 and Denver is leading Minnesota 61-42.

Unless two miracle comebacks happen, it looks as if the Thunder will get Dallas Saturday night.

The Thunder lost to the Mavericks in five games in the Western Conference Finals last year. Dallas of course went on to win the title riding the hot hand of Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki torched the Thunder in Game 1 of that series scoring 48 points while going 12-for-15 from the field and 24-of-24 at the line.

Oklahoma City played Denver last season in the first round and beat them handily in five games.

This isn’t the same Dallas team that they had last season but they do still have Nowitzki who was the main reason the Thunder lost that series.

The Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers will also play on Saturday, hosting their respective Game 1’s. The Spurs and Lakers will host their Game 1’s on Sunday and the Clippers-Grizzlies series and Celtics-Hawks series will also start on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant may have a little extra incentive to go for the scoring title tonight since he will have an extra day of rest before the playoffs start for him. He needs 38 points tonight to pass Kevin Durant.

Denver is currently one game ahead of Dallas for the six seed in the Western Conference standings. The Nuggets play at Minnesota tonight and Dallas plays at Atlanta. If Dallas wins and Denver loses then Oklahoma City will play Denver in the first round. Any other scenario and the Thunder will play Dallas.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost their regular season finale 106-101 to the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder finish the shortened season with a record of 47-19.

Kevin Durant scored 32 points and now is averaging 28.03 points per game this season to lead the league and Kobe Bryant. Bryant will need 38 points tomorrow night in Sacramento to pass Durant.

Aside from Durant’s points, tonight’s game was pretty meaningless for the Thunder. They were going to be the two-seed in the West no matter the outcome but still, Scott Brooks played Durant and Russell Westbrook 40 and 35 minutes, respectively.

Westbrook had a great all-around game scoring 30 points with nine assists, six rebounds, three steals and four blocks. Westbrook was hitting his midrange jumper consistently in what seemed like the first time in a long time.

James Harden did not play again tonight but has been cleared by the NBA to return to action for the Thunder and he isn’t expected to miss any playoff games.

The Thunder would get another nice shooting performance from Daequan Cook tonight who made three three-pointers. He made four last night against the Kings and it is a good sign for the Thunder that he has regained his shooting touch right before the start of the playoffs.

The win for Denver now puts them a full game ahead of Dallas for the six seed in the West. That means they will be able to avoid Oklahoma City in the first round and play the Lakers instead.

The Nuggets can secure the six seed by winning their final game of the regular season or if Dallas loses their final game. That means that Dallas is the most likely first round opponent for the Thunder.

Dallas will be in Atlanta tomorrow night and Denver in Minnesota.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Oklahoma City Thunder (1-game winning streak)
107.1 Offensive Efficiency (2nd)
99.8 Defensive Efficiency (9th)
95.7 Pace (6th)
56.7 True Shooting % (1st)
51.5 Rebound Rate (4th)

Denver Nuggets (2-game winning streak)
106.1 Offensive Efficiency (3rd)
103.4 Defensive Efficiency (20th)
96.6 Pace (2nd)
55.5 True Shooting % (3rd)
51.5 Rebound Rate (4th)

The Thunder will close out the regular season tonight hosting the Nuggets. The Thunder are already locked into the second seed in the West so the result of the game really doesn’t matter.

Kevin Durant is currently 0.11 points ahead of Kobe Bryant in the scoring title race. Bryant will play tomorrow night in his final game of the season and will likely have to outscore Durant by around 6-7 points to catch him.

Denver is currently a half game ahead of Dallas for the six-seed in the West and has two games left including tonight. Dallas also has two games left. Getting the sixth seed instead of the seventh would mean playing the Lakers in the first round instead of the Thunder.

The Thunder have beaten the Nuggets both times that the teams have played this season. The first was the more memorable one with the Thunder winning 124-118 in overtime and Durant scoring a career-high 51 points.

The fact of the matter tonight is that the Nuggets have much more to play for than the Thunder and if last night is any indicator, the Thunder won’t be going all out to win this game.

Oklahoma City beat Sacramento last night but the starters did not play the fourth quarter despite trailing heading into the final period. Daequan Cook scored a season-high 19 points to lead the Thunder to the victory.

The Nuggets are not the Kings though and if the Thunder come out like they did last night, they will likely lose their final regular season home game tonight.

James Harden will not play tonight but David Stern did say in a press conference today, “We have reason to believe that James [Harden] will be available for the playoffs.”

That is most certainly good news for the Thunder who would be lost without Harden in the playoffs.

In the East, there are only two teams that pose any real threat. In stark contrast, the West boasts at least five teams that can win the conference title, and a handful of others that can make life miserable for those five teams. Navigating this maze of threats won’t be easy for OKC and much of their success will be predicated upon the who, when, and where of the bracket. With that in mind, I have taken the other nine teams currently realistically vying for the post season and ranked them in descending order of the threat they pose to the Thunder’s pursuits.

