You know, quite often Steven Adams and Enes Kanter get pitted against each other. It’s offence or defence, take your pick. Who should start? Who is more valuable? Who better suits the way the team plays? But while all those things make for fun fan debates, you can bet that any coach is happy to have both of them. To have a variety of options is a dream scenario and while each has solid numbers on their own, combine them and you can see that the Thunder are far from a two-man team. They’re getting quality from that 5 position.

And even though people do make them out to be in some sort of competition for minutes, the dudes themselves are pretty chummy. Case and point: the twin moustaches. Get them on a playoff run and they can become legendary, just like the Boston Beards when the Red Sox won the World Series a while back. The Mo’ Wagon is already picking up pace with these magnificent shirts hitting the market. Save up ya pennies, Thunder fans.

Or chuck in Adams’ vociferous reaction to some shifty eurostepping from Kanter vs Portland this week:

Looove it.

Box Scores

• vs LAC (W 120-108): 30 MINS, 9 PTS (4/8 FG, 1/2 FT), 9 REB, 1 AST, 1 TO, 2 PF
• vs MIN (L 99-96): 25 MINS, 9 PTS (4/5 FG, 0/1 FT), 13 REB, 4 BLK, 4 TO, 4 PF
• at SAS (L 93-85): 22 MINS, 10 PTS (5/8 FG), 5 REB, 4 PF
• vs POR (W 128-94): 19 MINS, 13 PTS (5/6 FG, 3/4 FT), 3 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 2 PF

Right, so remember last week when the Thunder blew a massive lead against the Clippers? It pretty much summed up their biggest problem all season – playing hard for four quarters. They’ve somehow got a rubbish record of losing fourth quarter leads and they went right on and added to that over the past seven days. Crucially though, not against the Clippers at home.

That’s because there’s this lad by the name of Russell Westbrook and he doesn’t do getting shown up too many times in a row. After Chris Paul led the Clippers to that unlikely comeback last time, Westbrook was outstanding here. Just a fireball of energy. Kevin Durant said it was like something out of NBA 2K - on rookie mode. Westbrook logged a triple double with three quarters and finished with 25 points, 20 assists and 11 rebounds. That’s a career high for assists… in fact the last person with a points/rebounds/assists TD that included at least 25 points and 20 rebounds, well, that was Magic Johnson in 1988. The year that Westbrook was born in.

Or at least that would have been the case, had one of those assists not been wrongly attributed to him. He should have only had 19 and that was soon fixed up by the stat folks the next day. And who should get the benefit of that extra assist? Why, that would be a certain Steven Adams. Let FTW explain:

“There’s no grey area in this situation: The stat-keeper clearly erred in giving Westbrook the dime instead of Steven Adams, who not only made the pass but also set a screen to give Durant more room to make the shot. Adams was not credited with an assist during the game.”

Steve had some nice things to say about Russ after the game too:

Steven Adams on Westbrook: "That is our commander in chief, really, just helping everyone out. It was brilliant because he was reading the defense and wasn't forcing anything, just playing the game."

The Clippers game came on what was another tragic day for the Thunder, as news broke that Dion Waiters’ brother had been shot and killed in Philadelphia. After the deaths of assistant coach Monty Williams’ wife (he won’t be back this season) and part-owner Aubrey McClendon (there was a video tribute to him before the LAC game), it’s hard to know what to say. Just awful. Waiters left the team to be with his family and played since, though he has returned. Best wishes and prayers to him and his.

OKC were inspired from the start against the Clips. 39 points in the first quarter with Westbrook flipping 8 assists in that Qtr. They were only up by two at half time. That score stayed close until Durant sat in the third and the Thunder inexplicably blew it out. They remained positive and robust with a double-figure lead in the fourth and this time they closed it out. Durant with 30 points and 12 rebounds himself, his fourth straight game with those benchmarks. Curiously, despite playing against DeAndre Jordan, one of the best rebounders in the game, the Thunder led the boards 52-29 and gave up only 2 offensive ones.

