Kevin Durant delivers in the clutch as Oklahoma City Thunder edge out Houston Rockets – NBA Part 1
The Oklahoma City Thunder won a highly competitive game against the Houston Rockets 98 – 95 at the Toyota Center. The Thunder had to work hard for their win and relied on some clutch shots from super star Kevin Durant to grab the win.
Durant wasn’t having the best shooting night of his career early on in the game but took over when his team needed him the most. He made some big shots in the end and credited his clutch performance to a relaxed attitude.
"It might sound odd, but late in the game I just don't care anymore. I think that's the best way to go about it. You think about it too much, then you end up overdoing it or missing [shots]. ... I wanted to be that guy who made big shots [the first four
years of my career]. ... I think I cared a little bit too much."
The forward topped with 27 points in the game and also had 6 rebounds to his credit. Playing deputy to Kevin as always was Russell Westbrook. The sometimes erratic point guard was on song in this particular game, netting 25 points and handing out 6 assists.
James Harden came off the bench for 16 points while reserve centre Nazr Mohammed had 17 to go along with 6 boards.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks was pleased with the performance of his team in a tough situation and picked out Westbrook for special praise.
"Russell willed our team to win with his toughness on both ends of the floor. He was controlling the game with his shots, his attacks, his penetration."
The Rockets were led by big man Luis Scola, who netted a game high 28 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Point guard Goran Dragic was on fire, scoring 20 points and dishing out 8 assists as he directed traffic for Houston. Kevin Martin also had a good night
out with 16 points.
After the game Scola conceded that Oklahoma City were just too much for the Rockets on the night. He said the difference in the level of talent between the two sides showed at the end when the Thunder were able to make important shots.
"[The Thunder] were just too good. They made some great plays, and at the end of the game it comes down to great players [like Durant] making great plays."
Oklahoma were better starting off the game and their stars threatened to take over as they raced to a 17 – 10 lead early. The Rockets though fought back very well and nipped the danger in the bud. The first two quarters were extremely closely fought, in
fact at the end of the first half the team were separated by just 2 points.
Whenever one side looked like building a head of steam, the other struck back with a flurry of their own. The game was thus finely poised at the break, the score 48 – 46 to Oklahoma City.
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