OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -There’s no doubting that Kevin Durant can score.
But it took some convincing for the NBA’s scoring champion to believe that he could really impact a game when his shots weren’t going in – a lesson that proved crucial to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s improvement this season.
Durant developed enough on the defensive end that he was asking to guard Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma City’s 101-96 victory in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers. He limited Bryant to 2-for-10 shooting while rediscovering his offense to lead the Thunder to the win.
At this point, Thunder coach Scott Brooks says “it’s hard to imagine us being a good defensive team without him.”
Brooks says he still plans to mix up his defense against Bryant, whose team leads the series 2-1.
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