National Basketball Association

Thunder keep working for next round

Published Apr. 30, 2011 4:20 a.m. ET

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Oklahoma City Thunder players earned a day off after becoming the first Western Conference team to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

But they didn't take it, choosing instead to show up at the team's practice facility Thursday. They followed that up with a rugged practice and scrimmage Friday.

''Everybody came in and got their work in so that shows a lot,'' center Kendrick Perkins said. ''So today, guys worked hard at each other. We had a great practice.''

The Thunder will open against Memphis at home on Sunday. The Grizzlies advanced Friday night with a 99-91 victory over top-seeded San Antonio in Game 6.

Coach Scott Brooks gave his players the option of coming in Thursday after securing the first-round series victory over Denver the night before.

At Friday's practice, Brooks said the players were ''very focused and committed'' on getting better. He said the session emphasized defending the paint and various pick-and-roll schemes, along with working on the team's own offensive sets.

Practice ended with a scrimmage of two quarters, during which Perkins said they ''ran our plays real hard.''

Brooks said his team is young and athletic enough to run a hard practice and scrimmage between series, which, in turn, is helping the team keep its edge.

''The guys were really focused and at the very end the two scrimmages we had were probably some of the best scrimmages we've had all year,'' he said.

In looking ahead, Brooks said he plans to keep playing 10 guys each game, though some of their minutes may be reduced. A number of coaches cut their rotations to about eight players, but Brooks said depth is one of his team's strengths.

''A lot has been said and written about Russell (Westbrook) and Kevin (Durant) and rightfully so; those guys are terrific players and they're doing a lot to put us in positions to win,'' Brooks said. ''But we are a good team because all of our guys chip in and help us find ways to win.''

As the Thunder look ahead, they also took time Friday to marvel at the team's performances against Denver. Durant scored 14 points and swatted a key block in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the decisive Game 5 to help turn Oklahoma City's nine-point deficit into a 100-97 victory.

Center Nazr Mohammed called Durant's performance ''amazing'' and said forward Serge Ibaka's nine-block performance was critical.

''That was definitely up there with the great performances I've seen up close; K.D. kind of just took over for us offensively,'' Mohammed said. ''And Serge, what he did was amazing too. He's not getting enough credit for some of the big stops we had down the stretch. If they score another basket or two, it makes what K.D. did for naught.''

Even the defensive-minded Perkins, who is still recovering from major knee injuries sustained last year in the NBA finals with the Boston Celtics, elicited cheers by throwing down a rare dunk.

''I got the opportunity and so I did it,'' Perkins said. ''It's starting to feel a little bit better, but I just feel a bucket is a bucket whether you dunk or not.''

The Thunder ended practice Friday with a laughter-filled half-court shooting contest. Durant was the first to hit, though reserve guard Nate Robinson was the first and only one to swish his first attempt.

Westbrook had more fun later by holding a boom microphone during an interview and moving it close to Mohammed's face.

But with the Western Conference semifinals looming, the Thunder know that it's time again to get serious.

''I feel that if we just go out there and take care of our business, we can beat whoever,'' Perkins said. ''As long as we run our offenses and defenses and guys stick to their roles and we play together, I think we can win any game.''