Tulsa World: Thunder tops Rockets

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Thunder tops Rockets

Houston center Yao Ming reaches for a loose ball while battling with OKC center Johan Petro in the first half of the game at the BOK Center. Petro and the Thunder won the game for the team's first win of the preseason. Shane Bevel/Tulsa World

By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Published: 10/14/2008 2:03 AM
Last Modified: 8/20/2009 9:51 AM

Sitting courtside, Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett was among 10,007 people who watched the Oklahoma City Thunder play for the first time on state soil.

Watch out, mayor. If Kevin Durant ever wants to run for office, he's going to be popular enough to steal a lot of votes.

Durant showed Monday night why he was the NBA's rookie of the year last season, scoring 20 fourth-quarter points and 18 of his team's final 25 points in a 110-104 preseason victory over the Houston Rockets at the BOK Center.

"In the fourth quarter, that's when the big players come alive, so I just tried to play my hardest and we got the win," Durant said following the first basketball game ever played at Tulsa's new downtown arena.

Durant scored just six points on 2-of-8 shooting in the first three quarters. He finished with 26 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks, including big swats on back-to-back Houston possessions in the final minute.

"I just wanted to do the other things since my shot wasn't falling early on," Durant said.

The Thunder, which played its first three preseason games at out-of-state venues, won a preseason game for the first time since the franchise moved from Seattle. Nick Collison came off the bench to score 21 points and Chris Wilcox produced 13 points (including the first field goal in arena history) and 14 rebounds.

Houston, missing Tracy McGrady because he is recovering from knee surgery in May, fell to 3-1 in preseason games despite 15 points and 16 rebounds from Yao Ming, who played only 24 minutes.

Yao scored the first point in the new arena, making one of two free throws 20 seconds into the game. Star-struck basketball fans took pictures with cameras and cell phones and yelled "Yao" as he exited the court at halftime and after the game.

The Thunder was designated as the road team in its first Oklahoma appearance because the neutral-site contest was scheduled as a "home" game for the Rockets. The Rockets were originally supposed to play the Orlando Magic at the BOK Center, but the Thunder replaced the Magic and the Rockets retained home team status, never mind geography.

Thunder chairman Clay Bennett arranged for his team to replace the Magic because he wants the Thunder to have a presence in Tulsa. In August, he said, "We are committed to playing preseason games here and I would like to do it every year."

Said Thunder coach P.J. Carlesimo, "From the beginning, we felt like playing a game here was really important. We felt all along that we are clearly Oklahoma City's team, but we are very much a team of the state also. People have made us feel that way, so it's going to be good to play a couple of games here."

Carlesimo said he would like to play preseason games in Tulsa in the future for a couple of reasons:

1. The Thunder sells tickets to fans who live outside the Oklahoma City area, so it's important to play elsewhere in the state.

2. Give the coach a choice between playing preseason games in Montana or Sacramento (where the Thunder has already played preseason games) and playing a preseason game just down the turnpike, and Carlesimo would much rather play in Tulsa.

"That's a real easy choice," he said.

Tulsans would no doubt like to get another glimpse of Durant, who was unstoppable when the game was on the line.

"Obviously he was great offensively in the fourth quarter," Carlesimo said. "Before that his stat line was probably lousy, but he played good defense."

Joe Smith and Jeff Green, a first-team All-Rookie selection last season, were among Thunder players who did not participate. Smith, the team's oldest player, has been around many special players in his career. He knows he's around another one, especially after watching Durant dominate the final quarter.

"That's what we need from him and he accepts that role," Smith said. "He's going to be a special player, but the way he works is only going to make him better."

The Thunder will play a preseason game in Oklahoma City for the first time Tuesday, when the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Ford Center. The Thunder opens the regular season with an Oct. 29 game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jimmie Tramel 581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com

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To see all of the Tulsa World slide shows, go to tulsaworld.com/photos. By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer

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zrs, Tulsa, Claremore (10/14/2008 3:42:48 PM)

Durant showed why he was rookie of the year last season. He really put on a show in that fourth quarter. Any basketball fan who didn't go really missed out.

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