The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Brooklyn Nets 108-96. The Nets dropped their first game of the 7 game road trip tonight in Oklahoma City. Brooklyn came out of the gates hot, taking a double digit lead just minutes into the game. This has been the 2nd time in the past couple of weeks that then Nets have started out with a double digit lead in the first quarter, and then lost (Wizards game). Brooklyn was ferocious on defense, and knocking down shots in the first to outscore OKC 27-19. The Thunder bounced back in the 2nd, but Brooklyn once again outscored them 25-23. The Thunder got momentum in the final seconds of the second quarter when the Nets turned it over, and OKC was able to cut the Nets lead down to just 10. The Thunder then came out red hot in the third, and dissipated the Nets lead within minutes. OKC destroyed Brooklyn in the third, outscoring them 38-26. Still, Brooklyn was well within reach only down 2 heading to the 4th. Brooklyn kept it close for much of the quarter, they were down just 3 with 6:30 to go, but the Russ took over. The Nets were outworked by the Thunder, and ended up losing the game by 12. Brooklyn was outscored 28-18 in the 4th quarter. This was not an ideal start to the Nets road trip, as they came out very flat in the second half. OKC is the 4th seed in the West so obviously they are very tough, but Brooklyn let down themselves by showing promise early and just letting all their momentum leave in the second half. Brooklyn will look to start a new winning streak on Saturday in Utah, and hopefully 2 days off will help the Nets regather their momentum.

The Nets were once again led by Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie finished with 25 points and 5 rebounds on 8-17 shooting. Dinwiddie is emerging himself in the 6th Man of the Year race, and the Nets would be lost without him. D’Angelo Russell had a decent game, finishing with 14 points and 7 assists on 6-18 shooting. Russell has been slipping a little lately (under 20 points for the 3rd game in a row) and the Nets need him to play better if they want to have a good road trip. Lastly Joe Harris (13 points and 6 rebounds on 4-8 shooting) and Ed Davis (6 points and 11 rebounds) chipped in nice games for the Nets. Caris LeVert struggled greatly from the field today, finishing with 8 points on just 3-10 shooting. LeVert has been very inconsistent since he came back, and this was one of his bad games. LeVert is doing a good job of getting to the rim, but he is still not finishing well. Hopefully LeVert can finish better as he continues to get back into the rhythm of an NBA played.

The Thunder were led by the All Star duo of Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The king of the triple double got another one tonight, finishing with 31 points 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Westbrook was dominant tonight, and singly handedly took over late in the 4th quarter. MVP candidate Paul George had a very nice game, finishing with 25 points and 9 rebounds on 9-18 shooting. This was one of PG’s better games since returning from injury, and he was definitely a factor tonight. Lastly, Jerami Grant (15 points and 7 rebounds) and Steven Adams (13 points and 7 rebounds) were major contributors for OKC tonight.

What’s Next?

Brooklyn travels to Utah to take on the Jazz Saturday night, while OKC travels to Indiana tomorrow to take on the Pacers

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