Game 17 Recap: Houston 100, Oklahoma City 91

So....we lost, and my prediction was only 2 points off. Why was my prediction so close to reality? Well, it because this game went almost exactly like this one. Sure, we were ahead most of the time, Jeff green scored a little more, and Aaron Brooks scored instead of Luis Scola, but it was still the same game. Lots of inside scoring, the Thunder's complete inability to rebound, and the complete lack of an X-Factor on our side made for a very familiar story. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant both spent the game driving inside and gaining points, while every time we tried to shoot anywhere but the paint, it was almost a sure miss. 1-15 from the 3 Point Line? Yikes!

Below: Anaylsis, Awards

But, the question remains, how did we keep ahead for such a long period of time? Well, the answer is simple: They were adjusting to having to play without Luis Scola. He left very early in the first quarter with an injury, and Houston was struggling to find an inside scorer to replace him.

The bottom line is this: No matter what stands in the way, our team is always going to be susceptible to the Rockets style of play. They know how to penetrate inside far too well, they actually hit their 3 pointers, and the whole team participates in rebounding. I predict that we'll lose to them in every game for the rest of the season.

Awards:

Thunder Wonder: Russell Westbrook, 20 Points, 2 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 4 Turnovers, and 2 Blocks. The turnovers are bad, but not extremely bad for a point guard. The fact remains that without his scoring, the team would have not stayed ahead for as long as he did.

Thunder Down Under: Kevin Durant, 25 Points, 9 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 6 Turnovers, 2 Steals, and 3 Blocks. Kevin Durant did really, really well, but 6 Turnovers is just inexcusable, especially for someone who shouldn't be a play-maker. Yeesh.

Thunder Blunder: Thabo Sefolosha, 2-7 Field Goals, 6 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Assists, and 4 Turnovers. Yet again, he has an embarassingly bad performance against the Rockets, having a bad shooting night, and letting Trevor Ariza score all over us.

Thunder Plunderer: Trevor Ariza, 17 Points, 2 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 4 Steals, and 2 Blocks.