Nuggets at Thunder
THE STORY: Russell Westbrook looked mortal in Monday's Game 4 loss, but the Thunder point guard will have home court on his side for Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round series with the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. Westbrook struggled with his shot, particularly down the stretch as the Nuggets held on for a 104-101 win. Oklahoma City still leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can wrap things up with a home victory in Game 5.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Fox Sports Oklahoma
ABOUT THE THUNDER: Westbrook was uncharacteristically off-target in the Game 4 defeat, missing several shots by a wide margin and even airballing a potential game-tying 3-point attempt in the final minute. He finished with 30 points on 12-of-30 shooting and missed all seven of his attempts from beyond the arc, including three in the closing moments of the game. Durant had 31 points on 8-of-18 shooting but he made five of six 3-pointers while going 10-for-11 from the line. Serge Ibaka was solid for the third game in a row, scoring 13 points while adding 14 rebounds and a game-high five blocked shots.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS: Denver held on - barely - to stay alive in the best-of-seven, but will need to better on the offensive end to extend the series beyond five games. The Nuggets won despite shooting just 38.6 percent from the field and 70.5 percent from the free-throw line. Only the sheer number of foul shots - 44 in total, compared to 31 by the Thunder - prevented Denver from being swept out of the playoffs in their own building. Ty Lawson paced the Nuggets with a career playoff-high 27 points while Danilo Gallinari added 18 points, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Durant has been deadly from outside all series, shooting 14 for 27 from 3-point range through the first four games. Nuggets C Nene had 10 points and nine rebounds but went just 4 of 9 from the line, putting him at 55.6 percent for the series. He was a 71-percent free-throw shooter in the regular season.
KEY STATISTIC: 47 - the number of offensive rebounds the Nuggets have allowed through the first four games of the series. Limiting Oklahoma City's second-chance baskets will be critical to Denver's ability to stay alive in the best-of-seven.
LAST WORD: "We’ll take that. If he can get 30 up and miss 18 of them, we’ll take that. We’ll take that every day." - Martin on Westbrook's poor night from the field.