BOX SCORES

vs CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, (W 118-109):

39 MINS | 20 PTS (9/14 FG, 2/3 FT) | 13 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 4 TO | 3 PF

vs GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS, (L 130-114):

35 MINS | 13 PTS (6/9 FG, 1/6 FT) | 3 REB | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 PF

at WASHINGTON WIZARDS, (L 120-98):

19 MINS | 9 PTS (2/7 FG, 5/6 FT) | 11 REB | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 2 PF

NEXT WEEK

vs NEW YORK KNICKS, Thursday 3.30pm (NZT)

… And then the All Star Break

vs CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (W 118-109)

With the defending champs coming off a back to back (), there was thought that at least one of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love would be rested for this one… if not all three. But nah, just a smokescreen. Come game-day and all three were good to go.

Stevie won the tip-off and scored the first points of the game with a five-foot hook shot like he’s been chucking up so often this season. He lobbed up another soon after but it rattled the rim and shot back out. Still, Victor Oladipo scored 7 quick points to get OKC playing from in front.

In fact everyone was getting involved for the Thunder. Hence Westbrook was able to log 6 rebounds and 5 assists in that first quarter (missing all three FGAs though). Cameron Payne made some shots off the bench and a surprisingly strong team effort (nine different scorers in the first 15 minutes) was overshadowing the big three of the Cavaliers. 29-21 after 1Q, 41-29 at one stage early into the second. A 10-0 run to end the first.

Adams has had to pick up a lot of the slack from Enes Kanter’s injury and one way that’s taken form is in playing quite a few minutes with the bench dudes. Kanter bossed that bench with his offensive rebounding and his scoring. You take that out of an already average bench and it’s a recipe for disaster. Here against the Cavs Stevie went and played the entire first quarter, not doing all that much extra as a playmaker, just holding down his usual role and allowing others to flourish. For example, you chuck a strong rim protector in there and it frees up the likes of Alex Abrines to get dunking himself, of all people. 6 points and 5 boards in the first, shooting 3 outta 4.

From 12 points down, the Cavaliers naturally rallied. Gotta expect that, right? A three minute spell without a point allowed the champs to fly all the way back to 41-41 before a Russ triple ended the drought. LeBron James scored 16 points in the first half though and the Cavs scored the last six points of the quarter to lead 57-55 at HT.

Again Adams played the entire third quarter, his work-rate it getting kinda crazy but you do what you gotta do. The benefit of that is there’s always a top quality defender on the court and between he and Andre Roberson the second half of defence was magnificent. Roberson especially, the dude was marking LeBron James and he kept him to only two points in the last couple quarters. He had 18 over all did King James.

INTERCEPTED, PICK-SIX!!!

Oh damn, he missed.

Third quarters being what they are for OKC, they needed to stay hot on offence and Westbrook dropped 11 points to ensure exactly that. A lead was gathered and that lead may not have ever felt all that safe yet it lingered on into the fourth quarter. Then it kept lingering. It got within a point and Cam Payne and Andre Roberson scored a few buckets. Westbrook re-entered the game and they were still leading, Adams re-entered the game and they were still leading.

Jerami Grant fouled Derrick Williams for three which was dumb, then Adams got blocked at the rim by LeBron and Kyrie Irving, who’d score 28 points, tied the game at 99. Next thing Westbrook scores eight quick points before dishing to Stevie for another and it was all cash from there on. Thunder win it 118-109 with Westbrook finishing sporting numbers that read: 29p/12r/11a for yet another triple-double. 20 points and 13 rebounds for Kiwi Steve, boom!

Also 23 points for Oladipo and 15 for Payne off the bench, easily his best game of the season. Kevin Love scored 15 with 12 boards for the Cavs and Derrick Williams added 12 of his own points. Icing on the cake was Dipo’s 360 layup, this thing was a work of art. All started with an Adams block of LBJ as well:

By the way, this was the first time that Adams, Westbrook and Oladipo have all scored 20+ in the same game for OKC.

Welcome to Loud City: “Steven Adams: The ‘Big Kiwi’s’ added offensive game is imperative for OKC’s success. Adams’ footwork seems to improve with each passing contest.”

One way that we usually use to get a gauge on how a defensively stout fella like Steven Adams goes each game is to check the production of his opposite number. Well, alongside 10 points, Tristan Thompson was also kept to only 5 rebounds for the game. This a dude who averages 7.9p & 9.6r so you know he did alright on him. That points total is misleading as well coz lately he’s been a much bigger weapon (he put 22 on Washington the other day) plus he had 19p & 11r last time he played OKC. Old mate Tristan, aye?

Daily Thunder: “And, speaking of Adams, he was amazing tonight all around.  He was able to shut down Tristan Thompson (10 points and 5 rebounds), was an absolute monster on the boards, and played a great game on the offensive end.  He played a lot of minutes tonight (39) and he made the most of them.”

vs GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (L 130-114)

Yes, it was finally time. The return of the not-exactly prodigal son. Kevin Durant has played the Thunder twice this season and most recently there was a little kerfuffle in a game which Adams happened to miss, Zaza Pachulia getting all WWE over Russell Westbrook. Zaza, as it happens, conveniently missed this game with a recurring shoulder injury.

