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The Thunder finished a brutal week, 3-1, including wins over the Miami Heat as well as potential playoff teams the Hawks, Wizards, and Nets. How did each player perform? Let's break it down.
Game 1: Durant saves the day with game winner as OKC beats the Hawks, 111-109
Game 2: Thunder finally beat the Heat, 112-95
Game 3: Thunder destroy Nets in Brooklyn, 120-95
Game 4: Thunder see win streak snapped at 10, fall to Wizards 96-81
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KEVIN DURANT | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
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(Average Stats) | 4 | 31.5 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 4.0 | +7.8 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Kevin Durant had a superb month and this week was no different. He put on a show and got the best of LeBron James in their little one-on-one exchange during the Heat game and then he showed out in Brooklyn and was almost perfect from the floor. His struggle against Washington is the only reason why he didn't get an 'A+' But we're just nitpicking now. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
It seems unfair to actually lower Kevin Durant's grade to an 'A' this week since he is still playing an unbelievable level of basketball, but that's what happens when he raised the standards to an impossibly high level for these past two weeks. What I enjoyed most this past week is that he is developing some incredible chemistry with Ibaka in the 2-man game, with both the pick and roll and pick and pop. Unfortunately Durant's hot streak left him in his home town of D.C., contributing to the Thunder's only loss. |
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RUSSELL WESTBROOK | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
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(Average Stats) | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | +1000 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Russell Westbrook has a returned date circled now and that's enough for me to give him an 'A'. Can't wait. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
Russell Westbrook's date of return is now slated at Feb. 20, which incidentally is also the same day they play the Heat again. I know it was technically the previous week, but Westbrook's delightful ribbing of the 76ers fans was superb. |
DEREK FISHER | Games Played | PPG | REB | AST | BL | ST | TO | +/- |
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(Average Stats) | 4 | 7.3 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | +4.5 |
JUAN | ![]() |
Derek Fisher muscled his way (pun definitely intended) to a 5-for-5 performance from behind the arc against the Heat and he was a player that showed life when the Thunder looked dead and Reggie picked up a couple quick fouls. He shot the ball well all month, but his performance against Miami was excellent and we all hope he knocks down some big threes in the playoffs. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
Don't too shocked, but Derek Fisher just wrapped up arguably his best month of regular season basketball in years. He shot 43% from 3-point range in January and his production culminated in an amazing 5-5 shooting night from behind the arc in Miami (including this one). Jackson has unfortunately pushed Fisher into the PG role more than we'd like, but I can't say that he's materially hurt the team while he's out there. |
SCOTT BROOKS | Coaching Grade | |||||||
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JUAN | ![]() |
Scott Brooks did everything that Thunder fans begged him to do against Miami in the finals and every game since then. He sat down Kendrick Perkins for the rest of the game, once Miami took a huge lead. It showed that Scott Brooks doesn't really care for feelings anymore and he's just trying to win basketball games and we can all admire that. Now that we know that he's willing to adjust his rotation depending on the competition, I feel a lot better about a run in the playoffs. | ||||||
SHERMAN | ![]() |
Scott Brooks earned his stripes this week by keeping his team in the game vs Atlanta, a game which the Thunder probably would have lost a year ago as they were caught looking ahead to Miami, and then of course the Heat game itself. Brooks snapped the necks of beat writers by changing his lineup and going small to contend with Miami's lineup and the adjustment reaped amazing dividends. I'm willing to give Brooks a pass on the loss to the Wizards. team looked lethargic from the onset and in the end showed little interest in trying for the comeback win. Sometimes you gotta let some games go. |
TEAM GRADE | Record | OffRtg | DefRtg | AstRatio | REB% | TS% | PACE | +/- |
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(Advanced Stats) | 3-1 | 112.6 | 104.7 | 18.2 | 52.9% | 60.6% | 94.3 | +7.3 |
JUAN | ![]() |
I thought wins were going to be hard to come by with Westbrook sidelined and I'm so glad I was wrong. The Thunder were the news around the league and took care of a potential NBA Finals foe in Miami's home court, and they dominated. The Wizards game came off a third road game in four days so that's a typical trap game that the team fell in, which is a little bit more acceptable. It would have been nice for the winning streak to continue, but now they can get another going and get Russell after the all-star break. |
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SHERMAN | ![]() |
The Thunder concluded a staggering 8 games in 12 days and they went 7-1 in a stretch that included 3 back-to-backs and wins over the Spurs, Trail Blazers, and Heat (ironically their closest game was against the Hawks). That's not bad. Sure it would have been nice to finish it up with a win in Durant's home town, so that keeps them from receiving a perfect A+, but let's be realistic. This kind of stretch in the month of January without Russell Westbrook is the kind of thing that forms the bedrock of a contender's season. They learned so much about what they're capable of, and it is now just a matter of maintaining the momentum. |
*All player images via US Presswire
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