Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE
The Oklahoma City Thunder won their second straight game last night beating the Golden State Warriors 119-109 at home to improve to 8-3 on the year.
The Thunder shared the ball as well as ever dishing out 31 assists as a team compared to just 10 turnovers. OKC shot 50.6 percent from the field and was great from distance as well making 13-of-20 threes.
It was too much for the Warriors to overcome despite shooting 52.4 percent from the field themselves. Stephen Curry had 22 to lead Golden State while David Lee added 19.
Here are the Game Grades:
Kevin Durant – 39 minutes, 25 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists – A+
Durant got the first triple-double of his career last night thanks to a career-high 10 assists in the game. He always torches the Warriors statistically and last night was another example of that. The assists and rebounds were great but going 3-of-5 from downtown was just as important. The Thunder had trouble while Durant was out of the game but when he came back in the fourth quarter, OKC closed the deal on Golden State.
Russell Westbrook – 36 minutes, 30 points, 7 assists, 5 steals – A+
Westbrook’s great night went mostly unnoticed because of KD’s first ever triple-double. Westbrook was very efficient from the field making 12-of-22 shots and turned the ball over just once. He had 12 points in the first quarter which was perfect considering the new substitution pattern where Scott Brooks takes Durant out with around three minutes left in the first quarter.
Serge Ibaka – 32 minutes, 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks – A
Ibaka continues to put up very solid numbers scoring with the increased playing time he’s received this season. His confidence is growing every game and that is so very important for the Thunder this year.
Kevin Martin – 31 minutes, 23 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds – A
Martin was great again shooting from three as he made 5-of-7 shots and didn’t need the ball much at all to get his points. He did make some things happen for others with some nice passes on his way to five dimes. He looks really confident and dominant against lesser teams like the Warriors while we are still kind of waiting for him to have a huge game against a better team.
Kendrick Perkins – 26 minutes, 3 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block – B-
Perkins is starting to do this weird thing where he pressures the opposing point guard full court and then continues to guard him in the half court. It is basically a horrible idea and the four possessions he did it vs. Stephen Curry last night, the Warriors scored three times. Hopefully, this stops soon.
Thabo Sefolosha – 25 minutes, 5 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds – B
Usually we gauge how well Sefolosha plays based on how many threes he makes. He made just 1-of-3 last night but did some other nice things picking up a few assists and playing solid defense as always.
Nick Collison – 20 minutes, 1 point, 2 rebounds, 3 assists – B+
The three assists were a season-high for Collison and it was a noticeable contribution last night. The passing has been contagious for the Thunder trickling all the way down to their backup power forward. Collison made one amazing pass when he leapt for an offensive rebound and batted the ball with two hands back toward the rim to a wide open Ibaka for an easy dunk.
Eric Maynor – 10 minutes, 8 points, 2 assists – B+
When Maynor gives you eight points in 10 minutes it’s a very good thing but the Thunder were outscored by seven while he played last night. They needed Westbrook in there instead of him. Maynor still doesn’t seem to have reached his full potential this season. When he does, it will be huge for the Thunder.
Hasheem Thabeet – 13 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals – B+
Thabeet has been a pleasant surprise this season. He is giving the Thunder more than what they expected in terms of scoring. He’s always a defensive presence although still late on a lot of rotations. He probably isn’t playing at a level that will earn him many minutes in the playoffs but that’s a long way from now and he could still improve a lot.
Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb, Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Liggins played the final two minutes of the game in which just about nothing happened.