--As one might imagine, the improved scoring of late is tied to improved shooting percentage. The Thunder continues to rank last in the league in shooting (42.5 percent) going into Saturday, but the team is making progress.
Oklahoma City shot at least 50 percent in three of the last four games before facing Miami. Included in that stretch is a season-high 54.5 percent effort Wednesday at Charlotte. "Once you have guys believing in getting better shots, making the extra pass, it's going to improve," Scott Brooks said. "Guys also are making more shots. Early in the year, we went through a slump. Hopefully, we're out of it."
--Interim coach Scott Brooks admitted mixed emotions when he took over for his former boss P.J. Carlesimo. The latest coaching casualty is Toronto's Sam Mitchell, who was a teammate of Brooks in Minnesota.
"He was a terrific player, a gritty, tough little big man," Brooks said. "He's a good friend of mine. Unfortunately, these things happen. The business is what it is. He will bounce back."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Two things have to happen. You have to get stops, and you have to move the ball. Everybody tightens up on the defensive end, and that's why on the offensive end we got to continue to move the ball and continue to attack the basket." -- Scott Brooks, on winning games down the stretch.