Although his replacement in the starting five, the oft-maligned JaVale McGee, went and played superbly in his small role finishing off dunks and layups, the bugger making 5/5 in the first half. Not that anyone was paying too much attention to the Shaqtin A Fool Hall of Famer.

Nah, it was Russ vs KD that got the loving, Durant loudly booed every time he touched the ball while Westbrook was met with cheers and adoration. About as you’d expect, though the crowd reached boiling point when the two fellas found themselves guarding one or the other. Anyway, it was Steven Adams who scored the first bucket.

Undercover fact about it is that Durant’s two top scoring games of the season came against OKC back in California. He may have been returning to familiar territory in unfamiliar colour but he’s been slaying this season this season and it’s not really a surprise that he got himself involved again. He missed a few shots early on (just as Steve missed two free throws) but once they starting going they didn’t stop. Yet the Thunder also had a very fired up Russell Westbrook who was more than carrying them along. The one issue was that in an attempt to get everyone else involved he was passing on looks he coulda shot from and that was driving the turnovers. It was 22-20 when he checked out and that spelled a 20-4 GSW run, building a lead they’d never be able to extinguish.

But in a lot of ways, this game wasn’t about the score – it was about a fiery OKC crowd, letting out all those cathartic boos to harbour in a new era of their franchise: the Post-Durant Era. To be fair it had already begun… but this was the ceremonial inauguration.

About the game though, by half time it had gotten even worse. Steph Curry drained some shots and while Stevie popped a not-so-ugly pull-up jumper from about 15 feet right at the buzzer, it rimmed out. He’s got a bit more range than he usually shows though, you see it in practice sometimes. Anyway, for the eighth time this season the Warriors had 70+ at HT, not to mention a 23 point lead.

So the game was all but over already yet the party was only just getting started. In the third we had several tasty incidents involving Kevin Durant in hostile territory. First the jawing back and forth between Westbrook and Durant as they walked away from each other for a timeout (following an Oladipo three assisted by Russ).

“I’m coming!”

Later on he clashed with Andre Roberson, as Dre fouled him going to the basket and Durant landed hard, hitting his leg against the hoop stanchion and having a couple words when he stood up. Dre said a few back and next thing they were head to head and he refs were dashing in to break them apart. Somehow Andre Iguodala was the one called for a technical foul.

Chris Mannix/The Vertical: “Late in the third, Roberson and Durant got tangled up. The two went nose to nose, exchanging a head-butt before circling around a scrum to go chest to chest again. Durant downplayed the incident. Roberson? “My parents didn’t raise me to back down from somebody,” Roberson said. “I have the utmost respect for him as person. The decision he made kind of doesn’t sit right with me. But it’s in the past, and we have got to move forward.”

Anyway, Westbrook went genuinely insane trying to get his team back into the game and that meant hoop after hoop after hoop. After he sat down for the start of the fourth, the bench continued the good work and they got as close as 12 points. That was it though. With OKC down by 15 points, Steven Adams had a badass block of Steph Curry at the rim. Yeah get it in ya, bro.

Russ then made a couple free throws and they were down 13, a bit over five minutes left. Still a chance… until Westbrook left a hand in and fouled Klay Thompson for three, he made ‘em all, and Kevin Durant came back in and went kaboom with five quick points. Westbrook and Adams both left the game for good with 1:52 remaining and the game all-but-officially over.

Great atmosphere, thrilling game… not a close contest. Westbrook had an immense final three quarters and ended the game with 47 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists… but he had 11 turnovers. Durant had 34, Curry had 36 and Thompson also had 26. Oladipo had 20 for the Thunder and Adams chipped in with 13 though it should have been more as he missed his first five free throws. After such a brilliant start with the FTs, he regressing a bit the last month or two.

Kevin Durant: “Basketball is fun in general, especially in an environment like this. The crowd was amazing. They were loud -- as loud as I've ever heard them.”

Understandably, pretty much all the articles focussed on Durant and Westbrook, with the rest all looking at the crowd. You wanna know what the insiders thought of Adams’ performance you’ll have to go a long way to find that take. But his screen game is on full display in the highlights and the lad also shot 3/3 on attempts assisted by Westbrook. Oladipo was 3/4 from Russ passes. The rest of them were a combined 2/11 so that’s a fair indication of where the power balance lies in Oklahoma.

CBS Sports: “The athleticism and length of Kevin Durant, JaVale McGee and Draymond Green were too much for Adams to handle Saturday. The Warriors kept Adams off the glass the whole night and limited him to one-handed midrange push shots. In fact, the last time Adams failed to grab more than three rebounds was December 4th, 34 games ago.”

