Every morning, we will give you five things from the night before in the NBA to start your day.
1: Tony Parker clutch again
Wednesday night, the Spurs had a strong closing kick from Tim Duncan, but it was Tony Parker's late 3-pointer that gave the Spurs the lead. Think Parker could not do it again?
Down by three points late against the Thunder, Parker found himself with the ball in the corner. He easily hit the 3-pointer. Then Kawhi Leonard came up with an incredible steal, cutting Kevin Durant off as he came around a curl screen. Leonard's steal ensured that Oklahoma City would not get a final shot in this game.
Then Parker worked his magic as he cut along the baseline and popped out at the elbow for a wide open jumper (Russell Westbrook was caught ball watching and went the wrong way).
The buzzer sounded as the ball was in the air and San Antonio moved to 2-0 with an impressive 86-84 win against a very strong Thunder team.
Parker finished the game, but it was Duncan carrying the team, particularly in the first half. Duncan had 20 points and the Spurs defense held the Thunder, still admittedly working Kevin Martin into the fold, to just 37.7 percent shooting.
2: NBA pledges $1 million to Sandy relief
There was supposed to be two games tonight. But the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York and along the East Coast caused the NBA to postpone the Nets debut in Brooklyn against the Knicks to November 26.
The NBA though was not done doing its part to help in the relief efforts.
The NBA and NBPA made a commitment to donate $1 million to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in the area. Several teams, including the Orlando Magic, have also made commitments to donate to the relief efforts going on in New York and elsewhere.
Basketball means little for the many that face hurricane damage and are without power or other basic necesities. But the NBA is doing what it can.
Basketball returns to New York City on Friday night when the Heat take on the Knicks.
3: HIGHLIGHTS!!!
Tony Parker's game-winner against the Thunder
Tim "TD" Duncan
Gregg Popovich doesn't know happy
4: Line of the Night: Kevin Durant 23 points, 14 rebounds, 9/18 FGs
In the losing effort, Durant put in a solid night and was great on the offensive end again. But the rebound number is the most impressive number from the perennial MVP candidate. If this is a new dynamic to Durant's game, look out NBA. Granted, his failure to come across the screen hard on Oklahoma City's final possession cost his team a chance to win the game.
5: You can quote me on that
It's going to be a little edgy because I'm not a very happy camper around here right now. Some things we have to shore up, and we gotta make sure we keep a sense of urgency.
–Kobe Bryant venting some frustration after an 0-2 start
No one wants to be in the record books [for losing]. We were in the record books. That doesn’t give a sense of pride. I’m not happy about it, you guys shouldn’t be happy about it. Every day you leave the basketball court, you should not just be happy that you’re getting out of practice, you should evaluate what happens in practice and see how you got better as a player and got better as a team. This is exactly why I said I could play for a guy like that [Dunlap] because he takes that much emphasis on the game itself and not so much on what’s happening around the game.
