Everybody helped out Monday night in Dallas.
Too bad it was just another loss for the Thunder.
Six players wound up scoring 12 or more points against the Mavericks, despite the depleted Thunder being even more depleted.
And it was just another loss, this time a 119-115 defeat that dropped the Thunder's lead back to just a half-game over New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Serge Ibaka missed his third game in a row and will be out for the near future as the Thunder forward will undergo a procedure to alleviate soreness in his knee. The result meant Oklahoma City was down another starter. Yet, Enes Kanter and Steven Adams were good enough. Even Mitch McGary went for a career-high 13 rebounds.
Too bad it came in another Thunder loss.
While the Thunder have been dealing fairly well, maybe because they're used to it, with the "Next Man Up" mentality, there's not much joy to be gained in another lost opportunity.
But what was also obvious had nothing to do with injuries and everything to do with missed chances.
Late in the game, Russell Westbrook was called for a charge, didn't like the call and committed a silly foul seconds later, fouling out of the game. Moments later, McGary fouled when he didn't need to and moments after that the Thunder were talking about how they need to learn from this game, review the tape and all the things team say when they lose.
"Just mental breakdowns," Westbrook told ESPN.com
"Just go back to the film, see what we did wrong," Westbrook said.
Too many good performances Monday. Too bad it happened in a loss.
Sure, Ibaka in the game would have likely changed things significantly, but the other front-court Thunder players were more than admirable on Monday.
Let's not kid ourselves â a healthy Durant, and we're probably not counting games and watching the standings, either.
Yet, here we are.
The latest injury situation came Monday when ESPN.com reported Ibaka will be heading to New York and undergoing a procedure on his injured knee. And the latest injury situation seems the most fixable for Brooks and the Thunder as they have a surplus of capable forwards and centers. None are at Ibaka's level defensively. That was obvious Monday as the Mavericks scored 66 points in the second half.
Counting the days until Kevin Durant returns or when Ibaka makes a comeback? Perhaps it's time to start watching out for the Pelicans instead. Any chance the Thunder had at catching Dallas for the No. 7 seed is all but gone now. The Thunder are now five games back of that spot with only 15 games to go.
OKC's next four games are at home and coach Scott Brooks will have to do what he's done all season, tweak and tinker with a lineup that's been more inconsistent than a spring forecast.
The most-recent adjustments from Brooks have included Kanter and Adams starting the past two games. It's worked well. Both have played well. Dion Waiters as a starter hasn't been a negative either.
Kanter and Adams combined for 34 points and 21 rebounds. Waiters had 15 points.
All of this in the wake of another injury.
Too bad it came in a loss.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
