Thunder at Nuggets
THE STORY: The Oklahoma City Thunder dodged a free-throw bullet in Game 3 and now sit poised to sweep the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference first-round series. The Nuggets host Game 4 Monday night looking to avoid elimination in front of their home fans. The Thunder edged Denver 91-88 Saturday night despite being in major foul trouble in the second half.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, ALT
ABOUT THE NUGGETS: It isn't difficult to pinpoint where Denver fell short in Game 3. The Nuggets shot terribly from just about everywhere, hitting 37.2 percent from the field while making just 6 of 23 shots from 3-point range. But it was the foul line that proved to be the Nuggets' ultimate undoing, as they made just 30 of 45 shots from the stripe and missed several free throws down the stretch. Nene, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith led the way with 15 points apiece. Smith single-handedly made a game of it with two 3-pointers in the final minute, but missed the game-tying attempt at the buzzer.
ABOUT THE THUNDER: All of Oklahoma City's big guns finished with at least four fouls, but the Thunder still prevailed and can advance to the second round with a win Monday. Kevin Durant (26 points) and Russell Westbrook (23 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) were the stars as usual, but this time they had major help. Serge Ibaka chipped in 22 points and 16 rebounds, and his 10-for-10 performance from the free-throw line was the difference. He added four blocked shots as Oklahoma City overcame its own shoddy offensive performance, shooting just 36.2 percent from the floor and 6 of 21 from beyond the arc.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Foul trouble has dogged Thunder C Kendrick Perkins the last two games, reducing his playing time to just over 22 minutes per game. He has nine points on 3-of-11 shooting in that span. Nene was a 71 percent free-throw shooter in the regular season but is just 58.3 percent (21 for 36) so far in the series.
KEY STATISTIC: 88 – the number of foul shots taken by both teams Saturday night. If Game 4 is anywhere near as plodding, the Nuggets will need to shoot much better from the line to force a Game 5 Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
LAST WORD: "That’s what it’s all about in this league. You can’t win with just one or two guys." – Durant on Ibaka's Game 3 breakout.