NBA scores 2015: The Thunder are making sure you don’t forget them

With three of the very best players in the NBA and finally healthy, Oklahoma City might be rounding into form.

Dec 11, 2015, 2:00 PM UTC

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant did something on Thursday that they've never done together before.

That, in of itself, is difficult: the duo is entering their eighth season of playing together in Oklahoma City, starting when Westbrook was drafted in 2008. The accomplishment is even more impressive: for the first time ever, Durant and Westbrook each scored 20-plus points and dished 10-plus assists. And that doesn’t even mention that Durant added 12 rebounds, too, notching his seventh triple-double.

Sometimes, when people bring up in astonishment that the Thunder once had Durant, Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James Harden all on the same team, they forget that OKC still does have Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka all on the same team. A missed opportunity at an even better version of themselves doesn't change the fact that Oklahoma City is already very, very good. An early Durant injury and some early adjustments to new coach Billy Donovan has the Thunder at just 14-8, not quite as good as some might expect. But then there are nights like Thursday and like Tuesday, where Oklahoma City reminds people: yeah, we have three players in the top 25 of the NBA.

(It’s fine if you think that’s overrating Ibaka and it might very well be, but not by much.)

Before the Golden State Warriors decided to turn into a literal Death Star -- sans that fatal flaw of an exhaust port -- we all expected the Thunder to be this NBA season's biggest storyline. There's still plenty of time for drama, too, for inconclusive headlines that allow Joe Shmucks everywhere to wildly "predict" exactly what Durant will do when he finally becomes a free agent this summer. At least for the time being, that story's on a back burner, but it's still simmering slowly with just enough of an aroma that you'll catch a whiff of it here and again.

On his podcast, the highly respected Zach Lowe, formerly of Grantland, said that Durant making the NBA Finals this year would almost guarantee that he'd stick around Oklahoma City. It's a common sentiment, but with the fire-breathing Warriors and the quietly dominating Spurs, their path there is fraught with potential missteps. It's a tough sell. More than ever before, Durant could see a dash to the Eastern Conference simply as a way to have a chance again.

But then there are games like Thursday, where Oklahoma City clearly had the best three players on the floor and just kept going back to them in an eventual blowout. Or Tuesday, the Thunder put Durant at the four against the Memphis Grizzlies -- a team you're not supposed to be able to go small against -- and just blew the doors off that game's hinges. When you watch games like that, you remember that since their 2012 Finals appearance, an injury has been at the root of all three playoff exits. Or, to phrase it differently: this current, post-Harden Thunder team hasn't lost a playoff series as long as they've been fully healthy.

Betting against the West’s top two teams seems unwise. But maybe, just maybe, Durant and Westbrook aren’t done just yet.

3 other things we learned

Blake Griffin's ejection sinks Clippers

The Clippers and the Bulls were both already playing very unattractive but close basketball midway through the third quarter. And then Blake Griffin, just about the only good thing Los Angeles had going for them on Thursday, was questionably ejected on this play.

Clippers' Blake Griffin ejected for flagrant foul 2 on Bulls' Taj Gibson pic.twitter.com/kCls1lTqTl

â€” Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) December 11, 2015

Despite missing the final quarter and a half, Griffin still finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting while the rest of his team shot 23-of-74 combined (31 percent). The Clippers strangely hit a bunch of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after Chicago had pulled away, giving them a chance for a last-ditch 3-pointer at the buzzer that could have tied the game. Chris Paul’s miss was just a bit long, though, and Los Angeles lost 83-80.

Brooklyn wins the battle for mediocrity

Is even "mediocrity" too kind a word for the NBA's worst team and another that's not too far behind? Philadelphia lost, again, for the 22nd time in 23 tries, even though they're playing hard, even though that's not enough. Meanwhile, Brooklyn's box score appears good: 100 points, 50 percent shooting from the floor, outrebounded the opponent. But you forgot there's a "76ers" filter you have to apply to these numbers. Let our Nets blog explain.

Up by 8 over 76ers is like being down 15 to anyone else. Fear stalks Barclays
— NetsDaily.com (@NetsDaily) December 11, 2015

Sacramento, I owe you an apology

As a Mavericks fan and blogger, I really did think Rajon Rondo was done. I'm still afraid what might happen if his 3-point shooting regresses from attempts and a percentage that are both ridiculously high for his career. I think fans of Dallas still have every right to be upset at him for the way he finished his short-lived stint here. But specifically for the Kings franchise, I was wrong and you were right. This guy clearly still has something left and for the sake of the NBA, I'm glad you've found the way and the motivation that has him playing as good as he ever has. Because it's things like this ...