Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the verge of winning their first playoff series since moving from Seattle in 2008 thanks to All-Stars Kevin Durantand Russell Westbrook and their terrific supporting cast.
Following Eric Maynor’s lead in the opener and James Harden’s step-up performance in Game 2, Serge Ibaka was Denver’s dagger Saturday night.
“That’s what it’s all about in this league,” Durant said. “You can’t win with just one or two guys.”
Transforming from a shot-blocker into a shot-maker, Ibaka, the second-year pro from the Congo tied his career high with 22 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds in sparking the Thunder’s 97-94 win over the Nuggets that gave them a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series.
“To beat this team four straight times in a playoff is not likely,” Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo said. “But to beat them one time is, and we’ll go from that point.”
Game 4 is Monday night in Denver.
Ibaka, who led the league with 198 blocks during the regular season, gave the Thunder a third dimension on offense to go with Durant (26 points) and Westbrook (23), and his bucket with 10 seconds left helped the Thunder fend off Denver’s furious rally in the final minute.
“The key was being aggressive and stay focus and try to do my job first, like defense,” Ibaka said. “After that get confidence on offense.”
“He was the difference maker,” Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said. “He knocked down his shot when he needed to, he attacked the glass, he blocked shots, he changed the game. He was the best player on the court besides K.D. and Russell.”
Not even the return of Afflalo (13 points) from a troublesome hamstring injury or bounce-back performances from J.R. Smith (15 points) and Chris Andersen (13) could keep the Nuggets from falling to 0-5 against Oklahoma City this month and inching closer to elimination.
WRITTEN BY STATS LLC and The Associated Press & FULL STORY HERE
