Oklahoma City Thunder clobber Denver Nuggets, 106–89: NBA Play-off Update
The Oklahoma City Thunder put in a strong first quarter to out the Denver Nuggets with a 106–89 win at home in Oklahoma City on 20 April 20. Kevin Durant had 23 points and Russell Westbrook
put in 21 to boost the Thunder to an easy win and a 2–0 advantage in their Western Conference first-round series, Game-2, with the Nuggets.
The game was in stark contrast to the series opener that both teams played. The first game went down to the wire, but this one was never in doubt since the opening minutes. The Thunder
exploded in the first quarter and stamped their name on the game from the start.
James Harden provided 18 points, Serge Ibaka had 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Kendrick Perkins grabbed 11 rebounds, but had trouble holding back on the fouls.
Oklahoma City opened the game with consecutive three-pointers by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Both sides traded some shots before a jumper by Danilo Gallinari cut the Thunder lead
to 10–7. The Thunder then went on a 21–8 run for the rest of the quarter to clearly emerge as the better team after 12 minutes of play.
The Thunder dominated the boards with ferocity, as they enjoyed a 54 -31 rebounding advantage and grabbed an impressive 17 offensive rebounds, compared to just five for the Nuggets. Oklahoma
City looked sloppy on the offensive end as they were not careful but were rather errant with their passes. They committed 17 turnovers on the night.
The Thunder shot 43.9 percent from the floor and stifled the opposition early on in the game. Denver missed its first six shots and looked nothing like the way they played in Game 1.
The lop-sided effort continued into the second quarter as the Thunder visibly dominated the Nuggets in front of a packed crowd at the Oklahoma City Arena. Eric Maynor’s free-throw at the
8:41 mark in the second period gave the Thunder their largest lead of the game at 43-17.
The outcome of the game was never in doubt the rest of the night.
Ty Lawson top-scored for the Nuggets with 20 points and Raymond Felton and Nene chipped in with 16 to lead the Nuggets charge. Al Harrington went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc to add 15
points off the bench.
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