The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets staged a wildly entertaining contest in Game 1 of their 2011 NBA Playoffs first-round series on Sunday. Led by Kevin Durant and his 41 points, the Thunder came out on top, though they were aided by a missed basket interference call. On Wednesday, the Nuggets will try to even up the series when the two teams play at 8 p.m. on TNT.
Thunder Vs. Nuggets, Game 2: What Does Kevin Durant Do For An Encore?
To do so, they'll have to do a better job on the Thunder's stars. Durant led the way with 41 points, raining threes and driving into the lane to produce shots like this. Russell Westbrook wasn't too shabby either, scoring 31 points. The rest of the Thunder struggled, and other members of the Nuggets stepped up, but if Denver can't at least contain Westbrook and Durant, they won't win the series.
The Nuggets will probably still have trouble on Durant because their top defensive stopper, Arron Afflalo, will not play again due to injury. That will put Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari on Durant, which didn't exactly work in Game 1. The Nuggets will have to hope for a repeat performance for Nene, who scored 22 points, including four thunderous dunks (no pun intended).
It’s a big game for Oklahoma City, though, even with Sunday’s win. Denver is not an easy place to play, especially given the way this season has played out for the Nuggets. A loss in Game 2 makes the task of winning the series that much more difficult.
Be sure to see our full Thunder vs. Nuggets series preview. For more on the Thunder, check out Welcome To Loud City. For more on the Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs and SB Nation Denver.
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