NBA: Thunder clap back with historic rally to beat Lakers

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points to help the host Oklahoma City Thunder rally from 26 down to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 on Wednesday.

The comeback matched the largest in Thunder history and helped the team claim its first win of the season despite several late miscues.

Up three in the final minute, Oklahoma City had a timeout remaining but didn't use it, and Gilgeous-Alexander couldn't get the ball across halfcourt in time, giving the ball back to Los Angeles with 16.8 seconds remaining.

Malik Monk then missed a 3-pointer, the Thunder gave the ball up once again and Carmelo Anthony missed another.

Russell Westbrook, making his first appearance for the Lakers in the city where he spent his first 11 NBA seasons, was ejected in the closing seconds after being called for his second technical foul of the game. Westbrook was upset after Darius Bazley's steal and dunk in the last five seconds.

The Lakers were without LeBron James for the second consecutive game due to right ankle soreness.

Early on, it looked like that wouldn't matter as Anthony Davis helped Los Angeles jump out to a big lead and then Westbrook put together his first triple-double of the season.

But the Thunder worked the deficit down, taking the lead for the first time when Gilgeous-Alexander banked a 3-pointer home at the buzzer to end the third quarter. Oklahoma City never relinquished the lead.

Bazley added 20 points and Josh Giddey tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Thunder had six players score in double figures.

Davis led the Lakers with 30 points while Westbrook had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. Westbrook also committed 10 turnovers.

The Lakers led by as many as 23 points in the first quarter, thanks to a pair of 11-0 runs early. Davis scored eight of the Lakers' first 14 points and 12 in the first quarter to help Los Angeles lead 41-19.

The Lakers led by as many as 26 in the second quarter before the Thunder started slowly chipping away at the lead. Oklahoma City put up a season-high 37 points in the quarter, having more success attacking the basket.

After their rough start in the paint early, the Thunder turned things around down low to finish with 54 points inside.

-reuters

Westbrook, Beverley clash as Thunder roll

OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley aren’t done yet with their long-running feud.

Westbrook scored 32 points and had another run-in with Beverley during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 128-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.


The Thunder outscored the Clippers 39-10 in the third quarter, and Westbrook and Beverley provided the only drama in the fourth. Beverley dove at a dribbling Westbrook and made contact just above Westbrook’s left knee, and both were issued technicals after jawing in front of the benches. Police officers stepped onto the court to help keep the teams separated. Upon review, Beverley’s foul was ruled a flagrant 1.

There’s plenty of history between the two. Westbrook tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee during the playoffs in 2013 when Beverley, then playing for the Houston Rockets, lunged for the ball as Westbrook prepared to call timeout. Westbrook missed the rest of the playoffs and part of the next season. In March 2014, the first time the two played again, Beverley swiped the ball away from Westbrook after a timeout and drew a technical, and Beverley and Westbrook had to be separated.

Westbrook has had a history of knee problems. He had a procedure on his right knee that cost him the preseason and the first two games of the regular season.

He didn’t directly address Beverley’s action on Tuesday.

“I have no comment on it,” Westbrook said. “I just know that we won.”

Beverley felt like he did nothing wrong, and said his reputation plays a role in the calls he gets.

“I feel like I went for a loose ball,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I went for a loose ball and the ref looked at it on tape and felt like it was a flagrant, and I’ve got to accept it.”

Westbrook was animated throughout the game. On several occasions, he pretended to rock a baby to sleep. Though Westbrook and his wife have twin girls on the way, it turns out the motion wasn’t about them.

“Yeah, you got little kids,” Westbrook said. “You got to put them to sleep. You got little kids on you, that’s what happens. Little guards.”


Paul George had 32 points and 12 rebounds, Steven Adams had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Schroder added 15 points for the Thunder. Oklahoma City won its second straight after four losses to start the season.

Danilo Gallinari led the Clippers with 27 points, but he scored just four in the second half. Lou Williams scored 17 points and Tobias Harris added 15 for Los Angeles.

The Clippers shot 55 percent in the first half to take a 67-54 lead.

