--G Kevin Durant suffered through a horrible shooting night Sunday, but he didn't let it impact the rest of his game. A sign of maturity for the 21-year-old: He got to the line 14 times and made 10.

"Once my shot wasn't falling, I was trying to get to the line," Durant said. "I did a decent job, but I have to make those free throws. But I still have to make those shots where I was wide open, pulling up in the lane or getting to the rim. I have to make them."

--F Etan Thomas was the big man down the stretch Tuesday against the Lakers, using his broad shoulders to battle Andrew Bynum inside. Logging 35 minutes, Thomas pulled down 11 rebounds, scored nine and blocked three. Starting C Nenad Krstic played just 18 minutes.

--G James Harden has only four games of NBA experience, but the rookie knows a good effort when he sees it. Oklahoma City dropped a hard-fought game Sunday to Portland and took the Lakers to the wire Tuesday. Limiting the Lakers to 40 percent shooting in the second half helped the Thunder get it to overtime.

"The last two games didn't go our way, but we still looked good out there," Harden said. "We're still competing and getting after it on the defensive end, which is a good thing."

MEDICAL WATCH: None.