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| Kevin Jairaj / US PRESSWIRE |
Thunder's previous game: A disappointing turn of events were to occur last Thursday when the Thunder fell to the Heat 110-100 at home. Lebron James' legendary run of scoring 30+ points on 60% shooting for 6 straight games was ended in Oklahoma City, but not because of anyone's particular defense - just the fact he took a pointless three in the last few minutes of play, acting careless as if it was a meaningless feat.
The closest the Thunder would get to the Heat was at the start of the game, trailing Miami 7-10 before a series of turn overs and missed shots plagued KD and the Thunder. The result of Oklahoma City's four turn overs - for 8 points in the first quarter was a 21-6 run by Miami, that would extend their lead to 15 by the time the period ended.
Kevin Durant couldn't get a shot to drop anywhere on the floor, going 0-4 in the quarter - scoring only 2 after being sent to the free throw line by Chris Andersen(who recently signed with the heat, a contract lasting until the end of the season) with just 1:02 left in the quarter. Kevin Durant took a nasty spill soon before scoring his first two points. After jumping in the air for a rebound, his legs were knocked out from under him and he fell awkwardly on his chest/arm with nothing to break his fall but his body. You can watch the scary incident here.
The Thunder wouldn't make any sort of a run until the fourth quarter, a quarter in which Kevin Durant went off for 22 of his game-high 40 points on 8-10 shooting - pulling the Thunder within eight at one point. Despite his offensive effort, Durant had a couple of costly turn overs late in the quarter which resulted in easy fast-break points for Miami, and helped the Heatles seal the deal on the Thunder.
No one could stop Lebron James. He could get to the line when he wanted - going to the line five times out of his nine total free throw attempts in the first quarter. He finished the game with 39 points on just under 60% shooting, to go along with his 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Dywane Wade was fairly quiet, yet productive for the Heat. He didn't score a lot - scoring just 13 points on 13 attempts, but was able to facilitate fairly well as he ended the game with 8 assists before he was fouled out late in the game.
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| Scott Halleran / SB Nation |
Last meeting with the Rockets: Oklahoma City had their way with the Rockets in their last meeting, blowing them out by thirty with a 124-94 victory. This was the first game we got to see major minutes from sophomore Reggie Jackson, now the Honey-Badger's primary back up. Eric Maynor got to see the floor for just five minutes this game, the same amount of time rook Jeremy Lamb got to play.
Jackson had a pretty productive game - contributing nicely off the bench for 8 points on 3-6 shooting to go along with 6 rebounds(0 assists) in his 18 minutes of play. The Thunder's bench production was fantastic, and one of their better performances of the season - out scoring Houston's bench 44-24.
It was one of the rare games Kevin Martin actually showed up on the road, going 5-8 from down town and scoring 19 points on 14 shots. Perhaps it was a testament to the Thunder organization as well to the Rocket's organization - that he was indeed an elite scorer in the NBA, and could fit in just fine coming off the bench for the Thunder. Though that hasn't been the case all season on the road, but it definitely proves his capabilities.
Marcus Morris was impressive for the Rockets, scoring 24 points on 9-14 shooting. James Harden wasn't that efficient with his shooting, scoring 25 points while going 6-17 from the field. Being guarded by his old teammate Thabo Sefolosha hasn't proven to be exactly easy for James, struggling immensely in both his meetings against the Thunder as a Houston Rocket. Maybe tonight he can finally figure it out and give the Thunder something they'll remember.
Thunder Essentials:
Money Ball - The Thunder, specifically Kevin Martin, torched Houston from beyond the arc in their last meeting, shooting 44% on 13 of 29 makes. I don't think taking 29 threes is sustainable, of course - but if they can make another 13 treys while being a little more efficient, they have another chance to blow the Rockets out again.
Kevin Martin - This guy needs to show up on the road for once, and show up big. Yes he's playing his old team so there's some extra motivation there, but he really needs to get into a rhythm offensively coming off the All-Star break. He needs to find ways to be consistent on the road, and find ways to get to the foul line more often. He can't settle for spot up threes all the time - even though he's a 40% three-point shooter.
Interior Defense - Houston is second in the league in scoring points in the paint, averaging 46.4 a game. With Perkins out tonight, Hasheem the Dream and Nick Collison's defensive productively will be huge. Harden's driving abilties and Omer Asik's offensive glass presence is what makes Houston, Houston. Not getting sucked into PnR's and playing excellent transition D will be crucial.
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