Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook shot terribly in Los Angeles as the Thunder fell 114-106 to the Lakers in double overtime.

Durant went 11-of-34 from the field and scored 35 points. He missed the potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation when the Lakers played him straight up and the stepback trey did not fall. In the overtimes he had multiple open looks not fall.

Kobe Bryant seemed to make all of the big shots including two big threes in the fourth quarter and another few big jumpers in the overtimes. Bryant finished with 26 points on 9-for-26 shooting but his shooting percentage and the Lakers’ end-game execution seemed Spurs-like compared to Oklahoma City’s.

Westbrook went 3-for-22 from the floor and scored 14 points. He stayed aggressive down the stretch though and made some big free throws for the Thunder by driving hard to the rim that helped extend the game.

James Harden was the victim of the dirtiest play of the year via Metta World Peace. One of the more exciting NBA games of the season let us forget about the cheap shot but Harden was of course noticeably absent for the Thunder late.

Harden’s importance of being the calming force and guy who can make smart plays with the basketball was absent in the second half. The Thunder need him to help steady the ship on offense when the game turns into what it was today and without him, the Thunder looked like the way they did last year in the playoffs.

The Lakers did not go with Andrew Bynum down the stretch and instead rode the hot hand of Jordan Hill who scored 14 points and had 15 rebounds (six offensive).

Pau Gasol also was great on the offensive glass with six of his 14 rebounds coming there to go with 20 points.

The Lakers did not as much beat the Thunder as the Thunder beat themselves. Sure, Bryant made some clutch shots that were needed to win but Durant got very good looks that he missed and no one is used to seeing those shots not fall.

Westbrook seems to always have his worst games on national television and while he hasn’t been playing very well of late, today was certainly one of his worst in awhile at a time when they desperately needed him with Harden out.

Harden may have shown some signs of concussion-like symptoms according to sideline reports during the game. The blow was extremely forceful and probably not anticipated by Harden which makes it worse. If he misses any time because of this it will be devastating for this team especially with him playing so well the last two games (averaging 30.0 points).

The Thunder drop to 46-18 on the year and still take the season series against the Lakers 2-1. They are now a full game back of the Spurs for the top seed meaning a Thunder-Lakers second round series is looking to be pretty likely. It may work out better though for Oklahoma City since the Spurs would like have to play Memphis in the second round if the seedings remain the same.

The Thunder will play their final two games at home this season with the next coming Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings who they’ve beaten twice in the last few weeks.

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.