Thunder at Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are sinking with losses in seven straight, though four of the setbacks came by six or fewer points. The Oklahoma City Thunder, who visit the Nets on Wednesday, are streaking in the opposite direction with wins in three in a row and 15 of the last 18 games.
Oklahoma City began its three-game road trip by trouncing a Detroit Pistons team that came into the meeting hot in a 110-83 triumph. "Our guys' concentration, their focus, their attention to detail, the job that they did on the defensive floor enabled us to get down and score and play well throughout most of the game," Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters. "The third quarter we came out and really established ourselves." The Nets were the victims of a late-game letdown after recovering from an 11-point deficit to tie the game, only to watch Cleveland Cavaliers guard Alec Burks throw down a go-ahead dunk in the final seconds of a 99-97 setback Monday. "First of all, it's poor shooting," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters. "We missed a ton of shots and that can take you throughout the game. Excellent defense in the second half, but we couldn’t overcome our shooting. We made a valiant comeback."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma, YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (15-7): Center Steven Adams led Oklahoma City in scoring with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting on Monday but gave all the credit to teammates Paul George and Russell Westbrook. "What's good is that we have a couple smart bloody players, who are able to make adjustments on the fly," Adams told reporters of George and Westbrook. "It's just identifying what the problem is and where we could attack them but also where we can stop them. That's crucial. It saves timeouts." Westbrook and George combined for 35 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in the latest victory.
ABOUT THE NETS (8-17): Brooklyn is looking for different players to step up and received an encouraging performance on Monday from small forward Rodions Kurucs. The 20-year-old from Latvia matched a season high with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 14 minutes. "He's got extreme energy," Atkinson told reporters of Kurucs. "He turned the game and got us back into it. He's in the conversation, you can't deny it. Guys have to compete for minutes, but he's definitely earning some more playing time."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets SF Joe Harris (hip) sat out the last three games and is questionable for Wednesday.
2. Thunder SG Hamidou Diallo (ankle) sat out the last five games but was available in an emergency on Monday and could return Wednesday.
3. Oklahoma City took three of the last four meetings but fell at Brooklyn 100-95 last season.