OKLAHOMA CITY – This kind of stuff is getting predictable.
But it sure is fun.
Another comeback, another victory and the Thunder stayed unbeaten at home this season, getting past Denver 115-113 Monday night at Chesapeake Arena.
And sure, while the excitement was playoff-level, highlight-worthy kind of stuff, isn't it time to be a bit concerned the Thunder is fooling around with these below-average teams on a regular basis and needing a remarkable comeback to win?
Yeah, guy who is complaining that it's just November, and it's early, settle down. We know.
We also know this Thunder team is good enough to go from disinterested and distanced from defense to a championship team, good enough to rally from 14 down in the second half to beat Denver.
"We've learned it doesn't really work for us long term," said forward Nick Collison. "I'd like to see us play better."
That's because the Thunder can be better. They shouldn't need to struggle offensively against Milwaukee before figuring things out. They shouldn't have to be shaken from a daze against Washington before everything works out.
And they should never be in a spot where they give up 39 points in the first quarter, 29 more in the third quarter before they bail themselves out.
Last week it was Washington in overtime. Monday it was so bad, so sluggish and so sloppy that Kevin Durant did a shimmy-shake that could double as his Dances With the Stars audition tape after a fourth quarter 3-pointer.
"That's the only thing that came to mind," Durant said. Yeah, weird things happen when shots finally start to fall.
Gotta figure it's the kind of move that makes the internet buzz, but it was the kind of situation the Thunder need to avoid putting themselves in.
"We knew Denver was going to be a tough team to stop," coach Scott Brooks said. "I'm proud of our guys in that fourth quarter for playing inspired basketball. We have a lot of guys who play with whatever they have."
Brooks is right about the inspired basketball part. The Thunder did that, but what the heck are they doing waiting so long to wake up? OKC outscored Denver 32-21 in the fourth quarter and held the Nuggets to 28.6 percent shooting in the final 12 minutes. Not bad, considering Denver shot 48 percent for the game.
"We have to be better, but we fought hard," Durant said. "We can't make it a fourth quarter game like that every game."
Every game? Try the next few games. The Clippers come in Thursday. San Antonio and Golden State come in next week.
Not exactly the same kind of teams as the under-.500 Nuggets, the lottery-bound Bucks and the playoff-allergic Washington Wizards.
"We can't continue to do that and put pressure on ourselves," Russell Westbrook said. "We've got to start the game better. Most of that is my fault."
OK, so that's probably enough of the piling on. The Thunder can't afford to get behind, can't afford to avoid playing defense, either, but there is something to be said for the fact Durant and Westbrook are stars enough to beat teams by themselves – if they have to.
Durant was just one-of-six on fourth-quarter 3-pointers, but the one he hit with 1:26 to play gave the team the lead for good. He finished with 38 points. Westbrook was just 10-of-25 and turned it over five times. But he scored 30 points and his 3-pointer with 4:38 left got the Thunder to within one point when they had trailed by 10 nearly 6 minutes earlier.
"We're very prideful," Brooks said. But they scored 39 in the first quarter. We have to play a better defensive game."
Play better defense and the Thunder wouldn't have had any issue. Then again, it wouldn't have been nearly as fun of a finish.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
