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Oklahoma City Thunder News

James Harden has done wonders for the Thunder, but he's not an All-Star just yet
February 10
The Oklahoman
 
"Kevin Durant was in already. Russell Westbrook is in now. But James Harden? He won't be joining his Thunder teammates in the All-Star Game this year. When the reserves were announced Thursday evening, the shooting guard was not among the Western Conference backups. That's as it should have been. Listen, you won't find a bigger fan of The Beard than yours truly. This guy's game is outstanding. He can shoot from outside. He can get to the hole. He can create for his teammates. He can defend you a little bit, too. But he's not an All-Star yet. Not when you see the other players who were left off the Western Conference squad. Joining the previously named starters — Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant,"
Russell Westbrook named NBA All-Star reserve
February 10
The Oklahoman
 
"Shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday, reserves for this year's NBA All-Star Game were revealed. Roughly 2½ hours later, though their emotions no doubt were headed in opposite directions, Thunder guards Russell Westbrook and James Harden insisted they were thinking solely about the game they were about to play against the Sacramento Kings at Power Balance Pavilion. For the second straight season, Westbrook will join teammate Kevin Durant on the Western Conference roster. Harden, however, did not receive enough votes from Western coaches to earn one of his conference's seven reserve spots. "He's played All-Star level basketball, so he's an All-Star in my eyes," OKC coach Scott Brooks said. Brooks"
OKC Thunder blows lead, falls to Sacramento Kings
February 10
The Oklahoman
 
"Another crazy night on the road for OKC. Another angry crowd. Another opponent taking dead aim at the NBA's best record. Another post-midnight finish for fans watching on television back home. Unfortunately for the Thunder, not another victory. The Sacramento Kings closed out the game with a 19-6 scoring spurt to post a 106-101 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,317 at Power Balance Pavilion. The scrappy Kings were the opponent, but OKC's primary foe once again was turnovers. The Thunder committed 23 turnovers, which Sacramento transformed into 28 points, which is 18 more points than OKC got off the Kings' 12 turnovers. "It's unbelievable," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks, shaking his"
OKC Thunder blows lead, falls to Sacramento Kings
February 10
The Oklahoman
 
"Another crazy night on the road for OKC. Another angry crowd. Another opponent taking dead aim at the NBA's best record. Another post-midnight finish for fans watching on television back home. Unfortunately for the Thunder, not another victory. The Sacramento Kings closed out the game with a 19-6 scoring spurt to post a 106-101 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,317 at Power Balance Pavilion. The scrappy Kings were the opponent, but OKC's primary foe once again was turnovers."
Thunder notebook: One more win and Scott Brooks is All-Star coach
February 9
The Oklahoman
 
"With the Los Angeles Clippers losing 99-92 at Cleveland on Wednesday night, Scott Brooks' magic number to become the Western Conference All-Star coach is down to one. One more victory by the Thunder between Thursday and next Wednesday clinches the best record by the league's Feb. 15 cutoff date. The coach with the best winning percentage in each conference at that time gets to coach his conference at the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando on Feb. 26. The best record Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro can have is 19-8. (.704). The best record San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich can have is 21-9 (.700). With one more victory, the worst record Brooks can have is 21-8 (.724)."
Kendrick Perkins offers one more reason why LeBron James made the 'most hated athletes' list
February 9
The Oklahoman
 
"Kendrick Perkins thinks LeBron James wants to be loved. Um, who doesn't want a little love? The Blake-Posterized-Perk Saga took another turn Wednesday. Even though Blake Griffin threw down a thunderous slam over the Thunder big man a week ago, the shock waves continue. Yahoo! Sports talked to Perk about the episode on Tuesday when the Thunder was in Oakland to play the Warriors, then Perk went on The Jim Rome Show to talk about it some more Wednesday. Much of what he said echoed what he told our man Darnell Mayberry last week. That getting dunked on is an occupational hazard when you're a shot blocker. That Griffin made a great play. That he'd challenge Big Blake again if given the chance."
Thunder is on a roll, yet no one seems satisfied
February 9
The Oklahoman
 