The Thunder opened the second half on an 8-2 run to trim the Clippers’ lead to 69-62 before a timeout. Oklahoma City continued the surge, and a 3-pointer by Jerami Grant finally gave the Thunder a 70-69 lead. Oklahoma City extended the run to 23-2 and took a 77-69 lead.

The Thunder led 93-77 at the end of the third quarter. They shot 70 from the field in the period while holding Los Angeles to 24 percent shooting.

TIP-INS

Clippers: Defeated the Thunder 108-92 on Nov. 19. … Gallinari was called for a technical in the first quarter, and Marcin Gortat and Avery Bradley were called for techs in the second quarter. … Mike Scott hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer.

Thunder: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, native Kristin Chenoweth sang the national anthem. She won a Tony Award in 1999 and an Emmy in 2009. … Thunder coach Billy Donovan was called for a technical in the first quarter.

THUNDER THREES

Oklahoma City had its best 3-point shooting game of the season, making 9 of 17 after entering the night with the worst percentage in the league.

“As long as we defend and score and put the ball in the basket, I don’t care if it’s two or three, it don’t really matter,” Westbrook said. “That’s for y’all and the analytics teams and all that.”

QUOTABLE

Paul George on Westbrook: “Russ don’t really like nobody. He’s that fiery no matter who’s matched up against him. It just doesn’t make it any better if it’s Pat out there.”

UP NEXT

Clippers are at the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

Thunder are at the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Short-handed Nets beat Thunder in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY — Caris Levert scored 19 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 17 and short-handed Brooklyn overcame another strong performance by Russell Westbrook to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-95 on Thursday night in the first of the Nets’ two games in Mexico City.

Westbrook had 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Allen Crabbe had 15 points for Brooklyn, playing without guards Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell because of injuries and without power forward Trevor Booker after he was traded to Philadelphia before the game.

The Nets improved to 10-14 with their second straight victory and third in four games. They will play the Miami Heat on Saturday at Arena Ciudad de Mexico. The Thunder (11-13) had won three in a row.

Steven Adams added 12 points for the Thunder, and Carmelo Anthony had 11 on 5-for-20 shooting. Oklahoma City also missed key players Paul George (right calf contusion) and Jerami Grant (left hip contusion).

source: sports.inquirer.net

Westbrook has triple-double, new-look Thunder rout Knicks

OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook had a triple-double and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New York Knicks, 105-84, on Thursday night in their first regular-season game with All-Star additions Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.

Westbrook, the NBA MVP last season when he averaged a triple-double, had with 21 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds.

Paul George, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Indiana Pacers, led the Thunder with 28 points. Anthony, who was traded from the Knicks to the Thunder right before training camp began, had 22 points against his former team.

Kristaps Porzingis had 31 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks. Enes Kanter, who joined the Knicks in the deal that sent Anthony to the Thunder, finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. No other New York players scored in double figures.

George broke away for a dunk as time expired in the first half to give the Thunder a 53-42 lead. Porzingis scored 19 points before the break to keep the Knicks in it.

Kanter made three buckets early in the third quarter to keep the Knicks in it, but Westbrook found Steven Adams and Andre Roberson for back-to-back alley-oop dunks to give the Thunder a 69-52 lead.

After that, it was time for the Westbrook triple-double watch. He reached double digits in points and assists midway through the third quarter. He grabbed his 10th rebound with about four minutes remaining in the game.

TIP-INS

Knicks: Kanter and F Doug McDermott, the other player sent to the Knicks in the Anthony deal, got a standing ovation during pregame warmups. … McDermott scored four points on 2-for-5 shooting. … The Knicks shot 55.6 percent in the first quarter and still trailed 27-24, in part, because of 11 turnovers. They finished with 26 turnovers.

Thunder: Kanter and Adams are best friends who were known as the ‘Stache Brothers when they played together with the Thunder. … The game marked the start of the 10th season for the Thunder in Oklahoma City. … Thunder C Dakari Johnson scored four points in his NBA debut. He was a G League All-Star last season. … F Jerami Grant’s fadeaway at the third-quarter buzzer gave Oklahoma City a 79-59 lead.

UP NEXT:
Knicks: Host Detroit on Saturday night.
Thunder: At Utah on Saturday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Westbrook has triple-double, leads OKC comeback for OT win

DENVER — The Denver Nuggets contained Russell Westbrook for three quarters, but he took over with the game slipping away from Oklahoma City.

