Forums » News and Announcements

game of the season. "W

  • December 9, 2019 2:50 AM EST

    MEMPHIS, Tenn. Replica Yeezy . -- Kevin Durant insists he and Russell Westbrook arent turning their first-round series into a two-man show, even if the NBA scoring champ says they may be shooting too much. Durant and his Oklahoma City teammates agree those shots will fall. Saturday night in Game 4 would be a good time to start, or the Thunder could find themselves on the brink of playoff elimination in the opening round for the first time since 2010. "I just didnt make shots," Durant said Friday after practice. "Thats the name of the game. But I liked the way I cut, I liked the way I was aggressive. But I have to do a better job of maybe passing the ball a little bit more and also making shots. Ive got to stay confident in myself." Durant and Westbrook each scored 30 points in Thursday nights 98-95 overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, combining to go 19 of 53 or a majority of the 87 shots the Thunder took. Worse, they were a chilling 4 of 21 beyond the arc with Durant missing all eight of his attempts. Thunder centre Kendrick Perkins said that wont happen again. "KD is obviously the league MVP and we expect him to be the MVP down the stretch," Perkins said. Memphis has been making Durant and Westbrook work hard for shots by crowding the paint while holding the Thunder below 40 per cent shooting in back-to-back games. Now the Grizzlies have the same 2-1 lead they had a year ago in the semifinals against Oklahoma City after consecutive overtime wins. Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said they want to limit the easy shots and hope Durant and Westbrook miss some. "Theyre going to get them up," Joerger said. Durant and Westbrook werent alone. Oklahoma City went 5 of 28 for a chilling 17.9 per cent. That was just the seventh time in the playoffs the Thunder have shot 20 per cent or less from 3 since moving to Oklahoma City, and three came against the Grizzlies. Thunder coach Scott Brooks said the Grizzlies have been forcing them to take some of the 3s by crowding three and four players around the paint. Oklahoma City can loosen up Memphis by hitting some of those "The ones were trying to eliminate and hopefully we do that next game, are the ones that are off the dribble with the no passes. Those are the tough ones. Those are the ones that we dont want. The ones we like, and were going to have to be able to step up and make, are the ones when theyre packing the paint." Still, the Thunder, who posted the NBAs second-best record, remain confident. "Itd be different if we got blown out or we feel like we didnt have a chance to win," Westbrook said. "Were in a good place." So are the Grizzlies. They now have won four of the last six playoff games against Oklahoma City, including four straight on their home court. The Thunders lone win here in the post-season needed three overtimes in Game 4 of their 2011 semifinal. Not even going to overtime after blowing fourth-quarter leads has bothered Memphis, which has been pushing for the playoffs since January once centre Marc Gasol returned from a sprained left knee. The Grizzlies went 10-4 in games decided by three points or less as one of only four teams with double-digit wins in one-possession games. Conley called Saturday night the next most important game of the season. "We know theyre not going to go away," Conley said. "Theyre going to fight and do whatever they can to win the series." Yeezy For Sale . His big 2-minute outburst in the fourth quarter Tuesday night is all that really mattered for the Dallas Mavericks. Yeezy Shoes .C. - The housecleaning continues for the B.WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets have signed goaltender Michael Hutchinson to a US$1.15-million, two-year contract. Hutchinson, a 24-year-old restricted free agent, will count $575,000 against the salary cap each season if he remains in the NHL. The Barrie, Ont., native could be Ondrej Pavelecs backup next season if the Jets dont add a veteran. The contract is two-way in 2014-15, meaning hell have a different salary in the AHL, and one-way in 2015-16. Fake Yeezy. Hutchinson made his NHL debut April 7 and played three games for the Jets this past season. He went 2-1-0 with a 1.64 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. He helped the AHLs St. Johns IceCaps to the Calder Cup final last month. Hutchinson was originally a third-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2008. ' ' '