Why Oklahoma City Lost To Sacramento

First and foremost, I would like to say that having the ability to stream live NBA games right on the computer is an awesome things. Tonight featured a last second call in Chicago, Dwyane Wade lighting up Washington and Dallas putting up 121 points. In the last game of the night, Kevin Durant and the Thunder took the court in Sacramento to try and stop the two game winning streak the Kings have going. Take note that the Kings have won two straight without their best offensive weapon on the floor in Kevin Martin.

With everything aside, Oklahoma City insists on keeping teams in the game. I know you're going to say their defense is nonexistent like in previous seasons, but you are wrong. Their defense is not the problem here. The problem that the Thunder face is too much one-on-one play at the offensive end. When you look at this game tonight, Durant was able to put up 37 points and score at will like a man on a mission. True. But, how about in the third quarter when he came out and hit six straight shots to get the Thunder back into the flow of the game? Pretty impressive. Durant was 18-for-18 from the free throw line and was able to take his man off the dribble whenever he wanted.

In the fourth quarter, however, the offense didn't go through Durant. There were four straight possessions down the floor in which Durant did not touch the ball on offense and ill advised shots were on full display. Russell Westbrook tries to create too much with too little space. Jeff Green had not found a shooting touch for the life of him in the fourth quarter. Nenad Krstic, well that's enough said. The point is Durant was on fire and unstoppable and there was no urgency to get him the ball. After coming off a screen, the play had already gone the opposite direction and failed almost 100 percent of the time.

Kevin Durant needs the ball most of the time down the floor. He can create double teams and allow cutters to dive to the basket and create fouls and easy opportunities. When he is not factored into the offense, the defense guards their man straight up and sags off Durant on penetration attempts, causing a cluster of bodies in the lane and forced turnovers. His 37 point performance was impressive because he can create something out of nothing. His shooting numbers were not impressive with a 9-for-23 showing. That doesn't tell it all. His 18 free throw attempts could have easily been in the twenties and essentially keeping his team within one to two points down the stretch. Instead, the Thunder struggled with missed shots and long rebounds lost while facing a five to six point deficit. That deficit in turn allowed for a 101-98 loss on the road at the hands of the Kings who have now won three straight.