"Not long after the Thunder stole a three-point win over Golden State on Tuesday night, forward Nick Collison rose from his seat inside the visitor's locker room at Oracle Arena and provided some perspective on the Oklahoma City Thunder's early season success. As he slipped on the matching jacket to his gray sweatsuit, Collison gave a brief reminder of where this team was four years ago. "I remember when we only won 20 games," Collison said of the 2007-08 Seattle SuperSonics. "That still doesn't seem that long ago, and I'll never forget it." That's as close as anyone with the Thunder will come to relishing the current ride, which has the Thunder off to a league-best 20-5 start going into"
Kendrick Perkins rips LeBron for dunk tweet
February 8
Yahoo! Sports
 
"Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins has seen the replays of Blake Griffin dunking on him. He's also read all the Twitter buzz about what is being called one of the greatest slams in NBA history. But if Griffin challenges him again, Perkins doesn't plan to run for cover. "If I was in the same position, in the same rotation, I'm going to jump again and again and again," Perkins told Yahoo! Sports. "I don't care. A lot of people are afraid of humiliation or don't know how to handle embarrassment or would even get embarrassed. I don't care. "I'm the same Perk you're going to see. I'm still going to sign autographs the same way. I ain't going to change. The people that move out the"
Thunder notebook: NBA says goaltending call was incorrect
February 8
The Oklahoman
 
"The NBA announced Tuesday that Kevin Durant's basket with six seconds remaining in regulation Monday at Portland should not have counted. Durant was awarded two points when an official ruled that a blocked shot by LaMarcus Aldridge was goaltending. "With the benefit of slow motion replay following the game, it has been determined that Aldridge made contact with the ball just before the ball hit the backboard," the statement read. "Therefore, this should have been ruled a good block and goaltending was the incorrect call." The statement went on to clarify that referees are prohibited from using instant replay on goaltending calls, as determined by the NBA's Competition Committee."
Thunder wins another tight one, 119-116 over Golden State
February 8
The Oklahoman
 
"A glitch on the scoreboard inside Oracle Arena at the start of the fourth quarter delayed play for several minutes Tuesday night. Fittingly, an absurd amount of points was the problem. The Thunder was listed to have 191 points to Golden State's 93 going into the final period. It only felt like that many. And that was the problem for the Thunder. By no means was this Oklahoma City's preferred style of play. The Thunder is supposed to be a defensive-minded bunch, with ample discipline to avoid getting sucked into speed traps like this. But playing on the second night of a back-to-back that saw the first game require overtime, the Thunder simply lacked the proper focus to stick to its"
48 for Monta Ellis in Warriors' loss to Thunder
February 8
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"This has to be way too early to write the Warriors' post mortem. They've played one-third of their season, and there are 2 1/2 weeks to the All-Star Game. Their promised playoff berth can't be out of the question already. But on a night when Monta Ellis gave reason for hope to the semi-delusional, scoring a career-high 48 points (including 30 in the first half), the overall numbers were still too glaring for one of the league's most rosy-eyed optimists to discount questions about the season being lost."
OKC trims Trail Blazers in overtime, 111-107
February 7
The Oklahoman
 
"This, by far, was the toughest test yet. On the road, in a hostile environment, against a dominant home team — a team that is the only club that can claim it has beaten the Thunder in Oklahoma City. And though it took the first overtime period of the season to get it done, the Thunder finally finished off the Portland Trail Blazers with a 111-107 victory on Monday night inside the Rose Garden. Kevin Garnett would approve if you deemed it a bar fight. By surviving, the Thunder bumped its league-best record to 19-5 and moved to 10-4 on the road after an uncharacteristically poor showing two nights earlier at San Antonio."
Goaltending call on LaMarcus Aldridge was bad, but hardly the sole reason for loss
February 7
Oregonian
 columnist Mike Tokito
"Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan was surprisingly blunt about the call. Surely you saw the play – LaMarcus Aldridge blocked Kevin Durant's shot at the basket with 6 seconds left in the Blazers' game against Oklahoma City on Monday. The officials, however, called goaltending on Aldridge. Replays showed that the ball was clearly on the way up, and it had not hit the backboard before Aldridge blocked it. The goaltending call tied the game at 103-103, and the Thunder went on to win 111-107 in overtime."
'Call' goes Thunder's way in overtime victory
February 7
Portland Tribune
 
