Quarter by Quarter observations

First Quarter

 With Luis Scola out due to injury Carl Landry is going to have to step up and play big minutes, in the previous matchup Scola and Landry provided a ton of efficient offense so having one out is big. With Krstic out Thomas has stepped in and is playing well. Westbrook is having some trouble with Brooks quickness but he is doing much better than the previous game between these two. The Thunder defense is a bit lax right now but the Rockets really have not been able to capitalize.

Score to end the Quarter 29-25 Thunder

Second Quarter

The Thunder defense was better on average in the second half, there were a couple of possessions where the Thunder played great defense and the Rockets still wound up getting a basket. DJ White is proving to be a good option off the bench when the opponents are running a heavy lineup. With Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes, and David Anderson getting the majority of the minutes down low White is able to hold his own and not get beat off the ball like he did against Milwaukee. Mike Wilks has played well in his second game with the Thunder, he isn't going to show up in the box score but he is playing decent defense and bringing the ball up the court much like Kevin Ollie. The Thunder are able to put 5 more on the lead due to defense and good shot selection.

Score to finish the half 54-45 Thunder

Half

Trevor Ariza is 6-15 from the field and 0-5 from three much better than the game down in Houston at least as far as the Thunder are concerned. Carl Landry and Chase Budinger are a combined 3-10 with 3 rebounds, also much better as far as the Thunder are concerned, considering they are the two players who really lit the Thunder up down in Houston. Scola should be back after the half but I don't think his return will really get the Rockets going considering how Landry has been doing against this defense. Westbrook is playing pretty good defense on Brooks, it is obvious that he is still struggling a little with the speedy Brooks but after watching him tear us up in Houston this is much better. I really want the Thunder to come out and put the petal to the metal here in the third quarter and put this game away. We know they can play much better defensively and if they come out with all guns blazing they can pull away and seal the Tenth win of the season in short order.

Third Quarter

 Westbrook played a good first half of defense, but now Brooks is getting into the lane and getting easy shots. Landry also started to get it going after a tough first half he went 3-5 for 6 points and added 6 rebounds in the quarter. The good news is he has 4 fouls so he has to start playing careful or he might foul out. Scola also is done for the night, another piece of good news. The Thunder did not come out playing good defense and the Rockets took advantage and cut the lead to 2.

Score to finish the Quarter 71-69 Thunder

Fourth Quarter

Well that was a rather pathetic second half. Westbrook seemed to forget how he stopped Brooks in the first half because Brooks had 17 points in the second half. Brooks cut to the lane and got easy baskets both for himself and Carl Landry. The Rockets just keep giving Brooks the ball off a high screen and watched as Westbrook jogged leisurely behind him on his way to the rim. Really disappointing considering Scola's injury and the way the Thunder had a lead headed into the fourth at home.

Score to finish the Game 108-94 Magic

The Good and The Bad individually

The Good

Kevin Durant

KD shot 10-19 for 25 points and 9 rebounds, he was able to get into the lane and get shots and free throws all night. KD also had 6 assists and 3 blocks. His defense was good all night and he didn't let the combo of Ariza and Battier get to him.

Serge Ibaka

Serge hit the first three of his career, it was also the only three the Thunder hit all night. With Krstic out I expected more from Serge particularly in the rebound department but on a night when little else went the Thunder's way hitting your first three is good enough.

The Bad

What was the big difference between the first half and the second? Westbrook's defense on Aaron Brooks. The first half Brooks had 3 points on 1-6 shooting he finished with 21 on 8-15. Brooks also managed to rack up 4 assists in the second half after being shut out in the first. Landry was the biggest benefactor, besides Brooks, of the less than inspired defense of Westbrook; when Brooks drove into the lane the defense had to collapse to prevent the easy layup and most of the time they helped off Landry who was then wide open under the basket. The Rockets offense is mostly predicated on driving the lane to collapse the defense then kick to open shooters in the first half Westbrook prevented Brooks from driving in the second... not so much.

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