Rapid reaction: Thunder fall 114-104 to the Nuggets in rare home loss

Anyone who was dismissive of Denver was not paying attention. They have been a good team for a while, and current winning streak just reaffirms their status.

Get Fisher off the court. He adds nothing to this talented team !!!!! He cannot make plays because he never had to on the Lakers and luckily Shaq usually made up for his pathetic shooting !!!

With 23 consecutive victories, LeBron James and the Miami Heat remain atop the weekly Yahoo! Sports NBA rankings for the third straight week. Miami has the second-longest winning streak in NBA history and is chasing the record of 33 consecutive wins by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. The Heat play their next four games against some of the NBA’s worst teams – Cleveland, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando – before facing the Chicago Bulls, possibly with Derrick Rose, on March 27. Miami now has more wins and a better winning percentage than the San Antonio Spurs. Records are through Monday. Miami1. Miami Heat (52-14, previous ranking: first): LeBron James returns to his old stomping grounds Wednesday when the Heat face the Cavaliers in search of their 24th straight win. Struggling Cleveland has lost three straight. San Antonio2. San Antonio Spurs (51-16, previous ranking: second): Injured guard Tony Parker (elbow) is expected to return to action this weekend. If Miami continues to win, the Spurs could have a chance to end the Heat’s streak at 29 games in San Antonio on March 31. Oklahoma City3. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-17, previous ranking: third): The Thunder have a challenging back-to-back ahead, hosting streaking Denver on Tuesday and visiting Memphis on Wednesday. The Thunder appear set for one of the West’s top two seeds. Denver4. Denver Nuggets (46-22, previous ranking: sixth): With Miami stealing their thunder, the Nuggets have actually won 12 straight games after a controversial overtime road win Monday against the Chicago Bulls. A big game against the Thunder looms Tuesday night. Los Angeles5. Los Angeles Clippers (46-21, previous ranking: fifth): The Clippers play just six of their final 15 games against teams with winning records and three of those are at home. All-Star Chris Paul faces off against Brooklyn’s Deron Williams on Saturday in Los Angeles. Memphis6. Memphis Grizzlies (45-21, previous ranking: fourth): The Grizzlies will be at home resting while the Thunder face the Nuggets on Tuesday before flying to Memphis. The Grizzlies play nine of their final 17 games against teams with winning records. Marc J. Spears Yahoo! Expert

“That’s a great asset to have,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

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