Kevin Durant leads Oklahoma City Thunder past Minnesota Timberwolves
The Oklahoma City Thunder bagged their fifth-straight win when they escaped with a 117-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves behind Kevin Durant’s big night on Monday 22 November at
the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
Durant missed Oklahoma’s last two games with a sprained left ankle and he admitted that he was a bit tired before the game, but he came out firing right from the opening tip, torching the
Timberwolves with his 28 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 40 minutes for the Thunder.
“I was definitely winded early,” said Durant, who is currently leading the league in scoring with his 28 points per game. “But the ankle felt good. I was able to move around better.”
Jeff Green, who also missed the Thunder’s last four games with left ankle sprain, also had a share of the spotlight as the 24-year-old forward finished with 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting,
highlighted by a three-pointer that gave Oklahoma City a 107-105 lead with 54.7 seconds left in the game.
“My eyes lit up,” said Green on his go-ahead three-pointer. “It felt good to be on the court again. It was one of those games that was pretty fun.”
Thunder head coach Scott Brooks, whose team managed to scored four straight wins without their two young key players, was impressed with how Green and Durant played, despite coming off from
nagging injuries.
“They are fine,” said Brooks. “You want those guys back when they are ready and as a coach you want your players healthy. We are glad we are in a position to have everyone back tonight. Obviously,
Kevin and Jeff are a big part of what we do.”
Kevin Love, who finished the game with 24 points and 17 rebounds, converted a lay-up that gave the Timberwolves a 105-104 lead with 1:20 left to play, but Green countered with his go-ahead
three-pointer and the Thunder held on to escape with the hard-earned win.
“We made it a little closer than we wanted,” Brooks said after the game. “But the guys made plays down the end. Minnesota deserve some credit. They started making shots and didn't give up.”
Darko Milicic finished with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting, Luke Ridnour had 17 points and seven assists, while Michael Beasley added 15 points and seven rebounds, but they couldn’t hold
on to their lead in the final period.
“Our guys lost a little confidence at that point but we're growing and getting better,” said Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis. “Everyone has to realize we're not healthy yet so we're still
not a complete team.”
Minnesota dropped their second-straight game; while the Thunder have won in seven of their last eight games, improving their record to 10-4, which is good for fourth-place in the Western
Conference.
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