9. Suns (Threat Level: Green): Their post all-star break run has been very impressive, and I absolutely marvel at Steve Nash and how he has been able to get this hodge-podge of a roster to gel down the stretch. Having said that, they pose no threat whatsoever to Oklahoma City. As you will see farther down the list, teams that are athletic on the wing and/or bruising in the paint give the Thunder the most trouble; Phoenix does not fit that description at all. The Suns would not be able to keep pace or change pace enough for the series to go beyond five games… and I’d suspect the games played in OKC could get ugly.

8. Rockets (Threat Level: Green): Credit Houston for splitting the season series this year with OKC, but this is not a match up that should keep Thunder fans awake at night. Luis Scola poses some match up issues for Ibaka and Perkins, but OKC can counter with Nick Collison, who makes a living forcing guys like Scola out of their comfort zone. The Rockets aren’t a particularly good defensive team and over the span of a seven game series, the dynamic scoring threats from the Thunder would wear them down. Houston could make individual games interesting (more so than Phoenix) but in terms of the series as a whole, I do not see it going six.

7. Jazz (Threat Level: Green): Ranking them as slightly more dangerous than the Suns or Rockets might raise a few eyebrows, but Al Jefferson is the type of big that can wear the Thunder down, as he did several week ago in a game in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are also a tad deeper than the other two teams mentioned. But in the end, Utah poses the same threat as Phoenix and Houston do…none. The goal for OKC should be to get one of these three teams in the first round.

6. Nuggets (Threat Level: Blue): Everyone talks about the tough series OKC waged against Denver in the first round last year, but few seem to remember that it still only went five games and that the Thunder held a commanding 3-0 series lead at one point. The Nuggets are about as deep and athletic in the open floor as any team in the league, and George Karl fits so nicely with this particular group. However, they do not have a go-to scorer and it reared its’ head many times in the series last year as KD took over down the stretch (most notably in the clinching game five). The Nuggets are pesky, annoying, and they will make OKC work for however many games the series might go. But ultimately, the pose a very low level threat to actually win a series.

5. Clippers (Threat Level: Blue): I’m sticking to my guns on the Clippers despite the fact that they’ve made the Thunder look pretty bad twice in the past week now. I do not believe the Clips are a team built for success in the post-season and I will be surprised if they survive the first round. They thrive on an open floor game, and in the playoffs, the floor shrinks and it shrinks fast. Blake Griffin will have less space to maneuver and teams will force him to beat them from outside the paint. They are also short on experience and many of their role players are guys with a history of regular season success not necessarily carrying over into the post season (Mo Williams tops that list). I believe that if push comes to shove and these two teams meet in the playoffs, the Thunder will have a surprisingly easy time getting stops and I would be surprised if it went the full seven games and absolutely shocked if the Clippers won. I’ve been on record as saying that I believe both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are slightly overrated. My theory would be put to the test should they face OKC sometime in May.

4. Mavericks (Threat Level: Yellow): Perhaps I am giving them too much credit based on last season, but I just don’t see Dallas bowing out quietly this year despite the fact that their regular season has been an unmitigated disaster. They desperately miss Tyson Chandler and JJ Barea, but I still fear Dirk catching fire at opportune (or inopportune as it were) moments. I will never forget that sickening feeling walking out of the arena last year after the game four collapse in the WCF. I am still reeling from that night and it may very well be coloring my perception of a Dallas team that doesn’t really resemble their championship squad at all.

3. Grizzlies (Threat Level: Yellow): Match up nightmare for Durant. No one in the league plays KD better than Tony Allen- and it’s not even close. For whatever reason, he is able to frustrate KD to the point where he is routinely posting up beyond the three point line and taking forced jumpers. In addition to their athleticism on the wing, Memphis has some major beef inside. Marc Gasol isn’t intimidated by Perk and Zach Randolph completely flummoxes Serge…keeps him away from the paint where Ibaka is most effective. The Grizzlies Achilles heel is that they can’t shoot; however OKC brings out the best in their guards and wing players and shots seem to fall more readily. Another scary thought is that Memphis is still a bit of wild card because we’ve seen so little of them with a healthy Randolph and Rudy Gay together. The only reason I don’t raise the Grizz to the next threat level is because unlike Dallas, the Lakers, and Spurs, Memphis does not have a proven go-to scorer they can count on in crunch time. Still, this would have all the markings of another epic series.

2. Lakers (Threat Level: Orange): In many ways, the Lakers might be the one team the Thunder WANT to face in the second round or WCF. They are old, slow, un-athletic and have absolutely no answers for KD or more importantly, Westbrook. OKC has played them twice and ran them off the floor in the second half both times. But playoff basketball is different. The game will slow down and the court will get smaller. Kobe will know when to pounce. Bynum and Gasol are a formidable combo that can wreak havoc on the offensive glass. If the games stay close (which they inevitably would) the Lakers boast the best closer in the league and one of the best of all-time. The best bet for the Thunder would be to run and get Westbrook out in the open as much as possible. If the game breaks down, the advantage is decidedly titled towards to OKC. But if the game is played against the shot clock as it so often is in the playoffs, then the Thunder may find themselves in an uncomfortable spot against a team that has been there, done that.

