NBA:If Oklahoma City are going to overcome a 2-1 deficit against the Miami Heat in the NBA finals, the Thunder are going to need the leading scorer Kevin Durant on his game - and on the court. For the second straight game, Durant was saddled with foul trouble that cut into his minutes last night.
But in contrast to Game 2, Durant was not able to recover from his absence and deliver during the fourth quarter, and the Thunder lost Game 3 to the Heat, 91-85.
Durant, averaging 34 points in the series entering Game 3, was held to 25 points, including just four in fourth quarter as the Heat pulled ahead. Durant picked up his fourth foul, on Heat guard Dwyane Wade, with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter and headed to the bench, where he remained until the start of the fourth quarter.
At the time, Oklahoma City led by 60-54 and were on a 17-7 run. LeBron James of the Heat said the Thunder lost their edge when Durant left the game. Durant had scored eight points in the third quarter before picking up his fourth foul.
"I think he got it going in the third," James said. "He made some big shots, gave them the lead. His fourth foul on D-Wade, we kind of got the momentum from there."
Durant, a three-time NBA scoring champion, was clearly frustrated with the fourth foul call and never regained his offensive rhythm as the Thunder managed just 18 points in the final 12 minutes. In Game 1, Durant scored 17 fourth-quarter points to lead his team to victory.
In Thursday's 100-96 loss to the Heat, the Thunder nearly overcame an early 17-point deficit behind 16 fourth-quarter points by Durant, even though he picked up his fifth foul less than two minutes into the final quarter.
"I'm just trying to play aggressive on both ends, and unfortunately I'm getting some fouls called on me," Durant said. "But I've got to play through it. Two games in a row, man, so I've just go to play smarter next game."
Fouls, and foul shooting, played a key role in last night’s game. The Heat finished 31 for 35 from the foul line, or 88.6 percent, while the Thunder shot 15 of 24 from the line (62.5 percent) after leading the league in free-throw shooting during the regular season.
"We have to do a better job defending them without fouling," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. Brooks said Durant, 23, also had to get to the line more. Last night, he had just four free-throw attempts after averaging 7.6 in the regular season.
"Kevin is an aggressive player," Brooks said. "I'd like to see him keep attacking, and hopefully he can get to the free-throw line himself." The New York Times News Service