Sweet, nice win. Good-oh. Next up OKC met the Timberwolves. A team with some fantastic young prospects but not a team challenging the playoffs. Outrageously OKC then began shooting 2 of 16 to start, falling to a 21-8 deficit with a raft of turnovers. The Thunder went on a big streak to reel that back in and from then on it was pretty to and fro. Durant scored 28 and Westbrook 26, but between them they coughed the ball up 11 times. Good off the boards from both Adams (13 rebs) and Kanter (14). OKC took a 73-69 lead into the fourth. You know what that means…

Two free throws from Gorgui Deng and Minny were up 88-87 with 3:28 remaining. Then a couple Kiwi Steve rebounds, a powerful block and then seven points from Kevin Durant had them back up four. Steven Adams committed an offensive foul (illegal screen) on either side of Karl-Anthony Towns two-fors that put the T-Wolves in front, but the Thunder tied it up when Steve put one back with force after KAT blocked a Durant effort with ten seconds to go. Boom. Except that then this happened:

Rubio – a career 31% three point shooter – wins it on the buzzer. That’s one to really leave you staring in disbelief. But it should have come down to that. 24 turnovers for 26 points, 22% from three. The NBA actually came out and said that the Thunder should have been awarded a foul for a late KAT challenge on KD, with 90 seconds to go and a 92-90 lead. But, like, it’s the T-Wolves guys. Come on. The Thunder were their own worst enemy.

Thunder Digest: “Rebound: A - The T-Wolves didn’t hurt Oklahoma City on the board. The Thunder were their aggressive, league leading self. Really quality rebounding by Enes Kanter and Steven Adams. It really is weird Donovan took out Enes Kanter after his 20 minutes when he was playing really well.”

WTLC: “Steven Adams had a hook over Towns, a putback over Towns, a open dunk created by Westbrook, and another shot at the rim. A respectable 4 of 5 night from Adams from the field. Adams was consistently effective as a rim protector, though not against Towns specifically. Towns was able to hit a couple of jumpers against Adams, as well as beat him to the rim once. But Adams had four blocks on the game, and other stops still.”

Also WTLC: “Kanter was actually solid tonight. I counted two baskets allowed and two baskets deterred. Kanter was particularly good in the Twin Towers lineup with Steven Adams in the first half. Disappointing that we didn't get to see more of that.”

Daily Thunder: “Steven Adams went to work on Karl Towns in the second half, and by went to work, I mean he tried to get in his head big time. Don’t think it worked.”

That Rubio shot was even more damaging because next up the Thunder met San Antonio in Texas. And it just so happens that they hadn’t lost at home all season. Yet for three quarters OKC were right up there with them.

The Spurs had a starting frontcourt of Tony Parker and Danny Green. Between them they’d score 9 points all game and they were scoreless until the last quarter. Great defence, contesting shooters, an offence that was continually ticking over points. Not that they were without issues, turnovers and three point shooting for two things, but if you’re leading this Spurs team then you’re doing plenty right. Same goes for your role as a serial pest if you’re able to get through to the unshakable Tim Duncan.

That’s truly something to be proud of.

49-45 up at half time, 68-66 up after three quarter. But leading into the fourth continues to be an irrelevant factor to this Thunder team. And then Green slipped off Westbrook’s guarding to get open for a three with seven minutes left that put the Spurs up 79-76 in a lead they would not diminish. Westbrook turned it over the next possession and SAS ended on a 17-9 run.

Durant scored 28 (from 25 shots) and Westbrook 19, but they were a combined 1/9 from 3pt. Aside from Adams’ 10 there was little else except for Enes Kanter’s 11 points and 17 rebounds. Good from him. However LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 and Kawhi Leonard came up huge with 26p/7r/3a/3s. He was superb, this a man who, according to recent Sports Illustrated profile, drives a '97 Chevy Tahoe and freaked out in the summer when he lost his coupons to Wingstop. He is currently on a $94m contract, so you know. Man you’ve gotta love the Spurs (unless you hate them, in which case you also have no choice).

