Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a season-high 12 three-pointers on their way to a 103-90 victory on the road against the Denver Nuggets Thursday night.

It was a day that featured many other headlines and the intensity from either team seemed on cruise control.

The Nuggets came into the game having just traded away Nene to Washington for JaVale McGee. Nene would of course not play in the game and McGee wouldn’t be arriving until Friday morning.

The Thunder got Thabo Sefolosha back after he missed the last 23 games with a right foot injury. Sefolosha looked good in his return especially on defense and the Thunder looked more comfortable in their rotation.

Kevin Durant would lead the team with 24 points and eight rebounds. Russell Westbrook scored 23 points but also had seven turnovers. James Harden poured in 18 off the bench including four three-pointers.

Daequan Cook did not have to start for the first time in a long time and looked more comfortable returning to his bench role. He came in and made three three-pointers for the Thunder and scored 11 points.

The Thunder would close with Reggie Jackson in the fourth quarter going small with Durant at the four. Jackson had a fine game with five points and four assists and the Thunder were plus-13 with him in the game.

The Denver Nuggets actually led this game at halftime 51-50 but would score just 39 points in the second half and just didn’t look like they had the legs to give enough effort to challenge the Thunder seriously.

Oklahoma City shot 48 percent from deep and made 12 threes while Denver struggled making only five treys out of 22 attempts.

The Thunder (33-10) will return home tomorrow night to host the San Antonio Spurs (28-13). The game will air at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Thunder (1-game losing streak)
106.6 Offensive Efficiency (2nd)
99.6 Defensive Efficiency (11th)
96.0 Pace (5th)
56.9 True Shooting % (1st)
51.4 Rebound Rate (5th)

Nuggets (1-game losing streak)
105.3 Offensive Efficiency (5th)
102.5 Defensive Efficiency (19th)
97.1 Pace (1st)
55.2 True Shooting % (3rd)
51.5 Rebound Rate (4th)

It’s amazing that there’s a game tonight with so much else going on with the trade deadline and March Madness starting today.

Oklahoma City did not make any moves before the trade deadline but they did have some talks with Charlotte about potentially going after point guard D.J. Augustin. You would imagine the Thunder would have packaged maybe Nazr Mohammed and some picks to get Augustin but it didn’t happen.

The Denver Nuggets however did make some noise as they were involved in a three-way trade with the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. The Nuggets traded away Nene and received JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf.

Nene will not be playing tonight then and neither will McGee yet. The Nuggets also wanted to do this reportedly to make some cap room for signing Wilson Chandler.

As for the game, the Thunder should be more prepared. They also received good news today that Thabo Sefolosha will be back in the starting lineup after missing the last 23 games.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The last time these teams played was memorable to say the least. Kevin Durant scored his career-high 51 points, Russell Westbrook scored 40 and Serge Ibaka had a triple-double as the Thunder beat the Nuggets 124-118 in overtime.

Durant has always played well against the Nuggets and it should be no different tonight despite the return of Danilo Gallinari who did not play in the overtime game.

The Thunder are coming off a five-game home stand in which they surprisingly lost twice. They lost their last game in shocking fashion by one point to the Houston Rockets while being outscored 13-1 to end the game.

The Thunder also lost last Friday night to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Oklahoma City will surely be looking to rebound tonight and should be able to after things in Denver have been shaken up a bit with the trade deadline news.

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.