Berry Tramel/NewsOK: “The stark truth is, the Warriors are a bad matchup for the Thunder (every team is) but Golden State also gets fired up for OKC, because of recent history (ZaZa Pachulia vs. Westbrook; Green vs. Steven Adams) and because of their new-found devotion to Durant.”

at WASHINGTON WIZARDS, (L 120-98)

Now for the hangover. A trip to the absolutely roasting Washington Wizards, whose only loss in the last ten games was an overtime stunner against the Cleveland Cavaliers (LeBron hit that bank shot three, remember?). Under the guidance of John Wall, they’re amazing at home with a 23-7 record in their own house prior to this one including a 17 game home winning streak prior to that Cavs defeat. Oh and they’re coached by Scotty Brooks, the first coach that Steven Adams ever knew in the NBA.

Look and the Thunder clearly expended a lot of energy in that loss to the Warriors. Especially emotionally and this was always gonna be a tough one. What you don’t wanna do in that situation is let the Wizzies make their first nine field goals and shoot out to a 22-6 lead within five minutes. Three early turnovers for OKC, Bradley Beal had scored 11 before some fans had even taken their seats.

Interestingly Adams was sat with 7:03 still to play in the first. He’s been getting big work in the first and third as you know but Donovan had to alter something with the way his lads ere starting Andre Roberson picked up two early fouls as well, which was rough when he’s easily the best defender against guards that they have and Wall and Beal sure take some defending. Stevie did get a hoop in there before he picked up his water bottle and towel, a tip-in from a Sabonis miss, and he returned to the contest two minutes later when Sabonis took his rest.

Positive happening: The offensive boards were still flowing for Stevo and he confidently made his first two free throw attempts. Coulda been better at the finish, missing a couple of shots in there.

And OKC came back too. End of the first and it was 38-32 and reason to be hopeful despite it all. Surely the Wizards weren’t gonna shoot 70% for the rest of the game, ya know. Westbrook already had 13 points, same as Brad Beal. Adams with 6 and 3 boards. Two fouls though, even if one might kick up a fuss over the calls.

Yet having got within range again, the Thunder couldn’t capitalise and the Wizards stretched it out once their starters returned. Adams a couple of times made strong rebounds (up against Marcin ‘The Polish Hammer’ Gortat) with kick outs that cost him assists when the shots were missed, not to mention he didn’t score himself in the second. Nine rebounds though, that’s solid. At the break the Wiz led 67-54, Markieff Morris getting involved with 15 points, seven of them in that 2Q and eight in the first. Russ with 17 but he was 1/7 from the field in the second.

A scary moment late in the half, Adams blocked Wall under the hoop and sparked a break but as Westbrook fed it inside to him on around the FT line, Adams rolled over on his left ankle and stumbled. Didn’t look comfy and he was (correctly but coldly) called for a travel on the play. He stayed in for the next play though, only coming out as Westbrook took a foul and went to the line.

Adams was back out to start the third and running well, no worries there. With some different shoes on by the way. Guts that the third went the same way as the second, with the Wizards making the most of a bunch of Thunder misses to start the third off on a 12-1 run, the one point coming via Stevie at the FT line. The run ended (in as much as runs end – they’re pretty arbitrary things) with Adams fouled under the hoop and he made both of them (5/6 at this stage, the inverse of his 1/6 against the Dubs). Still wasn’t getting his field goals to sink at 2/7, mind.

Once John Wall’s pulling out the full-speed, between-the-legs assists you know that you’re in trouble:

Third quarter woes have been a theme for OKC this season but they don’t usually strike this bad. While Brad Beal was out there hitting 6/7 from three and John Wall was dishing dimes, the Thunder somehow conspired to miss *24* consecutive field goals. No, that’s not a typo. Twenty-four.  

Adams took a seat with 8:08 left in the third, down 81-57, and Westbrook followed him with 6:20 on the clock and the score at 91-59. Trey Burke hit one right at the buzzer and it was 101-73 after three, the second game in a row that OKC had leaked triple-figures before the 4Q. While every Wizards starter already had at least 12 points, Russ was the only Thunderman with double figures (17 points on 19 shots). The bench played the whole of the fourth quarter, Cam Payne impressing most on his way to 12 points in 23 while Beal shot 7/8 from the field for 22 points, Morris had 23 and Wall scored 15 with 14 assists.

If it’s any consolation, the Warriors also got blown out in their first game after Durant’s return, going down 132-110 in Denver.

And about that shoe:

ODDS & ENDS

Look who popped up on ESPN’s The Jump this week…

Yup, Steve and Victor Oladipo both made appearances as Rachel Nichols and the team went on the road to OKC in the lead in to the Thunder-Dubs game, though to be honest they spent most of the segment with him marvelling about his appetite and trying to gather the concept of hangis. Adams is hilarious and honest when he’s with the Thunder media but the big timers tend to treat him like a novelty and you don’t get as much personality coming through.

For example: First off, how many dudes even bother to ask about the intern in a sling (or whatever it was) in the middle of a media scrum? Second of all, the punchline is top notch.

Cuuuute:

Sorry Steve, but the Old Crow Medicine show do it way better than Darius Rucker does. He’ll still appreciate it, surely. Also shout out to Deano for the karaoke effort. One more thing that Steve and Dipo (the NBA’s foremost Sinatra fan) have I common.

We also know he likes himself some Backstreet Boys.