Basketball News:Kevin Durant leads the Thunder
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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking for an identity and maybe some national recognition. One does not get much NBA national recognition playing basketball in a city not known for basketball. If you ply your trade in one of the traditional cities like Boston or L.A. then the lights are already on you, but if you dribble orange balls for Oklahoma City, you can remain unknown.
Kevin Durant is making sure that the Thunder find their places in the annals of the NBA and its great games, although it still is not like Boston vs. Orlando or L.A. vs. San Antonio, it was a great start.
Oklahoma City 108 Milwaukee Bucks 90
The Bucks came in with a winning record and an awesome rookie in Brandon Jennings, but it was Durant that stole the show.
It’s precisely what happened Friday, as the Thunder led by as many as 24 points and never trailed by more than six. The Thunder outplayed a Milwaukee team that came in with a surprising 8-5 record but was just 2-4 on the road.
Kevin Durant led the Thunder with a game-high 33 points to go with 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Thabo Sefolosha recorded his second double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook finished with 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
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The big key for the Thunder is on the defensive end and they showed that in beating the Bucks.
Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, who entered the night as the league’s 10th-leading scorer at 23.4 points per game, was held to 12 points and three assists. The 10th overall pick and frontrunner for Rookie of the Year had just two points and three assists in 19 first-half minutes.
Kevin Durant an MVP contender
Kevin Durant is having a MVP type season, although he most likely will not win the award, which is usually reserved for more veteran players playing on teams headed for the Conference finals at least. Still, Kevin is in the Race as they call it at NBA.com.
Tags:Kevin Durant, kevin-durant-for-mvp, NBA Basketball, nba mvp, oklahoma city thunder10. Kevin Durant, Thunder (9-7)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
15 38.6 27.1 6.8 3.1 1.5 0.8 .450 .250 .855
Last Week: N/A | Drafted:
The newcomer to The Race, though it is our suspicion that he will have a regular appearance among these candidates in the coming years. The thing that stands out about him is he has incredible length but gets his shot off so quickly coming off screens that defenders have a hard time getting a hand up. Once he adds strength and experience, he’ll be very difficult to stop. Plus, he has his team a third of the way to last season’s victory total of 23, which should not be overlooked.