Rapid reaction: Oklahoma City falls 121-118 to Denver in a wild one
By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater
Oklahoma City’s six-game win streak came to a halt in wild fashion Sunday night, as the Thunder fell 121-118 in Denver Sunday night. Here’s some rapid reaction:
Turning point
In a game that had as many twists and turns as fouls called (61), Denver took the game’s final lead on a Kenneth Faried layup with 46 seconds left, the definitive turning point in a game that had a countless number of them.
It was over when…
…Kevin Durant flung up an errant three with two seconds left, clanging off the back rim and officially ending a wild game that included 239 points, 46 turnovers, 61 fouls and 82 free throws.
Storyline – Westbrook and Durant’s inefficiency
The two Thunder stars combined for 73 points, 14 rebounds and 17 assists tonight, continuing their recent string of ridiculous productivity. Crazy numbers indeed, but they lost. And that can be explained with a few other pertinent figures: Westbrook and Durant combined to shoot 17/46 (36.9 percent) and committed 12 turnovers. Sloppiness and poor shot selection kept the Nuggets in this one. And doomed OKC in the end.
Bench woes
But it’s not like the superstars were getting any help. Thunder bench players not named Kevin Martin combined to play 29 minutes on Sunday night. And they scored zero points. The second unit isn’t giving much production and that’s a definite concern moving forward (especially as the trade deadline approaches).
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