Kevin Durant leaves game vs. Wizards with hamstring injury

In short, look at it this way: If Westbrook played in, say, Milwaukee, and was going to be a free agent next summer along with Durant, can you imagine the hysteria if Reporter A, B or C reported that Durant and Westbrook were thinking about teaming up with Team X, Y or Z next summer?

Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant was ruled out for the second half of the Thunder’s game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night with a left hamstring strain.

The in-your-face free agency recruiting that went on when he faced his hometown team last season will be nowhere in sight, with locals more focused on the players they have at present than the ones they hope to land in the future.

Jeremy Lin had a strong fourth quarter to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 104-95 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

First, let’s note that the Thunder beat the Wizards by 24, and only had Durant for half the game.

Durant, second in the National Basketball Association in scoring entering the night, had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. All OKC off the bench players scored in this one led by Dion Waiters, who ended up with a game-high 25 points on 7-of-10 field goals in just 25 minutes.

“When you play Lakers and Knicks and Spurs and you have all these other fans here, it gets frustrating at times”.

Durant will have an MRI on Wednesday in Oklahoma City. I just wasn’t in a good position. It was little help to the Wizards that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook came out hungry. Westbrook (who triple-doubled early in the third) and Ibaka combined for 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting and 3-for-3 on 3-pointers, six rebounds, and five assists in the quarter.

“We’re just too soft of a team right now”, he said. “But we will find it”, coach Randy Wittman said. “We don’t have any toughness”. On consecutive possessions in that period, Westbrook threw down a soaring, one-handed dunk, then moments later hit a 3-pointer and wagged three fingers before pounding his chest. “So we’ve all got to step up”.

Durant grew up there and apparently, this is what makes the Wizards a wise place to go. When he sank a pair of 3-pointers later in the first quarter, there was polite – maybe even appreciative – applause.

Asked whether he heard the fans booing, Durant laughed.

“They were?” he replied.

Do remember when everybody was all “Aw man, Kevin Durant is totally going to leave the Thunder to come play with John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter in D.C, and we’re going to the ‘ship, y’all!”?

They sit 3-4 after consecutive losses to the Detroit Pistons and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Wizards didn’t give their supporters much to cheer.

Wizards: Marcin Gortat and Ramon Sessions scored 15 points apiece….