"There was really no argument about the call. "I didn't think it was goaltending," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "It was a good block. That game should have been over." Should-haves didn't count Monday night at the Rose Garden, though. And when the final horn sounded, Oklahoma City's 111-107 overtime victory over the Trail Blazers was in the books."
Warriors ready to face Durant, NBA's quietest star
February 7
San Francisco Chronicle
 Rusty Simmons
"Kevin Durant scrunches his lanky frame into a 1990s GMC van and heads for the Oklahoma City highways. He stops and joins the action when he spots some business men who just clocked out and started a pickup game. He crashes a stranger's barbecue and shoots hoops on the side of a barn."
LaMarcus Aldridge falls short at closing time
February 7
Oregonian
 
"LaMarcus Aldridge on Monday learned he got one more vote to strengthen his chances at making the All-Star Game -- Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks being the latest to reveal he voted for the Trail Blazers forward to make the Western Conference roster. But right now, Aldridge and the Blazers would probably trade his certain All-Star berth for another title: Closer. Never has the retirement of Brandon Roy this season been felt so much as in late-game situations for the Blazers, who find themselves routinely in position to win games, but painfully absent when it comes time to do what made Roy a legend around here: closing."
Oklahoma City Thunder, through wise management and some good luck, rise to top of West
February 6
Oregonian
 
"When the Oklahoma City Thunder come to the Rose Garden on Monday, they figure to give the Trail Blazers a measuring-stick game. "They're the top team right now in the Western Conference and playing good basketball," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. It's a position many thought the Thunder (18-5) -- who despite losing at San Antonio on Saturday, have the best record in the NBA -- would get to this season after they reached Western Conference Finals last season. In a poll of the league's general managers, 67.9 percent predicted the Thunder would be the West's representative in the NBA Finals. The early success this season continues the Thunder's ascension since 2007-08, when in their final"
Is an 18-5 record hiding the Thunder's flaws?
February 6
The Oklahoman
 
"Kid Clutch isn't concerned. But, then again, when is he ever? "I think we've played well," Kevin Durant declared. Actually, no, the Oklahoma City Thunder has not. Not consistently at least. The team with the league's best winning percentage has merely done enough to skate by. No one legitimately can claim the Thunder is playing as well as it is capable of. The difference this year is the Thunder is so darned talented it still wins on most nights even in spite of some serious flaws. But, as always, the most pertinent question remains is the team getting better in its preparation for what many expect to be a deep playoff run, or is it simply piling up wins and plowing along?"
Brooks sees comparison between Manu and Harden
February 5
San Antonio Express-News
 
"It's become fashionable to make a comparison between Oklahoma City top substitute James Harden and Manu Ginobili. Obviously, they are both left-handed shooters who are creators when they are on the court. But the similarities are deeper than that, according to Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks."
Duo to wait for — it's Thunder vs. Spurs
February 5
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
"Kevin Durant believed in Tony Parker. Asked last week which duo he and Russell Westbrook would like to become, he said Tim Duncan and Parker. Not Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen? "Oh," Durant said Saturday night, smiling, "they would be tough to top." Durant opts for what he has seen in San Antonio. "Longevity, wins, championships," he said. It's the Oklahoma City tone. The Thunder owner once was a Spurs owner, and the Thunder general manager once worked for the Spurs, and Durant is Duncan, the humble superstar content to remain in a small market. But wait a few months. Will the Thunder feel the same if the playoff bracket ties them to the Spurs?"
Tony Parker's 42 powers Spurs past NBA-best Thunder
February 5
The Oklahoman
 
"Shortly before his team took the court against the Thunder on Saturday night, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was asked whether point guard Tony Parker was playing at an All-Star level. Popovich didn't hesitate to answer. "Absolutely," he said. Parker then promptly proved his coach's point. Parker posted a season-high 42 points to lead the Spurs to a 107-96 win over the Thunder inside AT&T Center. It was the most points the Thunder has given up to an opposing player all season, shattering what at the time was an jaw-dropping 30-point performance by Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Parker's previous season-high was 28 points, which he surpassed by four by the end of the third quarter."
Kevin Durant's 36 points lead Thunder over Memphis Grizzlies, 101-94
February 4
Memphis Commercial Appeal
 
