Ibaka leads Magic over Thunder

“This was because of everyone else”, Baynes said.

“I think Dre’s been doing an unbelievable job, especially defensively, all year long and he’s not getting credit for it”, Westbrook said. “He took time out of his day to come all the way to Oklahoma City to do this for me is an awesome honor”.

“Coach called my name, and I was ready”, Ibaka said. “But Aron is a starting center in the National Basketball Association”. He hasn’t played this season.

“Our defense at home has been great”, Van Gundy said.

With under 20 seconds to go, Rockets guard James Harden hoisted a 3-pointer which would have tied the game.

So who’s leading the charge for the Thunder?

Even with all that, Westbrook declined when asked to compare himself to Jordan, instead focusing on how fortunate he feels to have built a relationship with him. “It is our defense”.

We know the latter was the motivation for both to leave with today’s National Basketball Association swimming in high cash flows. Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors this offseason after spending the first nine years of his career with the Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics, while Westbrook signed a contract extension with Oklahoma City in August.

His performance may not have lived up to expectation, but that is the first we can say that about “The Beard” this season.

“Russell has so much energy, he can get 100 [points]”, Doc Rivers said before the Thunder took on his L.A. Clippers a couple of weeks ago. Trevor Ariza chipped in 17 points and Eric Gordon added 26. Ryan Anderson led the charge with 14 points. Joakim Noah bounced back nicely with seven points and 15 rebounds after he was benched in the second half of the Knicks’ victory over Dallas on Monday night. Houston sends everything through Harden, lets him score and create virtually all their points, and wins on the offensive end.

Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco, the reigning Major League Soccer most valuable player, was sitting courtside. The Thunder were playing their third game in four nights in Detroit.

The Nets have been rock solid ATS despite their poor overall record, but this just seems like a bad matchup for them as the Thunder’s backcourt of Oladipo and Westbrook is starting to look really good. On several occasions, he was able to pull defenders toward him and find an open teammate, only for them to badly miss the shot.

Russell Westbrook is not short on confidence and proved it on Wednesday.

Last night’s game brought on quite a bit of comparison between the two superstars.

They were 7-for-25 from three during the game against Orlando. The fact that Harden will play with a center who ranked in the 83rd percentile on pick and roll scoring along with three 40% three point shooters should terrify the rest of the league.

“I thought this was an outstanding homestand, and I can’t wait to get back on the road”, Van Gundy joked. The Houston Rockets will have a hard time defending the Thunder.

Pistons: Travel to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks on Wednesday.

Knicks 105, Pistons 102: Kristaps Porzingis scored a career-high 35 points and NY held off Detroit.