NBA scores 2015: Durant, Westbrook go off in Thunder win over Warriors, plus 3 other things we learned Friday

It's been said, but the Oklahoma City Thunder could be the scariest eighth seed in playoff history. Against the Golden State Warriors Friday, they showed why. In what could end up being a preview of a first-round series, they thoroughly outplayed the Warriors for a signature win, 127-115. Thanks to huge nights from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook -- plus a little help from their supporting cast -- the Thunder sent a message to the rest of the league: Look out.

For the Thunder, the win over the Warriors was the blueprint of their perfect game. Kevin Durant went off for 36 points on 14-of-18 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Russell Westbrook filled up the stat sheet with a monstrous triple-double of 17 points, 17 assists and 15 rebounds. Dion Waiters had 21 points off the bench. And, perhaps most importantly, Serge Ibaka was a menace against the Warriors in the paint.

Ibaka had 27 points and eight rebounds (five of which were on the offensive glass) in 35 minutes. But it was how he scored his buckets that made a difference for the Thunder. Of his average 12.5 field goal attempts per game, 3.5 of them come from beyond the three-point line. Against the Warriors, he only took two. Of Ibaka's 18 shots, 11 of them were in the key. He was a persistent problem for the Warriors down low. Which makes sense -- Andrew Bogut and Andre Igoudala didn't play.

Coach Steve Kerr sat out the veteran players, both of whom have struggled with injuries in the past -- Bogut missed nearly all of December. Aside from Klay Thompson, the other Warriors didn't step up in their absence. Thompson had 32 points, four rebounds and four assists, and was the only Golden State player who was consistently trying to attack the Thunder defense. Stephen Curry had an off night with 19 points, six assists and just two three-pointers on six attempts.

The Atlanta Hawks are still unstoppable, and keep distancing themselves from the rest of the East. If anyone was going to halt the Hawks' 10-game winning streak, the Toronto Raptors seemed fit to play the part, especially in Toronto where the Raptors were 16-5 entering Friday. Instead, the Hawks went into Toronto and dominated one of the top teams in the East.

As usual, it was a team effort from Atlanta. The Hawks shot a ridiculous 60.7 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from behind the arc. Those are Kyle Korver-esque numbers for an entire team. The Hawks had their way with the Toronto defense, slicing through for easy buckets down low and good looks from deep. Al Horford had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists (and a nasty dunk over Amir Johnson), and Jeff Teague had 13 points and nine assists.

The Raptors were never able to get things going. DeMar DeRozan had 25 points, but the rest of the offense was dysfunctional. As a team the Raptors shot just 24 percent from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Wizards laid an egg against the Nets, losing 102-80. In the East, the Hawks are distancing themselves from the field, now with a five-game lead over the Wizards.

The San Antonio Spurs missed Kawhi Leonard. The rest of the NBA can't be pleased. The NBA Finals MVP returned to the Spurs, and San Antonio looked a lot like the team that ran away with the 2014 NBA Championship. The Spurs, who went into Friday with a 24-16 record (seventh in the West), outclassed the Portland Trail Blazers, who have the second best record in the conference, 110-96.

Leonard played 30 minutes and had a modest stat line of 20 points, four rebounds and four assists, but his impact had the Spurs looking like one of the most terrifying teams in the league. The same crisp-passing offense that flummoxed the Heat in the finals made an appearance Friday. The Spurs assisted 34 of their 42 made shots, and four players had more than five dimes. The Spurs have struggled this season, but after winning eight of 11 games they may finally be getting started.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers can be very good at basketball -- that doesn't mean they win, though. The Cavaliers looked a lot like the team many of us expected in a 126-121 win against the Los Angeles Clippers, even though Kevin Love sat out with back spasms. The entire offense was fantastic. The Cavaliers shot 55.4 percent from the field. James had 32 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and Kyrie Irving had 37 points and five assists.

The Clippers, meanwhile, had a miserable fourth quarter. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan all had double-doubles, but it wasn't enough for a Clippers team that, like the Cavaliers, isn't living up to their preseason expectations. The trials and tribulations of the Cavaliers will continue to be parsed in every way imaginable, but for now, winning back to back nights against the Lakers and Clippers is a good way to bring the first half of the season to a close.

It was a good night for monstrous dunks in the NBA. Such a good night, that the only reason Wilson Chandler is the play of the night is because he betrayed his own last name and smashed on Tyson Chandler. Plus, that bench reaction is perfection.

Grizzlies 106, Magic 96 (Grizzly Bear Blues recap | Orlando Pinstriped Post recap)

Pistons 98, Pacers 96 (Detroit Bad Boys recap | Indy Corn Rows recap)

76ers 96, Pelicans 81 (Liberty Ballers recap | The Bird Writes recap)

Bulls 119, Celtics 103 (Blog a Bull recap | Celtics Blog recap)

Mavericks 97, Nuggets 89 (Mavs Money Ball recap | Denver Stiffs recap)

Suns 110, Timberwolves 99 (Bright Side of the Sun recap | Canis Hoopus recap)

Jazz 94, Lakers 85 (SLC Dunk recap | Silver Screen and Roll recap)

Heat 95, Kings 83 (Hot Hot Hoops recap | Sactown Royalty recap)