1. Spurs (Threat Level: Red): The Spurs are just straight salty. Greatly improved on the wings from last year when Memphis completely caught them off-guard with their size and athleticism. You have a PG playing at an MVP level; a dynamic scorer on the outside who when healthy is as dangerous as anyone in the league; one of the best centers of all time who still knows when to pick his spots; an array of veterans and youngsters filling various roles quite nicely; arguably the greatest coach in the history of the game. That is a mouthful. And unless things shift dramatically over the next week, OKC would have to beat this team without the benefit of homecourt advantage due to the Thunder’s recent malaise. As the Thunder coast and swoon heading into late April, the Spurs appear to be honing and sharpening. The best bet for the Thunder is for someone else to take the Spurs out prior to the WCF ala the Grizzlies last year. But I just have a feeling that Pop and his crew will be ready this time around. Any way you slice it, the Spurs are beyond a major threat to keep the Thunder from the NBA Finals.

Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

The biggest names this trade deadline stayed put. Dwight Howard will remain with the Orlando Magic through next season. The Lakers did not deal Pau Gasol and the Nets kept Deron Williams.

A few contenders did make some noise and one team let the world know they would begin tanking. Let’s start with the 3-team deal that broke just after 3 p.m.

Nuggets, Clippers, Wizards

Denver received JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf, Washington received Nene, Brian Cook and a pick and Los Angeles received Nick Young. Other players and picks might be included.

The Nuggets get rid of Nene who perennially is at the top of the league in field goal percentage. The Nuggets have had trouble finding a closer in games and Nene was one guy they could go to for offense. Now they have McGee who is basically a head case but with tons of talent. Maybe George Karl can help with that.

Nene to Washington might be a good fit over there to help John Wall out. McGee and Young were the main headcases over there and it’s definitely somewhat of a plus to get rid of them.

The Clippers have needed a shooting guard all season and they get a talented one in Young without giving away much. While he may have attitude problems you have to think Chris Paul could help with that.

Portland Trailblazers

The Blazers made it clear that they have given up on the season. Not too long ago the Blazers were the most feared team by me as a potential playoff matchup with the Thunder. Today they dealt Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace for Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Shawne Williams and Mehmet Okur.

They sent Camby to the Rockets for Thabeet, Flynn and a future second-round pick. They sent Wallace to New Jersey for Williams, Okur and a top-3, protected first-round pick.

The Blazers also fired head coach Nate McMillan.

Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers addressed a few needs today and parted ways with one of the all-time Lakers greats, at least according to their fans. The Lakers sent Derek Fisher and a first-round pick (via Dallas) to Houston for Jordan Hill.

Los Angeles also sent Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and a first-round pick to Cleveland for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga. The Lakers have upgraded Fisher to Sessions who is one of the more underrated point guards in the NBA. Sessions however is a player that needs the ball in his hands a lot to be productive, but nonetheless is an upgrade from Fisher.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs will reunite with Captain Jack. San Antonio sent Richard Jefferson and a conditional first-round pick to Golden State for Stephen Jackson.

Jackson played for the Spurs from 01-03 and won the NBA title with the team in the 2002-03 season as a starter. Jackson played with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili on those teams and was very clutch during their playoff run in 2003.

Jackson was traded from Milwaukee two days ago to Golden State in the Monta Ellis deal.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets have added Camby and Fisher and a first-round pick while giving up no one in their rotation. Houston is fresh off a victory against the Thunder and beat the team with the best-record in the West two out of four times this season.

Camby paired with Samuel Dalembert will be a tough interior presence in blocking shots and rebounding on both ends. Fisher will also bring some experience and leadership. The Rockets will be a scary matchup for anyone once the playoffs role around if they can get healthy.

Greg Smith-US PRESSWIRE

New Jersey Nets

The Nets got rid of a few players that rarely play and a first-round pick to get Wallace from Portland. Wallace is a great chemistry guy who can fit in anywhere on a basketball court. Wallace looked like the key ingredient for Portland this year and last as they looked to make a playoff run.

The Nets now have Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez. This could help them land Dwight Howard in a few ways whether it be adding Wallace into a deal to try and get Howard eventually or enticing him more so to come because Williams and Wallace would be nice players around him.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers quietly added Leandro Barbosa from the Toronto Raptors. They sent the Raptors a second-round pick and also received point guard Anthony Carter in the deal.

Indiana has been a pleasant surprise this season and could appear in the second round of the playoffs this year. Barbosa is a nice pickup for them adding depth and scoring to their backcourt. Barbosa also has been in the top 10 in isolation scoring in the NBA the past two seasons.

As expected the Oklahoma City Thunder did not make any moves during the trade deadline. There wasn’t a lot out there for them and they didn’t have much they would be willing to part ways with. San Antonio, Houston, the Clippers and the Lakers all made moves to improve and that could spell some trouble for the Thunder.