Brendan Maloney-USA Today

The San Antonio Spurs have fined forward Stephen Jackson $25,000 for the “hostile” Twitter message he sent Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka over the weekend.

“The recent public comments made by Stephen Jackson are absolutely unacceptable, can not be tolerated and do not reflect the standards held by the San Antonio Spurs,” general manager R.C. Buford said in a statement.

Jackson’s tweet read: “Somebody tell serg Abaka. He aint bout dis life. Next time he run up on me im goin in his mouth. That’s a promise. He doin 2 much.”

The tweet was in response to the mini-altercation Ibaka got into with Metta World Peace Friday night when the Thunder played the Los Angeles Lakers.

Ibaka and World Peace got tangled up after a basket and each of them pressed their forearms into the other’s chest. Some words were exchanged but nothing escalated after that and the players were quickly broken up.

The Oklahoma City crowd reacted quite a bit clearly remembering what World Peace did to James Harden last season.

Ibaka has gotten into the faces of a few players over the past few years and is trying to be more of a tough guy it seems for the Thunder. Playing alongside Kendrick Perkins might be rubbing off on him somewhat.

Whether Ibaka is about that life or not, Jackson’s tweet is out of line and there is no surprise a fine went his way. The Spurs reportedly consulted with the league office about the fine.

This little Twitter feud between Ibaka and Jackson adds to the increasing rivalry between the Thunder and Spurs, who met in the Western Conference Finals last season.

The Thunder will play the Spurs next Monday, Dec. 17 in OKC.

The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t exercise their demons against the Spurs Friday night losing 114-105.

The Thunder got off to one of their signature slow starts and couldn’t amount enough of a comeback to get the victory at home against the team with the second-best record in the Western Conference.

Russell Westbrook kept the Thunder afloat like he so often does and led the team with 36 points. Kevin Durant scored 25 points in 43 minutes. James Harden had 19 points off the bench to go along with five assists and seven rebounds.

Tony Parker lit up the Thunder for 42 points in the teams’ last meeting and was effective again last night scoring 25 points to along with seven assists.

The big problem for Oklahoma City was Danny Green and DeJuan Blair combining for 43 points for the Spurs. The Thunder simply aren’t going to beat San Antonio allowing that kind of production from their role players.

The Thunder allowed the Spurs to shoot nearly 52 percent from the field last night and that’s something that obviously can’t happen in the playoffs. The Spurs who will add Manu Ginobili and Stephen Jackson to their cast that topped the Thunder last night are suddenly appearing as the legit two-seed that can challenge the Thunder for a spot in the NBA Finals.

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Thunder (1-game winning streak)
106.7 Offensive Efficiency (2nd)
99.5 Defensive Efficiency (11th)
95.9 Pace (4th)
56.9 True Shooting % (1st)
51.3 Rebound Rate (5th)

Spurs (2-game winning streak)
105.6 Offensive Efficiency (4th)
101.6 Defensive Efficiency (16th)
94.0 Pace (16th)
54.7 True Shooting % (4th)
49.9 Rebound Rate (17th)

The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off an impressive 103-90 win last night over the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder made a season-high 12 three-pointers in the game.

Yesterday was the NBA trade deadline and while the Thunder stood pat with their roster, San Antonio did not trading away Richard Jefferson and a first-round pick to Golden State for Stephen Jackson.

Jackson previously played for San Antonio from 2001-03 and won the title with the team in the 2002-03 season. Jackson will bring some added offense to the Spurs who currently sit second in the West in terms of record behind only the Thunder.

The last time these two teams played Tony Parker put on a clinic scoring 42 points and dishing out nine assists. The Thunder had no chance in that game being played in San Antonio.

Tonight the Thunder will look for payback at home only this time the Spurs will also be with Manu Ginobili who has returned from injury and continuing his fine season.