Westbrook had 36 points, 18 assists and 12 rebounds for his sixth triple-double, and the Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 132-129 in overtime on Friday night.

Westbrook scored 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help the Thunder rally from 13 down and end a three-game losing streak. His 18 assists were a season high and the most in an NBA game this season.

“It’s happened a couple of games. It’s happened at different points throughout the year,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “It’s his will, his competitiveness and get our team in a position where we had a chance.”

Victor Oladipo had 26 points for the Thunder and a couple of key buckets late in the fourth, one off a steal.

“He did a great job, using his size, his length, getting out in transition and getting steals,” Westbrook said. “That helped us a lot, got us easy buckets.”

Westbrook scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to start the comeback. His two free throws with 9.5 seconds left made it 122-119, but Denver tied it when Steven Adams fouled Jamal Murray on a 3-point attempt and the rookie hit the free throws.

Kenneth Faried blocked Westbrook’s layup at the horn to send it into overtime, but the Thunder felt confident after rallying.

“We’ve got to win,” Westbrook said of the mood on the bench. “Very simple.”

Wilson Chandler finished with a season-high 30 points and 11 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had 21 points and 13 assists, both season highs, for the Nuggets.

“I thought we played well enough offensively for sure to win the game,” Nelson said. “We just couldn’t get stops when we needed them.”

Oladipo hit two free throws to put the Thunder ahead 128-126 in overtime. The Nuggets had a chance to tie in the final 20 seconds but Chandler missed a layup and Westbrook hit two more free throws with 13.7 seconds left.

“We lost a shootout,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “My biggest disappointment is that we were never able to consistently get stops. We knew Westbrook at some point was going to go off.”

TIP-INS

Thunder: Westbrook finished an assist shy of his career high. He also had seven turnovers. … Oklahoma City has used the same starting lineup in all 17 games.

Nuggets: Murray finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. … Denver had just 10 players active. Mike Miller and Will Barton were away from the team for personal reasons. Danilo Gallinari (right thigh), Juancho Hernangomez (right ankle sprain) and Gary Harris were all out. … Denver Broncos Hall of Famer and current team executive John Elway was sitting courtside.

SCARY MOMENT

Murray took a hard fall when he was fouled on a dunk attempt. He was on the floor for a few minutes but got up and hit the two free throws.

OLD SCHOOL

Malone expressed plenty of admiration for Westbrook before the game. Malone likened the NBA’s leading scorer to a bruiser from the days when the league was known for its rough play.

“I think he’s a throwback player,” Malone said. “I think he’s a guy that would have excelled back in the ’80s, which is my favorite period of the NBA when (there wasn’t) all this lovey-dovey, hug-and-kissing and no hard fouls. There were real rivalries and everything earned and every game you won had to be earned.”

UP NEXT

Thunder: Host Detroit on Saturday.

Nuggets: At Phoenix on Sunday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Desperate Warriors beat Thunder to stay alive

LOS ANGELES—Stephen Curry scored 31 points as the defending champion Golden State Warriors kept their record-setting season alive with a 120-111 win over Oklahoma City in game five of their Western Conference playoff.

Curry, who has been plagued by injuries throughout the postseason, saved his best game of the series for Thursday night as he also had seven rebounds and six assists.

After a record-setting 73 regular season wins, desperation set in for Golden State on Thursday as they now trail the Thunder 3-2 in the series.

The Warriors have a daunting task ahead of them when the teams square off for game six Saturday in Oklahoma City as just nine NBA teams have rallied from being down 3-1 to win a playoff series.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Durant’s mother, the ‘Real MVP,’ subject of Lifetime movie

OKLAHOMA CITY — With a single sentence uttered by her world-famous son Kevin Durant, Wanda Pratt’s life changed forever.

“You the real MVP.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder star said those now-famous words during his emotional acceptance speech for the 2014 NBA MVP award before Mother’s Day. Pratt became the central figure of one of the most memorable speeches in sports history.

“Of course, I knew he that would mention me in the speech, or I believed he would mention me in the speech,” Pratt said during an interview with The Associated Press. “But I didn’t expect it to be to that magnitude, so I was quite caught off guard.”