"All you need to know about the Grizzlies' latest defeat is that they combined to score 17 points in the fourth quarter –- just one more than Kevin Durant. The Oklahoma City Thunder forward showed just why he is one of the NBA's most dynamic and clutch scorers Friday night in Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Griz could only tip their collective hats following a 101-94 loss that ended their two-game winning streak. Durant scored 16 of his game-high 36 points and the Thunder enjoyed 61-percent shooting in a final frame that began with the Griz leading by eight points. "He's a great player," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said of Durant. "He took over the game. He's going to be one of the all-time"
James Harden is 'Captain Crunch'
February 4
The Oklahoman
 
"Kevin Durant was the closer Friday night. But James Harden was the setup man. The combination proved lethal for Memphis. Thunder 101, Grizzlies 94. No doubt the basketball world will be buzzing about Durant's play down the stretch. And it should be. The superstar played up to his billing, scoring the Thunder's last 10 points and sticking one dagger after another into the Grizzlies. But frankly, if not for Harden, Durant would've never had a shot to play hero. The Thunder was sunk without The Beard. On a night when the Grizzlies outplayed and outhustled the Thunder through three quarters, Harden changed the entire vibe of the game in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. "We knew we"
Kevin Durant scores 36 points as Thunder beats Grizzlies
February 4
The Oklahoman
 
"Kevin Durant insists he has yet to see his latest commercial. You know, the 30-second NBA ad that calls him "Kid Clutch." The slow-motion spot begins with Durant stepping into a jumper and rising high above a defender. Upon Durant's release, a phrase appears on the screen, one word at a time, branding Durant as "the shooter with the golden touch." As the ball travels through the air, the flashing white words remind that "we all know where this is going" and that we will be "arriving at our destination shortly." When the ball splashes through the net, the message reads "home sweet home." Then, as Durant turns and begins his trot back on defense, we're told three things. He is automatic. He"
Kevin Durant named All-Star starter
February 3
The Oklahoman
 
"The NBA Western Conference All-Stars will start an all-Oklahoma tandem at forward. Fans made the Thunder's Kevin Durant and former OU standout Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers the leading vote-getters at the position. "Thank u guys for voting me into the all star game, I really appreciate it!!'' Durant (@KDTrey5) tweeted. Results were released Thursday night during the TNT pregame show. "It's an honor to be on that list," Griffin told TNT's David Aldridge. "A lot of guys deserve it, so I definitely am happy about it." It marks the second straight season Durant has been voted on as a starter and the third straight time he was selected for the game. Coaches voted him on as a reserve"
Kendrick Perkins doesn't regret being on receiving end of Blake Griffin's dunk
February 3
The Oklahoman
 
"If Kendrick Perkins could do it over, he wouldn't change a thing. Despite winding up on the wrong end of what many have been deemed the 'Dunk of the Year," Perkins would challenge Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin again if he needed to. And again and again and again. "It happens. At the end of the day, if you're a shot blocker, you're going to get dunked on," Perkins said. "It was a great play that he made. Obviously, I wish I wasn't in it. But it was a great play that he made." Of course, what's flown under the radar from the play that is still being talked about four days later is that Perkins made one, too. But that's been overlooked in the millions of YouTube hits, countless"
Serge Ibaka blocks 10 shots in OKC's 95-86 victory over Mavs
February 2
The Oklahoman
 
"After a five-game playoff series last year, two preseason games to start this season and two more early regular season contests against the Dallas Mavericks, forward Serge Ibaka on Wednesday night finally figured out how he could make an impact against the defending NBA champions. Thunder coach Scott Brooks concurred. With Ibaka spending most of his time guarding the center position rather than deadly Mavs scorer Dirk Nowitzki, the Thunder's defense reverted to its dominant ways in a 95-86 win over Dallas inside the American Airlines Center. Ibaka blocked a career-high 10 shots — matching the amount the Mavs registered as a team — while adding 11 rebounds to lift the Thunder to 17-4 and"
Ice-cold Mavs lack finishing kick in loss to Thunder
February 2
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
"Rick Carlisle started his postgame news conference by apologizing for kicking the basketball into the stands during the fourth quarter of Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City. But the Dallas Mavericks' coach stopped short of apologizing for the way the Mavs played in the second half against the Thunder. In a game that took on an aggressive, playoff-type overtone, the Mavs made just eight field goals in the second half and suffered a 95-86 loss to the Thunder at American Airlines Center. The action was so maddening that Carlisle received his first technical at the 11:33 mark of the fourth quarter for arguing a call, then received his second less than two minutes later."
Jason Terry pays homage to Thunder -- sort of
February 2
Dallas Morning News
 
