In a season full of losses, one stands out for Scott Brooks as the moment when he connected with the Thunder's fans.
The former assistant to P.J. Carlesimo took over after the 1-12 start. Brooks' first home game with the interim title came Nov. 25, and Oklahoma City battled in a hard-fought 99-98 loss to Phoenix. The reaction after the game has stuck with Brooks. "You don't get used to getting called Coach until you're the head coach," Brooks said. "No one gets called Coach if you're an assistant coach, usually, but that game was my first game as head coach."
How did the fans respond?
"We were 1-14 and they were saying, 'Hang in there,'" Brooks said. "That's pretty powerful when they can stick with you and your record's not where you want it to be or where they want it to be.
"No one wants your record to be 1-14 no matter what part of your development you're in, and for them to stick by their players and by the coaches, I thought that was a pretty powerful statement on the fans' behalf."
BLAZERS 113, THUNDER 83: Oklahoma City was outmatched from the tip as Portland was looking to close in on one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference. The Thunder (22-59) were down double digits in the first quarter and never challenged.
Thunder F Kevin Durant came into the game averaging 25.5 points, but was held to just 10. Reserve G Earl Watson scored 16, and rookie starter Russell Westbrook had 15 points and seven assists.
Durant didn't score until less than four minutes remained in the first half. OKC shot just 40.2 percent from the floor in losing for the sixth time in seven games.
