Tuesday, May 10, 2016

NBA Update

So in Game Four of their playoff with the Spurs, down two games to one, the Thunder decided to have Kevin Durant take more shots that Russell Westbrook.  Here's what happened:

Durant:  11-16 from 2-point range, 3-9 from 3-point range, 10-13 from the line:  41 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Westbrook:  4-15 from 2-point range, 1-3 from 3-point range, 3-4 from the line:  14 points, 15 assists, 7 rebounds

But that's not all.  Suddenly other guys were scoring lots of points for the Thunder.  Dion Waiters had 17 points.  Steven Adams -- who took one shot in Game Three (Westbrook took 31) -- had 16 points.  Our old friend Enes Kanter had 11 points.

OKC cruised by the score of 111 to 97.  Series tied at two.  Game Five tonight.  Congrats to Coach Donovan -- and to Westbrook.

Meanwhile, Stephen Curry came back for Game Four in Portland, with the Warriors leading two games to one.  Would his leg hold up?  Would his shooting touch be there?  Here's what he did:

11-16 from 2-point range
5-16 from 3-point range
3-3 from the line
40 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists.

But he was even better than these numbers indicate.  He set an NBA record by scoring 17 points in overtime.  (Overtime is only five minutes long.)

Here's another stat.  The difference between the teams was only 7 points -- the Warriors won 132 to 125 in overtime.  The difference in the 37 minutes that Curry was on the floor was 21 points.  In the other 16 minutes, the Trail Blazers outscored Golden State by 14.

With Curry back, and the Thunder playing team ball, the next few weeks should be very dramatic.  (And oh, by the way, LeBron is 8-0 in the playoffs so far.)

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Cleveland 4 - 0 Atlanta
Toronto 2 - 2 Miami

WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Golden St. 3 - 1 Portland
San Antonio 2 - 2 Oklahoma City

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