One idea gaining traction in the Thunder Blogs is that perhaps Kanter (playing very well recently) deserves more opportunities late in games, where his additional offence can be put to use at a time where OKC tend to just go with KD/Russ isolation plays.

Billy Donovan to Royce Young: “I think if you move and share the basketball you’re going to be able to score points. And Enes is a terrific scorer, and he’s gotten better defensively, but I think sometimes matchup-wise in pick-and-roll coverage and some of those things, as much as he’s made some positive strides, I just think Steven for us and what he’s done… because I’ve evaluated some of that after the All-Star break and after the break I think Steven’s probably playing around 22 or 23 minutes a game. Now some of that has been foul trouble he’s gotten in, that’s cut down some of his minutes, but from a defensive standpoint I think what Steven can do and what he brings, getting him out there is important.”

WTLC: “Adams was as reliable as ever. At least a couple of defensive stops from Adams, as well as four baskets at the rim. Generally Adams scored whenever someone else got him space, but there was one nice hook over David west. The flip shot was there, as usual.”

ESPN: “Oklahoma City is 53-22 since the start of the 2013-14 season with Durant, Westbrook, Roberson, Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka starting.”

Ooh, and this from rookie Cam Payne after the game, whose minutes have shrunk considerably:

Losing to the Spurs wasn’t nearly as grating as losing to the Timberwolves but it did mean a two game streak without a win. That had to change, the Thunder are playing for a high seed here and the margin for error is slim if they’re to hold on to third in the west (beating the Clippers definitely helped that cause). Next up they faced the Portland Trailblazers at home.

The Blazers were expected to be awful this season after losing four of their starting five in free agency, but instead they’ve struck gold with the Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum combo at the guards. So giving up a McCollum triple to start the game wasn’t ideal. Adams responded with a dunk but the Thunder seemed vulnerable outside. Except they then went on a 15-0 run to end the 1Q, and that fire extended out into a 40-8 spell. Russell Westbrook fumbled a rebound that would have given him the fastest ever NBA triple double in 16 minutes. He’d get it in 21 instead. His night ended after 28 minutes, with 17 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. 

Even more important than the numbers he put up may have been the ones that he didn’t. Westbrook’s 9 turnovers against the Spurs made it 49 in his last eight games. He didn’t have a single one against the Blazers (and neither did our lad Steve, just sayin’). But, you know, also the triple double. The Thunder and 12-0 in his trip-dubs.

Unlike those recent slip ups, OKC were in full focus here. They went into half time with a 24 point lead and still outscored Portland in the third and fourth quarters. Enes Kanter top scored with 26, he showed some great flashes in an extended outing – in part facilitated by the heavy lead. The Blazers shot 7 of 27 from three, a very sickly 25.9%... and that’s after making four of their first eight. Only 19 minutes for Steve, the Thunder found big success with a small, offensive line-up that had Durant and Kanter in the backcourt, though Adams made the most of his time shooting 5/6 FGs.

NewsOK: “Communication is the lifeblood of defense. It's what still keeps Kendrick Perkins in the league. For the Thunder, it's been absent of late. On Monday, it wasn't. From the bigs to the guards to the coaching staff, everyone was talking. They were calling out and recognizing screens. They were making proper rotations. They were summoning over Donovan, more than usual, for dead-ball discussions. The result: Portland, the league's seventh best offense, shot a putrid 34 percent.”

WTLC: “The bigs in particular had a sublime performance. Enes Kanter was pretty much unhindered by Mason Plumlee as he waltzed to the rim for 26 points. Steven Adams was able to do his usual pick and rolls for 13 easy points on near perfect 5 of 6 shooting. Even Serge Ibaka got into the act, nailing 5 of 6 wide open mid-range jumpers and 1 of 2 threes.”

A couple ones that Steve might want back, now. First off, Al-Farouq Aminu certainly let him know about this play:

And then this reminder that nobody else gets to try on the Golden State Warriors’ swagger. They earned it. Andrew Bogut and Steph Curry made waves with their premature celebration. This was a premature celebration:

And one more for this edition, here’s a focus on Stevie’s improvements this season from Thunderous Intentions:

This Week in Moustache Jokes