During the speech, Durant recalled some of Pratt’s sacrifices for him and his brother, Tony, as they grew up in the Washington D.C. area. He described how the young single mother gave them hope, kept them out of trouble and sometimes went without food to make sure her boys were fed.

Interest in Pratt’s story has remained high, and now she’s the subject of a movie of a Lifetime original movie called, “The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story,” which will premiere Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

“I don’t think anyone really thinks a movie will be made about their life,” Pratt said. “That is something that is really uncommon, and I am blessed to be a person who gets a story made about them.”

Queen Latifah is executive producer for the movie, and Cassandra Freeman stars as Pratt. The movie focuses on how Pratt struggled to make ends meet for her children and persevered with the help of family and carefully chosen friends. Her efforts paid off when Tony graduated from college and Kevin made it to the NBA.

“It’s a blueprint,” Durant said. “We didn’t have a lot, but we knew how to stick together and work hard. Anything can happen.”

Pratt said Durant’s famous humility is rooted in his early life experiences. She said Durant always has been generous, even when the family didn’t have much.

“One of the things I have always taught my son is that we are blessed,” she said. “Even though we didn’t have a lot of things, we are blessed.”

Even though Durant now is one of the wealthiest athletes in the world and towers over Pratt at nearly 7-foot tall, she is still mom. And she still delivers tough love.

“Always know your responsibility as the parent,” she said. “Always hold that dear. Never lose that. No matter how old they are, no matter how much they’re doing in their lives, you are always going to be the parent.”

Pratt’s fame has given her a chance to fulfill her mission in life __ to help pregnant teenage girls, teenage mothers and single mothers.

“I help them from my life experiences,” she said. “Being my son’s mother has afforded me the opportunity and the platform for my experiences to be heard and to bring inspiration and hope to those who would look at me because of my son’s success.”

Pratt hopes her story inspires not just the mothers, but entire families, too.

“The message for the story is hope,” she said. “No matter what you go through in life, no matter what the obstacles are __ because we all face obstacles and struggles __ it’s not so much about the details of the story, it’s just that through the highs and lows and ebbs and flows, you have to continue to push forward, because there is a brighter day.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Westbrook keys Thunder Rally

Russell Westbrook poured in 30 points with 12 assists and nine rebounds on Sunday as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied for a 122-112 NBA victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets.

Thunder forward Kevin Durant added 26 points and 10 assists for his eighth double-double of the season as Oklahoma City bounced back from a Christmas Day loss to the Chicago Bulls.

As they had two days earlier, the Thunder got off to a slow start, largely because they were unable to contain Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried.

Faried scored 10 of his 25 points and pulled down three offensive rebounds in the first six minutes.

Denver, effectively double-teaming Durant, led 61-53 at halftime. They extended the lead to 11 points to open the third quarter, but Durant scored 12 points in the third period to help the Thunder take a one-point lead into the final frame.

With 7:17 left in the fourth, Thunder center Enes Kanter completed a three-point play to give the hosts a 101-97 advantage.

Kanter added two free throws to stretch the lead to six, and a layup from Joffrey Lauvergne, a Westbrook Dunk and a fastbreak Dunk from Serge Ibaka put Oklahoma City up 107-99 with 5:09 to play.

Denver again cut the lead to three but would get no closer, Durant delivering two layups and Dion Waiters converting a steal into a dunk as the Thunder rolled to the finish.

“I do think we’re capable of being better,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “I think we’ve shown that. I think the concentration, the focus and just the will to defend at the level I think we’re capable of defending has to be an area we continue to grow and get better at.”

Grizzlies halt skid
In Memphis, the Grizzlies snapped a two-game skid with a 112-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the win, the Grizzlies took their record to 17-16, avoiding dropping below .500 for the first time since November 15.

“We just wanted to win,” said the Grizzlies’ Spanish center Marc Gasol, who scored 16 points with six assists. “Last night (in Charlotte) we played two and a half quarters of good basketball and it’s not enough.”

The Lakers went into the game allowing a league-worst 107.2 points per game, and could do little to slow the Grizzlies offense.

