Thunder Outlasts Ellis, Warriors
By Nick Ostiller
Kevin Durant is starting to form quite a collection of game-winning shots.
For the latest addition, the lanky forward hit a go-ahead bank shot with 14.2 seconds remaining and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame career performances by Monta Ellis and David Lee to beat the Golden State Warriors, 119-116 on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.
Santa Clara sophomore and long-time Warriors fan Jason Oledan attended the game in Oakland and had mixed emotions about Durant's late jumper.
"It's truly something to witness the way he plays and how effortless he makes it seem," said Oledan. "But his last shot, the Warriors really should've played him close. Still kicking myself about it really."
The National Basketball Association's two-time scoring leader has shook up defenders every which way this season and is making a strong case for his first Most Valuable Player award. Durant also had a buzzer-beating three-pointer against Dallas on Dec. 29 and a dunk with 2.9 seconds left in an overtime victory Monday night at Portland.
Durant finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and Russell Westbrook added 31 points and seven assists to give Oklahoma City its fourth win in five games. After rallying for a thrilling comeback at Portland a night earlier, the Thunder had to sweat out another frantic finish.
Ellis scored a career-high 48 points, and Lee had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double. Ellis and Brandon Rush both missed three-pointers in the closing seconds to tie or take the lead.
"We have to break that cycle," Ellis said. "The games we should win, we've got to start winning. And the games like this, we should go out and compete and give ourselves a chance to win."
Oledan was also confused as to why the Warriors had every opportunity for a stunning upset but could not close the deal.
"I don't know whether the Warriors choke on defense, or if nobody steps up, or if (Head Coach) Mark Jackson is unable to call the right plays at the right time," said Oledan, "but obviously something is not working, and it kills you as a fan."
After Dorell Wright made one of two free throws to bring the Warriors within a deuce, Durant missed a contested three-pointer. The ball found Ellis' hands, and the tattoo-tattered guard never gave it back.
Ellis darted to the basket off a pick-and-roll with Lee, threw his body into Thunder center Serge Ibaka and shielded the ball for a right-handed layup that started another three-point play. Ellis made the free throw to put Golden State ahead with 22.3 seconds to play.
"Monta (Ellis) was hitting practically every shot, and most circus layups and ‘and ones' he would only make a fraction of a time were going in," commented Oledan. "It was a fun game to watch thanks to him. He's never been one to eliminate fun from a game."
However, it was Durant who got the last laugh.
After missing a finger roll through a crowd of defenders, Durant got a second chance when the ball trickled out of bounds off Golden State. He didn't take long to redeem himself, coming off a screen and banking in an 18-footer off the glass with 14.2 seconds left.
Ellis missed a three-pointer on the other end. Westbrook followed with two free throws and Golden State had one last chance to send it to overtime. But Ellis inbounded the ball on the final play, and Rush missed a three-pointer in the corner at the final buzzer.
Ellis finished 18 for 29 from the field and was nine of 10 on free throws. He also had seven rebounds and two assists — clearly not enough against an Oklahoma City team that's plowing through the Western Conference.
"Our goal going into the game is to hold Monta Ellis to 50 and he only had 48 so we accomplished two things," Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks said, sarcastically.
Contact Nick Ostiller at nostiller@scu.edu or (408) 554-4852. Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press contributed to this report.