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The Thunder also have a player back from injury in Thabo Sefolosha who played his first game last night after missing the previous 23. Sefolosha brings back some athleticism and defense to the starting lineup and allows for the Thunder to return to their original rotation from earlier this season bringing Daequan Cook off the bench.

Kevin Durant did not play very well against the Spurs last time scoring only 22 points and neither did Russell Westbrook who scored 18.

The game was only kind of close because of the Thunder bench which made runs with Parker out and kept the score respectable.

The Thunder have been prone to slow starts this season and can’t afford that against a quality team like the Spurs.

It is unlikely that Jackson will play tonight but the return of Ginobili should present a bigger challenge for the Thunder tonight. They are going to need to be clicking on all cylinders to make sure they come away with a victory.

Westbrook should be motivated to take on the challenge against Parker tonight and hopefully that results in a good thing for the Thunder.

James Harden went 0-for-3from three against the Spurs last time but hit four threes last night. The Thunder will need Harden and the rest of the second-unit to play well as the Spurs get a lot of production from their bench.

The game will tip at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

From the words of the Nuggets announcers last night: “Add Al Harrington to the list of Kevin Durant posters.”

That’s the kind of night it was for the Denver Nuggets. They just didn’t have the motivation it seemed to come out and match the Thunder’s intensity.

Oklahoma City cruised to a 103-90 win last night never breaking stride along the way.

Durant led the way scoring 24 points. He made all four of his shots at the rim and went 2-for-2 from 16-to-23 feet. Durant’s only blemish was making just 1-of-5 treys.

Russell Westbrook didn’t have his cleanest night with seven turnovers but had nice touch from deep making 2-of-3 threes and 3-of-7 long twos.

Thabo Sefolosha returned to the starting lineup after missing the last 23 games for the Thunder. The Thunder defense returned to their old ways last night too now that Daequan Cook could start coming off the bench again.

Last year, Oklahoma City’s defense was one of the best in the league but they have struggled somewhat in that department this season. It was good to see them show glimpses of their potential on the defensive end last night.

The Thunder may be the best in the NBA at turning good defense into quick-scoring offense. We saw a great example of that last night after a Serge Ibaka block on Harrington quickly turned into a fast break alley-oop from Westbrook to James Harden.

That was Harden’s only bucket at the rim last night as he comfortably lit the Nuggets up from three instead. He made 4-of-6 threes in the game as the Thunder made a season-high 12 threes as a team last night.

Another big component to the return of Sefolosha is the Thunder getting back to their normal rotation. Cook seemed more comfortable coming back off the bench to the tune of making three three-pointers last night.

Reggie Jackson also played well with five points and four assists. There were some rumors just before the trade deadline about the Thunder possibly pursuing D.J. Augustin from the Charlotte Bobcats. The potential deal likely would have included Jackson, who seemed possibly relieved to still be with the Thunder last night and it was reflected in his game.

Tonight we will see the top two teams in the West do battle as the Thunder will host San Antonio. The Spurs made some noise yesterday trading away Richard Jefferson to Golden State for Stephen Jackson.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports broke news first of a deal between the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors. The deal would send Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.

This will likely dispel the rumors earlier this week involving Dwight Howard in a deal with Ellis.

The Bucks will not start a backcourt of Ellis and Brandon Jennings. We have seen how much Ellis and Stephen Curry could hurt opponents and the Ellis-Jennings pairing in Milwaukee should be pretty lethal at times.

The Warriors seemed like the really wanted to get rid of Ellis this season but I think the Bucks make out pretty good in this deal. Milwaukee is currently the eight-seed in the East and has been playing good basketball of late.

Golden State definitely wants to tank this season. If they have a top-7 pick they get to keep it, 8-30 and it goes to Utah.

If nothing else an Ellis-Jennings backcourt should be a tough matchup for a lot of teams in the East.

We’re just over 48 hours away from the NBA trade deadline. Dwight Howard still is in Orlando. It is unlikely the Oklahoma City Thunder will make any deals, although there has been some talk about a move for a backup point guard.