OKC Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies Game 2 Game Grades

May 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts to a play against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder lost game two 99-93 to the Grizzlies last night, and that evens the series up 1-1 as the series heads to Memphis.

Game Grades:

Kevin Durant- 43 minutes, 36 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists- A+

KD played one of the best games I have ever seen him play. He was absolutely torching the Grizzlies throughout the game, whether it was his scoring in the second half or his great play-making in the first. KD was pretty much the only consistent threat on offense for OKC and he nearly won this game all by himself for the Thunder. I continue to say that LeBron is hands down the best player in the league, but KD is making himself a good case in these playoffs.

Serge Ibaka- 38 minutes, 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks- C

Ibaka has easily been the biggest disappointment of the playoffs for the Thunder in my opinion. He has been a complete non-factor on offense and his defense hasn’t been as great as we have come to expect it to be. He gets a lot of open jump shots thanks to KD, and he hasn’t been able to knock them down. He is going to have to step up his game if the Thunder want to win this series.

Kevin Martin- 29 minutes, 6 points, 1 assist, 1 steal- D

Martin had come off two 25  point performances in his last two games and he totally stunk up the joint in this one. I was really surprised because I thought that Martin had finally found his rhythm in these playoffs. If Martin had been half as effective as he was in game one, then the Thunder would have won this game. OKC needs Martin to knock down perimeter shots and be aggressive in taking the ball to the basket to take some pressure off of KD. He did not do this last night and that was a big reason why they lost.

Thabo Sefolosha- 23 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists- B

Thabo had a decent game last night. He hit some early shots to get the Thunder started and played solid defense throughout the game. I still would like to see him hit more perimeter shots when he gets them. Because of KD’s ability to take it to the basket, Thabo gets a lot of open looks.

Derek Fisher- 26 minutes, 19 points, 1 assist, 1 steal- A

Fisher should be named MVP of this team when the playoffs end. Well, that is a bit extreme but Fisher really was playing like one during the first half of this game. He was carrying the offense by hitting a bunch of tough three point shots, and he even hit some nice jumpers  in the lane. Fisher was the only guy not named KD that had any type of success on the offensive end for OKC, and that will have to change if they want to advance in these playoffs.

Reggie Jackson- 29 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists- C+

Jackson had another disappointing game last night as he only scored 10 points for OKC, and that is not enough to take pressure off of KD. Jackson is a very talented player, and he has to be more aggressive in going to the hoop to draw more attention to himself, which will give Durant more opportunities.

Kendrick Perkins- 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block- B-

Perk was solid on defense, but he was awful on the offensive end. Now, we have come to expect really bad offense out of Perk but I thought last night may have been his worse offensive game as a pro. He did hit some big free throws late in the game, but other than that he did not do one positive thing for OKC on offense.

Nick Collison- 15 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, 4 turnovers- B+

Collison’s line may look like he did nothing for the Thunder last night, but he really played some great defense on Zach Randolph. Randolph did finish with 15 points on 6-12 shooting, but when Collison was defending him he really struggled to put the ball in the basket.

Hasheem Thabeet- 13 points, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls-B

Thabeet did exactly what the Thunder needed him to do when he was put into the game. He was a big body that was used to try and disrupt the Grizzlies inside post game. He also is a decent screener on the offense end.

Scott Brooks- B

I think Brooks managed the lineups pretty well in this game. He used small lineups when he needed to, and he rotated his big guys fairly well. I do think that he shouldn’t have kept Durant on the bench for so long to start the fourth quarter.