Memphis connected on 45 of 80 shots for a 56.2 percent average and handed out a season-high 30 assists.

“We need to focus a lot more,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said of his team’s defense.

“Seems like we are stepping too slow. I don’t think it’s physical to be honest with you, because tonight the effort was there. From the mental standpoint, we just look like we’re fried.”

But Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant was again feeling the physical strain, this time with a sore right knee.

“Honestly, I wasn’t going to play,” Bryant said, adding that he changed his mind because he knew that with his retirement coming at the end of the season, fans across the country are turning out to see him play.

“I got on the bus and saw all the fans,” Bryant said of the sizeable contingent of Lakers backers in attendance. “I would feel really awful if I didn’t come in here and play.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thunder routed again in San Antonio, trail series 3-2

SAN ANTONIO — Russell Westbrook was ordinary. Serge Ibaka was ineffective.

Everything that worked so well in Oklahoma City was missing Thursday night in San Antonio, and now the Thunder need to win at home to give themselves one more shot at the Spurs on the road.

“We’ve just got to worry about the next game. We’re guaranteed 48 more minutes,” Kevin Durant said. “It’s been an up-and-down series, but we’ve got to find a way to come with it in Game 6. If we want to get to where we want to get to, we’ve got to win in San Antonio, but we’ve got to get to the next game.”

Tim Duncan had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Manu Ginobili scored 19 points and the Spurs rolled to a 117-89 victory on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Now they can clinch their return to the NBA Finals on the road, where they are the ones taking the beatings in these wacky Western Conference finals.

The Jekyll-and-Hyde series continued between the past two Western Conference champions, as the road team has been thumped in every game of the best-of-seven series.

“This is the craziest series I’ve ever been involved in,” veteran Tim Duncan said.

Game 6 is Saturday in Oklahoma City.

Durant scored 25 points, but Westbrook had only 21 points and seven assists after finishing with 40 points and 10 assists in Game 4.

Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green each had 14 points and Boris Diaw added 13 for the Spurs, who are a win away from returning to the NBA Finals after losing in seven games to Miami last year.

The Spurs returned to the style of play that enabled them to win the series’ first two games by a combined 52 points.

“We gave them everything they wanted,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. “They got the dribble drive, they got the 3-point line, and they got to the free-throw line.”

The Spurs were also 13 for 26 on 3-pointers and outrebounded the Thunder 48-35. San Antonio also limited Oklahoma City to four fast-break points after giving up 21 in Game 4.

After losing twice in Oklahoma City by an average of 11 points, San Antonio upped its winning margin in San Antonio to 26.7 points.

Oklahoma City had just 34 points in the second half after scoring 32 in the first quarter.

“Our shots weren’t falling for us,” Durant said. “We’ve got to stay aggressive and we’ve got to get stops. When we can’t make a shot, we’ve got to play defense, and we didn’t tonight.”

San Antonio outscored Oklahoma City by 10 points in both the second and third quarters, allowing both teams to sit their starters for much of the fourth.

Ibaka, who dominated the interior in Oklahoma City, was held to six points and two rebounds.

The Spurs started Matt Bonner in place of Tiago Splitter to draw Ibaka out of the paint and it worked early. It also helped defensively, as Ibaka attacked Bonner but missed his first five shots on a series of running hooks. Duncan was also able to help defensively, rolling over to block a layup attempt by Ibaka.

“He didn’t have the games that he had the last two games, that’s pretty clear,” Brooks said. “I thought his energy was good. He competed. He missed some shots that he normally makes. (But) it was everybody. It was everybody.”

San Antonio’s crowd was raucous from the start, booing Westbrook heavily during pregame introductions and erupting joyously when Green scored the team’s first points on a 3-pointer 1 ½ minutes into the game

Oklahoma City withstood the early barrage, going on an 11-2 run for its largest lead of the game.

San Antonio kept Westbrook out of the paint early, but that only opened up the lanes for Jackson, who made his first five shots. He had four straight layups and then drained a 3-pointer with Parker closely defending.

When asked if San Antonio had done anything differently to keep him out of the paint, Westbrook said, “nothing.”

Three-point shooting got San Antonio back into the game, as Patty Mills and Green closed the first with consecutive 3s to tie the game at 32-all.

