NBA Scores & More: Thunder Stomp Heat, Grizzlies Humble Lakers

If the Thunder have championship aspirations this season, and with the best record in the Conference they certainly appear to be the team mostly likely to reach the Finals from the West, they’ll have to prove that they can compete with the likes of the Heat. The question seems to be whether the Thunder can play championship level defense (though if they can score like they did Sunday night, it might not matter). In this game the Thunder forced Miami into 21 turnovers, coming up with 13 steals. The critical 12-2 run was fueled by defense, with four Thunder steals leading to eight of the points.

With the win, the Thunder improve to 37-12, best in the Western Conference by three games. The Heat drop to 35-12, three and a half games behind the Bulls for the best record in the East.

The tension lingered from the moment Kobe grabbed his spot on the bench (Lakers down 13), to the time he checked back into the game (Lakers down nine), to the post-game interview where Brown claimed he just “wanted to make a sub” and Kobe told reporters, “If you’re looking for a story, I’m not going to give it to you.”

Unfortunately for Brown, Bryant and the Lakers, the story writes itself. Kobe was benched, and it almost makes sense in a vacuum. He has struggled with efficiency since the trade, he turned the ball over and missed a wild 20-foot jumper immediately prior to the finding himself on the bench, he got blocked from behind by Tony Allen in his only attempt after being re-inserted. He needs to play much better if the Lakers hope to do anything meaningful in the playoffs; they need to light a fire under Kobe’s arse anyway. Guess we know Mike Brown doesn’t subscribe to ancient wisdom of the Bushido Samurai Code: “Death Before Dishonor.”