You don’t see Kevin Durant get testy often. He did tonight with Evan Turner after the two battled for a rebound late in the second quarter. Durant shoved Turner then Turner shoved back.

After the next Sixers possession Durant got the ball for the last shot of the half and heard the boos from the Philadelphia fans.

You could tell Durant was pissed and he went one-on-one with Iguodala at the top of the key, sizing him up then drilled a cold-blooded three right in his face. Durant then went into his version of “jaw face” which is kind of like seeing an 11-year old with a goatee scowl.

I loved it and so did every other Thunder fan. Durant is tough and doesn’t back down. Take notes LeBron.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Westbrook couldn’t make a jump shot and couldn’t hang on to the ball but he still found a way to play like an All-Star and lead the Thunder to a 92-88 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night.

Westbrook shot 7-for-20 from the floor and turned the ball over seven times but he led the Thunder with 13 rebounds and seven of the offensive variety and played lockdown defense down the stretch.

Leading by one following an Andre Iguodala three-pointer with five seconds left in the game, Kevin Durant stepped to the line to shoot two free throws. He made the first then missed the second but Westbrook was there to steal the offensive rebound and get back to the line making both of his free throws.

Westbrook was great early in the game getting to the rim at will in the first quarter but Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins adjusted and the 76ers took away Westbrook’s driving lanes for the rest of the game. Westbrook was forced to settle for more jumpers and wasn’t hitting and became visibly frustrated.

The Russell Westbrook from a year ago or even earlier this season may have hung his head low down the stretch in this one. The Russell Westbrook of today stepped up and made crucial plays when the Thunder needed him.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Durant scored only 23 points in the game and was 7-of-18 from the floor. James Harden added 16 points and eight boards and Serge Ibaka 10 points, eight boards and three blocks.

The Thunder’s physical, athletic defense down the stretch won them this game.

Oklahoma City trailed 84-77 with 5:31 left in the game. The 76ers would miss their next 11 shots after this point and score only four points the rest of the game.

Kendrick Perkins played one of his better games of the season scoring only three points but grabbing 11 rebounds and helping Ibaka control the paint.

The Thunder grabbed 19 offensive rebounds in the game and turned the ball over 17 times. They held a huge edge at the free throw line attempting 34 compared to only 12 for Philadelphia.

Iguodala and Jrue Holiday played very good games for the Sixers standing face-to-face with Durant and Westbrook. The entire night until the last five minutes it felt like the Sixers were playing great and the Thunder poor. That just goes to show the superior talent on the Oklahoma City roster.

Royal Ivey gave some great run for the Thunder especially in the second half and did a very nice job on Lou Williams. Ivey and Harden together drew the assignment of Williams for most of the ngiht and held him to 3-of-11 shooting.

The Thunder improve to 28-7 on the season and will play in Orlando (23-13) tomorrow night on TNT.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Thunder (5-game winning streak)
106.4 Offensive Efficiency (2nd)
99.1 Defensive Efficiency (13th)
96.2 Pace (5th)
57.0 True Shooting % (2nd)
51.4 Rebound Rate (5th)

76ers (1-game winning streak)
102.2 Offensive Efficiency (9th)
93.6 Defensive Efficiency (1st)
92.0 Pace (25th)
51.6 True Shooting % (21st)
49.0 Rebound Rate (23rd)

The Thunder will be back at it tonight for the first time following the All-Star Break. Oklahoma City is on a five-game winning streak and at 27-7 has the best record in the NBA tied with Miami.

The Philadelphia 76ers started off the year great and have been one of the true surprises this season. Their depth and defensive efficiency has helped them to become one of the top teams in the East.

While the Thunder won their last five entering the All-Star Break, Philadelphia lost their last five and it’s not like they suffered any key losses to injury.

The Sixers did win last night in Detroit 97-68 as they looked like the team they were earlier in the season.

Both teams were represented during All-Star Weekend with the obvious players being present from Oklahoma City. Philadelphia sent Andre Iguodala to the All-Star Game and he had a pretty nice showing with 12 points in the game.

Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Iguodala is the All-Star for Philly but by no means carries the load for this team. Iguodala is great all-around on defense and a playmaker getting all of the Sixers involved. Iguodala is averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists on the year.

The leading scorer for Philly actually comes from their bench in the form of Lou Williams. Williams is morphing into a sort of Jamal Crawford 2.0 with his late-game efforts and touch from distance.

The depth and ability to consistently be efficient throughout four quarters is the greatest strength of Philadelphia and an area where the Thunder can also be good. Led by James Harden the Thunder second unit will have to be on top of their game on the road tonight to make sure Oklahoma City does not fall behind.

The starting unit and closing unit should have a big advantage in this game for the Thunder. Iguodala is a great defender but there aren’t many players playing better in the world than Kevin Durant right now.

Russell Westbrook will have to contend with Jrue Holiday who is turning into one of the better perimeter defenders in the league but still not in the class of Westbrook.

The Sixers lead the league in defensive efficiency but play at a much slower pace than Oklahoma City and shouldn’t hurt the Thunder too much with their offensive rebounding. The Thunder will be able to counteract Philly’s defense on the break in transition with their Big Three.

If the Thunder come slow out of the gates then the 76ers will have a good chance of stealing this one but that shouldn’t be the case. Oklahoma City tends to just overmatch teams like this with their talent and should win tonight but it definitely won’t be an easy one.