Diaw’s 3 gave San Antonio a 42-37 lead with 6:12 left in the first half and resulted in an Oklahoma City timeout.

Ginobili’s 3 gave a 65-52 lead with 6.9 seconds left in the first half.

Ginobili’s third 3 gave San Antonio an 87-70 lead with 3 minutes remaining in the third.

NOTES: Durant was sent back to the sideline after attempting to substitute with 10:29 remaining in the second quarter. A timekeeper told official Tony Brothers that Durant was not at the table in time to enter prior to an inbounds. “I was there,” Durant said. “That’s (wrong). You know that.” Durant was able to enter about 10 seconds later, however. . Ibaka wore a heating pad on his injured calf when he was not in the game.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thunder’s Ibaka may be available vs Spurs

OKLAHOMA CITY — The San Antonio Spurs never believed Serge Ibaka was out for the Western Conference finals, even after the Thunder said they expected him to miss the rest of the playoffs with a calf injury.

Looks like the Spurs might have been on to something. The Thunder said Friday that their defensive standout now is day-to-day after his strained left calf showed improved movement and stability and a significant decrease in swelling. The Thunder have missed Ibaka badly as San Antonio has raced to a 2-0 lead in the series, and his possible return gives the Thunder hope as they prepare for Game 3 on Sunday in Oklahoma City.

”His progress in the last several days has been surprising,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. ”I don’t think any of us thought we’d be standing here talking about this. We’re grateful that we are.”

Well, maybe no one with the Thunder expected it. The Spurs certainly did.

”We knew he would be back, and that’s good,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ”Nobody would wish that on anybody to miss a playoff. We’ve had guys miss playoffs before. It’s obviously a downer. If he gets back in – and I’m sure he will, as I’ve said from the beginning – I think it’s great.”

Ibaka was injured in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers, a Western Conference semifinals series-clinching win on May 15. He is averaging 12.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in the playoffs while shooting 62 percent from the field.

Presti did not say if Ibaka would be available for Game 3, just that he could not be ruled out. Presti said he felt it best to be forthcoming with the change in the situation.

”It would be convenient to not provide the information, and if he were ever healthy enough to play in a game, to release that an hour before the game,” he said. ”But in this case, we don’t think that was the way to handle it, because previously, we had deemed him out. And we can’t deem him out.”

Ibaka, a 6-foot-10 forward, led the league in blocked shots during the regular season and erased many of Oklahoma City’s defensive mistakes. Without having to deal with Oklahoma City’s primary rim protector, San Antonio scored 66 points in the paint on 67 percent shooting in a 122-105 win in Game 1. The Spurs followed up with 54 points in the paint on 66 percent shooting in a 112-77 blowout in Game 2.

Ibaka also provides balance for Oklahoma City’s offense with his mid-range jumper and an ability to finish close to the hoop when defenses focus on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. ”Big difference,” Spurs guard Danny Green said. ”Obviously, one of the best defensive players in the league. Alters everything around the basket, rebounds, and also, of course, he can knock down shots. So you’ve got to respect him. Hopefully, if he does come back he’s not as fresh, he’s a little rusty.”

San Antonio said it will not make adjustments based on the news.

”We’re going to try to do the same thing,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. ”It’s not like we’re going to change the game plan for him. For sure, he’s going to give them another big body that can be a presence in the paint, block shots and make some jumpers, but our idea will be the same.”

Presti said Oklahoma City’s medical staff would like to see Ibaka go through game-like conditions before allowing him to return. So far, he has done low-impact training – light drills and light shooting. Conditioning could be an issue and even if he returns it’s unclear how much he would play.

”We’re still focusing on trying to beat the Spurs without him playing,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. ”That has not changed. I know he’s listed as day-to-day, but he is out until I’m told differently.”

Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said Ibaka could not have erased all the defensive mistakes the Thunder made in Game 2. The Spurs shot 50 percent from the field and made 9 of 23 3-pointers.

”He’s a key guy, but at the end of the day, we shouldn’t be getting beat this bad,” Perkins said. ”In my opinion, even if we would have Serge the last game, the way we played, we still would have lost.”

source: sports.inquirer.net