Postgame 25: 12 of One, A Dozen of the Other

Thunder Win! 100-92

Leaders of the Night

OKC- Kevin Durant (41 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Blk)

Atlanta- Jeff Teague (19 Pts, 1 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Blk)

Box Score

Now that was a win.

Oklahoma City was obviously looking for revenge tonight against the Hawks. From beginning to end, save a scoreless stretch in the 3rd quarter where the Thunder couldn't buy a basket, OKC took it to the Hawks with force. 

Offensively, this wasn't much of a team game tonight. No other players other than Russell and Kevin got above double digits in scoring, but when you have the Durantula on your team, who needs scoring from role players. Durant exploded in the second half, showing exactly how Not Nice he really is. He would go on to score 40+ for the first time this season, lighting up Atlanta like a Christmas tree; just in time for the holiday season. KD would end up with 41 points and 13 rebounds at the end of the night. 

Regardless of a shooting slump in the second half, Russell started off with a BOOM, scoring with a fury and doing things such as this. He would end up with a double-double, scoring 27 points and registering 11 assists. Wolverine played with great control tonight, only having 3 turnovers and keeping the out of rhythm, off balance shots out of his game and taking nearly all good looks at the basket. 

Coming off his big game two nights before, Air Congo struggled to score much of anything tonight, going from a season high of 25 to shooting 2-9 and scoring only 4 points. Ibaka would be a terror on the boards, however, grabbing 14 of the Thunder's 52 rebounds. 

The real surprise tonight, even after Kevin Durant's 41 point game, was Scott Brooks wholesale roster change near the end of the 1st quarter. Along with normal bench players such as Thabeet, Maynor, and Martin, Brooks threw a curveball and played Jeremy Lamb for his most meaningful minutes this year. Lamb would go on to score 5 points with a sweet 3-pointer, showing either his trade worth or his worth in the rotation for Brooks. Nonetheless, the Thunder took the lead during that time and never relinquished it from there on. 

Analysis: The Thunder played very well in the 12th win in a row. Following a huge rebounding night by Ibaka vs. the Spurs, OKC grabbed 52 rebounds and outrebounded the Hawks by 8 rebounds. Oklahoma City absolutely stifled Atlanta's offense for most of the game, blocking 12 of the Hawk's shots tonight. The Thunder was extremely efficient with lots of free throws and a 95 % from the line and shot a fairly good 43% from the field. Defensively, Kevin Durant and Co. shut down the Hawks, holding them under 40 % shooting percentage. KD was absolutely amazing and completely owned Atlanta, shooting 50 percent from the arch and being absolutely cold hearted with his step back jumper. All of this momentum now needs to transfer to the back side of the back-to-back against Minnesota. 12 in a row, one at a time.  

Player of the Game: Jeremy Lamb. Even though Kevin Durant never ceases to amaze, 35+ point games for KD are fairly commonplace. However, Jeremy Lamb came into the game tonight near the end of the 1st quarter and injected much needed energy into the Thunder. Scoring 5 points and registering a steal and a rebound, Lamb earned his minutes tonight and was the most essential part of starting the run to the finish for OKC. 

Stat of the Game: 41. The last time Kevin Durant scored 40 points was a double-overtime thriller vs. the T-Wolves last year. 

Next Game: Thursday, December 20 @ Minnesota, 6 PM CT

(Credit: NBA.com and ESPN Stats and Information)

(Credit: Photo by Kevin C. Cox | NBAE via Getty Images)