Thunder vs. Nuggets recap

The Thunder take the win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. That makes the 7th win in a row for the OKC Thunder, even though this game was on the road. Serge Ibaka came out in the first quarter and made all 11 of the Thunder's points. It was one of the best quarters I have seen Ibaka play in quite some time.

This game was extremely fast paced throughout its entirety. Both teams were looking to run in transition, and that's exactly how it was. Kevin Durant picked his times to shine carefully. It almost looks like Durant can just turn on or off whenever he wants to, like a light switch. He finished the game with 30 points and 6 rebounds. Russell Westbrook came close to a triple-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists.

The Nuggets were outscored in every quarter, but their presence was felt in the paint. The OKC Thunder rookie Steven Adams gave the Denver Nuggets' Jordan Hamilton a bump on the hip after the Thunder grabbed a rebound, and in retaliation, Hamilton swung his arm lightly at the rookie but ended up getting ejected. This may have caused the outcome of the game to change, but prior to that the Thunder had still outscored the Nuggets in every quarter.

OKC finishes this one 105-93 expanding their record to 20-4, and still the only undefeated home team in the NBA. Hopefully their winning streak at home will stretch all the way to the playoffs, but only time will tell.

A few basketball tips

So you want to learn more about basketball huh? Here's a few things you can do. Considering you are most likely a fan of the NBA, tonight go watch one of your favorite teams. Now, focus on one particular player as much as you can throughout the night. Watch where he goes, and when he does it. Just watch this player move without the ball, and how he gets wide open. Same thing goes for when he is on defense, watch what he is doing and try to figure out why he does it. This is a great way to visually learn new techniques and an even better way to learn how to win.

There are no free throws for fouling someone in a pick-up game, so do your best to make the basket anyways. Take the contact, but let your opponent that it doesn't matter if he fouls you because you will make the basket anyway. That's the way of street ball, if you get fouled you call your foulYou have to practice, no one started playing basketball and became a player on a NBA team overnight. One good thing about basketball is that you don't need anyone else to play. All it takes is a hoop and a ball. Get out there and just put on some music, even if no one is around that is the best time for you to make yourself better.

Thunder vs. Magic turns into a nail biter

         

NBA

What seemed to be a blow out quickly turned into an interesting game last night as the Orlando Magic met the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor. With under a minute left to play, the Orlando Magic came up with a big steal and an easy bucket to make it a one-possession game. The next play Kevin Durant was fouled, who is shooting 88% from the line this season but something unexpected happened. Mr. 4^th quarter missed the first of his 2 free throws but making the second, which kept the Thunder at a 3-point lead over the Magic. The Magic hustled down the floor but the only shot they could get off was with Big Baby Glen Davis who shot a Hail Mary 3-pointer, which missed by a long shot, but Orlando’s center Vucevic grabbed the rebound and went straight to the bucket. Serge Iblocka, I mean Ibaka was there to swat the ball from Vucevic but goaltending was called by the officials. The basket counted, it was a one-point lead by the Thunder 101-100. But after the officials reviewed the play to see how much time was left on the clock, they realized that it was a clean block by Serge Ibaka and they took away the goaltending call making the score 101-98 Thunder on top. In the final seconds of the game, there was a jump ball and Tobias Harris snuck into the path of the ball and actually put up a great 3-point shot opportunity to tie the game, but unfortunately he missed. The Thunder win 101-98, barely hanging on. This game was a lot closer than it should have been, considering the Thunder are now on a 12-0 win streak at home. Did the Thunder really just give the Orlando Magic those opportunities?

Let me know your thoughts on this game, or any other games that were on last night. Get in the conversation!

Thunder vs. Lakers

NBA

The Thunder look to add to their home game win streak as they face the Lakers tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena. This will be the first time they have faced the Lakers with Kobe Bryant healthy this season. If the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to win tonight, Kobe Bryant will need to get readjusted to the roar of the fans in Oklahoma City. With energetic Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, they will have their hands full. This game looks like it will be a one sided battle, with the Thunder on top. Who are you rooting for tonight? Let me know what teams you will be watching in the comments, or check me out on Facebook or Twitter. Send me tweets of your favorite match-ups tonight @chancestball.

Thunder's win streak ends against Trailblazers

NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder head to New Orleans to face the Pelicans this Friday after a close game that resulted in a loss against the Trailblazers. Kevin Durant finished the game with 33 points but it wasn't enough to stop the Trailblazers home win streak. LaMarcus Aldridge was on fire, scoring 38 points on 17-28 from the field.

Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans is out with a left hand fracture, so hopefully the Thunder make their post presence known with Serge Ibaka and rookie Steven Adams.

Let me know which games you were watching last night in the comments or on Facebook, Twitter, or Stumbleupon!

1 on 1 moves: The hesitation move

Here's a short tutorial on the hesitation move used in pick-up games often. It's a subtle shift of your body from left to right, or vice versa, to make your defender uncertain of which way you will drive the ball.

For more tutorials, or more in depth ones, let me know in the comment section with your suggestions on what you want to see next.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves recap

NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder pushed their home record to 9-0 after Sunday night's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder struggled in their first game against the Timberwolves. They lost by 19 points earlier in the season, but that was without the presence of Russell Westbrook. Sunday night, Westbrook proved to be a huge factor in the outcome of the game. Westbrook finished the game with 19 points, 3 steals and 5 assists. He did what he does best, ran the ball on the fast break. With Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Reggie Jackson pressing the defense, the Timberwolves couldn’t finish the game on top.

Reggie Jackson went 8-11 from the field for 18 points in just 23 minutes. Jackson was looking a lot like Westbrook during Sunday night’s game. He snuck his way into the paint at will. I have yet to mention Kevin Durant, who completed the game with a triple-double. He finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists with only two turnovers. The Oklahoma City Thunder have won their past 7 games in a row, 6 of the last 7 games were at home where the fans meet up to the stadium’s name “Chesapeake Energy Arena.” The fans proved to be some of the best in the NBA, roaring with excitement throughout the game. This game was just another step towards the playoffs for the Thunder, and last night they played well together. The way it looks, if this team stays healthy they will be a serious contender for the NBA championship.