"Jason Terry was the one Maverick who had some offensive spunk on Wednesday night. He also made it clear after the Mavericks' 95-86 loss to Oklahoma City just where things stand in the Western Conference - for the moment. "They're the team to beat,'' Terry said of the Thunder. "They're playing the best right now, and that's fine with us. For the time being, they are the team to beat. And they are playing very well together. Can they be beaten? Yes. They just were the better team tonight.''"
Kevin Durant disses Blake Griffin dunk
February 2
ESPN.com
 
"Not everyone is so fired up about Blake Griffin's dunk over Oklahoma City big man Kendrick Perkins on Monday. The Clippers star went down the lane, elevated, made contact with Perkins and then threw the ball down into the basket, the fingers on his outstretched hand grazing the rim. The play has been the talk of the league. "I have no appreciation for it at all," said Perkins' Thunder teammate Kevin Durant. "It was a layup, I think. He threw the ball in and got fouled and made his free throw, so it was three points at the end of the day, no matter how it happened, how it went in the basket. I really wasn't impressed. He finished it. So what? We've moved on.""
Did the Clippers expose some of Thunder's weak spots?
February 1
The Oklahoman
 
"When discussing Monday night's loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, those associated with the Thunder at one point uttered the same thing almost verbatim. "We had a bad game. It happens." The 112-100 loss at Staples Center indeed was a bad game for OKC. There were times it was an extremely bad game. However, the Thunder is extremely good at making sure one bad game does not become two. OKC's record after a loss the last two seasons is 22-7, a mark surpassed only by Chicago's 21-4. Resiliency has not been a problem for the Thunder and it's no time to start, with a nationally televised (ESPN) 7 p.m. game Wednesday at Dallas (14-8) and a five-game road trip commencing Saturday at San"
Thunder notebook: James Harden starts in place of Thabo Sefolosha
January 31
The Oklahoman
 
"Guard Thabo Sefolosha missed his second start of the season, sitting out the Thunder's game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night at Staples Center with a sore right foot. Sefolosha said his status remains day-to-day and he has not ruled out playing Wednesday at Dallas. Sixth Man of the Year candidate James Harden replaced Sefolosha in the lineup, which gave OKC more offensive firepower but made defending the talented Clippers on the perimeter more difficult. Sefolosha said he would share advice with Harden before the game and also during the contest."
Clippers whip OKC Thunder 112-100
January 31
The Oklahoman
 
"A 51-second nightmare came just before halftime of one bad game. That's what happened to the Thunder on Monday night, losing 112-100 to the Los Angeles Clippers. Trailing by 16 points after the first 15 minutes, OKC had clawed its way back to within 52-46. That's when everything abruptly went south on a West Coast trip for the team with the NBA's best record."
It's Clippers who bring the noise in resounding win over Thunder
January 31
Los Angeles Times
 
"From the looks of things, the Clippers have accepted the challenge that this difficult week might bring. Day 2 of The Gauntlet on Monday night brought the Clippers a showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team with the best record in the NBA and two of the league's top young stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. And it didn't turn out to be much of a problem for the Clippers, not with six of them scoring in double figures and Blake Griffin putting on another dunk show during their 112-100 victory over the Thunder at Staples Center."
Fans should enjoy the moment, the players who are here
January 30
The Oklahoman
 
"The ink hardly had dried on Russell Westbrook's contract extension before some Thunder fans began fretting about the next two in line. A signing that should have been celebrated as a deal that secured the long-term future of two of the league's top players — Westbrook and Kevin Durant — somehow became a cause for concern. Locally, the lingering question has been, will the Thunder now be able to keep James Harden and Serge Ibaka? It's the NBA's version of borrowing trouble. Someday, Oklahoma City surely will be forced to bid adieu to someone in its talented young core. But now is not the time to worry over how imminent that day might be."
OKC gets first crack at 'Lob City' duo of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul on Monday night
January 30
The Oklahoman
 
