Thunder Rumblings

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater Early in the third quarter of a relatively uneventful Thunder blowout, things suddenly got a bit more interesting. An angry and emotional Russell Westbrook tends to have that effect. After being called for the always rare...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater The Thunder cruised past Memphis 106-89 in Oklahoma City on Thursday. Here’s some rapid reaction: Turning point The Thunder made its first nine shots of the game. That’s the best start in OKC history and the most makes to...

7 Show / Hide Archive Comments The following comments are archived from the original publication of this post Leah on Jan 31, 2013 @ 11:56 pm

Kobe Bryant picked his spots Sunday, rather masterfully as a matter of fact, and prompted Thunder coach Scott Brooks to bluntly proclaim after the game that he “picked us apart.” By halftime of the Lakers’ nine-point win over Oklahoma City, Bryant had more assists (six) than shot...

Nuggets from my notebook from Sunday’s loss to the Lakers. Kevin Durant knew the Thunder was walking into a game against a desperate team. And that’s exactly how the Lakers played Sunday. Desperate. Everything to gain. Nothing to lose.“You could tell, the whole arena felt that way,”...

14 Show / Hide Archive Comments The following comments are archived from the original publication of this post Thunder4fan on Jan 28, 2013 @ 8:02 pm

Nuggets from my notebook from Friday’s win at Sacramento. What a way for Russell Westbrook to bounce back. After arguably his worst performance of the year at Golden State, he was in total command of the offense tonight in Sacramento, scoring 18 points with 14 assists in 32 minutes.Westbrook...

According to the latest NBA.com rankings, the Thunder has not one but two MVP candidates. Kevin Durant sits atop Sekou Smith’s weekly MVP ladder, while Russell Westbrook has climbed to No. 7. You can find the latest rankings here. OKC is the only team with two candidates listed in the Top...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater The bitter basketball war between Oklahoma City and Seattle has an added component. The Sacramento Kings have become franchise number three in this complicated NBA love triangle. From now until hoops eternity, if the...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater In what will likely be the franchise’s final game in Sacramento, OKC throttled the Kings 105-95 on Friday night. Here’s some rapid reaction: Turning point The Thunder came out sloppy, falling into an early 14-point hole,...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s on-court play has inspired plenty of young hoopers across the country. And now, their postgame attire has inspired a plot line in one of TV’s most popular shows. OKC’s dynamic duo...

Scotty Brooks. NBA coach of the year? Don’t shrug it off. It could happen. Foreman Scotty is in the discussion at the midway point of the NBA season. Sports Illustrated’s panel of NBA writers recently listed their top three candidates for each major award. You can read the entire...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater Using a late push, the Golden State Warriors shocked Oklahoma City 104-99 Wednesday night in Oakland. Here’s some rapid reaction: Turning point OKC had the Warriors where they wanted them, leading by five with less than five...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater It’s become almost unfair. The Thunder, with its abundance of talent, continues to stick skillful youngsters in the D-League, utilizing the NBA’s minor league program as a way to keep future gems from rotting away on the...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater In a battle of the NBA’s best, Oklahoma City came out on top, beating the Clippers 109-97 in Los Angeles Tuesday night. Here’s some rapid reaction: Turning point Heading into the fourth quarter, the Clippers were down 14....

Nuggets from my notebook from Tuesday’s win at L.A. You can’t help but wish Chris Paul was available. This game was supposed to be a  matchup of the league’s best two teams, fighting for conference supremacy, battling for bragging rights. It turned into a thumping, a rout in which...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater Did you have Kevin Martin in your office pool? As the first Thunder player who would feel the wrath of the league’s new flopping regulations? Then congratulations, you won. The NBA fined Martin $5,000 on Wednesday afternoon...

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater If Kevin Durant was ever in a Bizarro version of Space Jam, where he played for the MonStars instead of the Tune Squad, these strange green and turquoise kicks (above) are the ones I imagine him wearing. But we won’t have to...

George Karl’s experiment continues. He’s still saying you can win an NBA championship without a superstar or three. Karl’s Denver Nuggets are 25-18, good for sixth in the Western Conference, but Denver has played a tough schedule. It wouldn’t be crazy to say the Nuggets will check in...

Observations from the Thunder’s 121-118 overtime loss Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center: There are plenty of reasons why the Thunder lost this one: A lack of energy early; 24 turnovers resulting in 31 Denver points; getting outrebounded 50-39, including 20-11 at the...