"Thunder coach Scott Brooks calls it "the perfect combination." Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin was the unanimous Rookie of the Year last season and quickly became an NBA force, but his stock rose even higher with the Dec. 14 acquisition of point guard Chris Paul from New Orleans. With the league's best record in tow at 16-3, the Thunder will do what it can to contain the Clippers' captivating "Lob City" combo on Monday at 9:30 p.m. at Staples Center. A former point guard, Brooks has a deep appreciation for those who excel at the position, and Paul leaves Brooks shaking his head."
Time to reap the rewards of team's growing pains
January 29
The Oklahoman
 
"Don't look now, but the Thunder is getting old(er). The franchise that relocated from Seattle four seasons ago quickly became the new kids on the NBA block. Located smack-dab in the middle of a college-crazed state, Oklahoma City finally turned pro and had done so with a bunch of college-aged kids. Gone are the Thunder's growing pains of youth. As sole owners of the NBA's best record at 16-3, the time has come to reap some rewards. "I knew we were going to be young for a lot of years," OKC coach Scott Brooks said. "Any team with an excuse, they're going to use it. We never used our age as an excuse and we never will." The longer the current Thunder roster remains status quo, the more"
Durant scores 15 in 4th as Thunder beat Warriors
January 28
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"When the Warriors played the Lakers at the Staples Center this month, head coach Mark Jackson probably should have switched Dorell Wright off Kobe Bryant. But the Warriors' small forward persuaded the coach to give him another chance. "He said, 'Coach, I got him,' " Jackson said. "As a coach or a player, you want to hear that when you're in a foxhole with a guy. Even if he doesn't believe it, I want him to convince me that he believes it. "It was refreshing to watch him step up." That bravado didn't work out so well as Bryant torched the Warriors for 39 points in the Lakers' 97-90 victory. But the remnants of that confidence afforded Wright another shot at defending one of the league's top"
Thunder tops Warriors 120-109
January 28
The Oklahoman
 
"Roughly 30 minutes after Kevin Durant had scored a season-high 37 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 120-109 victory at Golden State on Friday night, the two-time NBA scoring champ proclaimed forward Serge Ibaka as player of the game. Part of this was Durant simply being Durant, once again redirecting the spotlight elsewhere inside his own locker room as he often does. However, Durant might have been right. The 22-year-old Ibaka got off to an enigmatic start this season, but seems to have rediscovered his inner greatness and is now oozing confidence. He finished with a season-high in points (20) and rebounds (12), but a season-low in blocked shots (zero). Durant had named Ibaka player of"
Thunder hits the road, where it's been successful
January 27
The Oklahoman
 
"Eight times in the next 15 days the Thunder will play in enemy territory. Only once in the next nine games will OKC play inside the friendly confines of Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder schedule doesn't become friendly again until Valentine's Day, appropriately enough. That's when a sweetheart stretch begins with six homes games in a 10-day span, culminating with back-to-back appearances from the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 22-23 and followed by the All-Star break. Such is the give and take of this year's brutally condensed 66-game schedule. But in case you haven't noticed, the road hasn't been such a bad place for the Thunder lately. In the past three seasons, only"
Thunder keeps it close but avoids repeat of Wizards' fiasc
January 26
The Oklahoman
 
"When the Thunder played last Wednesday night at Washington, it had the NBA's best record at 12-2 and lost to the team with the league's worst record in the 1-12 Wizards. When the Thunder played this Wednesday night at home against New Orleans, it had the Western Conference's best record at 14-3 and was on the verge of losing to the conference's worst record in the 3-14 Hornets. OKC managed to regain its focus before another sellout crowd of 18,203 inside Chesapeake Energy Arena and escaped with a 101-91 victory over New Orleans, which has now lost nine straight."
Hornets lose ninth consecutive game, fall to Oklahoma City Thunder on road
January 26
New Orleans Times-Picayune
 
"Desiring to give Mexican-born forward Gustavo Ayon more playing time Wednesday night, Hornets Coach Monty Williams put Chris Kaman on the inactive list for the first time this season. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ayon had his best performance of the season with 16 points, but the Hornets couldn't avoid yet another loss — 101-91 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in front of a sellout crowd of 18,203 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. For the first time since the 2004-05 season, the Hornets (3-15) have lost nine consecutive games. It was their sixth loss in eight road games. The last time the Hornets (3-15) enjoyed a victory was Jan. 9 at Denver."
Thunder roar as Pistons sputter
January 25
Detroit News
 
"The Oklahoma City Thunder are primed for a title run this June. The Pistons look well on their way to a spot at the draft lottery. Thus, Monday's result was predictable. The Thunder didn't leave any doubt and the Pistons didn't put up much of a fight with their 99-79 loss at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Guard Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 24 points, six assists and five rebounds. The Thunder once were where the Pistons are, when they started 3-29 in head coach Scott Brooks' first season (2008-09) but the next season made the playoffs. Now they own the league's best record (14-3)."
Chesapeake Arena, local extras get a taste of Hollywood
January 25
The Oklahoman
 
"Brian Morgan stood in silence along the rail near the home team's tunnel. Those were his orders as he waited for the director to again scream "action." Morgan, and a few hundred others like him, was explicitly instructed to not engage the cast in conversation. Not even during long periods of down time. But when the 6-foot-10 man of the hour sauntered over, sat down on the arena's hockey wall and struck up a chat, well, all bets were off. "Inside, I was kind of freaking out," Morgan said. "Kevin Durant was standing right next to me." Morgan, 28, of Edmond, was one of roughly 300 extras who attended a daylong session of filming for Durant's upcoming movie "Thunderstruck." Wearing a white"
Thunder played close to perfection against Pistons
January 25
The Oklahoman
 
"Every coach will tell you there is no such thing as a team playing a perfect game. It's just not physically or mentally possible, so the goal is to perform as well as possible for as long as possible. Though OKC is 14-3 and atop the Western Conference standings entering Wednesday's 7 p.m. home contest against New Orleans, the Thunder has yet to dominate the way many had projected this season, including the Thunder players themselves. Despite a shiny record, OKC has yet to play a full 48 minutes this season. "Not yet. I don't think so," starting guard Thabo Sefolosha said of his team clicking on all cylinders. "We had games where we showed it, but there were parts that we didn't. We've just"
Next Thunder member due a pay raise: coach Scott Brooks
January 24
The Oklahoman
 
"Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is now under contract through the 2016-17 season and will be surrounded by familiar faces for several seasons. Two-time scoring champ Kevin Durant is signed through 2015-16, Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison are signed through 2014-15 and Thabo Sefolosha through 2013-14. Next on the agenda are rookie contract extensions for James Harden, Serge Ibaka and Eric Mayor, who are signed through 2012-13, as is Daequan Cook. Rarely has an NBA team been able to re-sign its top nine players for an extended period of time. For OKC to be in position to do so is somewhat unfathomable. However, quietly the clock ticks even faster on another key "core" component of"
Russell Westbrook looks like he's worth every penny
January 24
The Oklahoman
 columnist Jenni Carlson
"If this is how Russell Westbrook is going to play with a new contract, the Thunder might've wanted to get that deal done a few weeks ago. He was as good as he has been all season Monday. The Thunder point guard had his way with the lowly Pistons in a 99-79 blowout. He created good looks. He made pretty passes. He snagged big rebounds. He played stifling defense. He made great decisions. He played like a guy motivated to prove that he's worth every penny of his new five-year, $80 million deal. You can't always say that about players who get fat paydays."
Another home blowout as Thunder routs Pistons
January 24
The Oklahoman
 
"Russell Westbrook barreled down the lane, blowing past the powerless Detroit Pistons defense, and threw down an emphatic tomahawk dunk. To punctuate the slam, he leaned back, flexed his muscles and let out a thunderous roar. The basket gave the Thunder a mere four-point lead 2 minutes, 9 seconds in. But right then, you got the sense this one would be a blowout. Thunder players had a different look in their eyes and pep in their step. Thunder fans, who hadn't seen their team in more than a week, were full of the fervor that had faded in the last few. When Westbrook whipped an on-the run, behind-the-back pass to Kevin Durant for a layup on the ensuing Thunder possession, the rout was on. The"
Thunder roar as Pistons sputter
January 24
Detroit News
 
"The Oklahoma City Thunder are primed for a title run this June. The Pistons look well on their way to a spot at the draft lottery. Thus, Monday's result was predictable. The Thunder didn't leave any doubt and the Pistons didn't put up much of a fight with their 99-79 loss at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Guard Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 24 points, six assists and five rebounds. The Thunder once were where the Pistons are, when they started 3-29 in head coach Scott Brooks' first season (2008-09) but the next season made the playoffs. Now they own the league's best record (14-3)."