DENVER – The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the verge of winning their first playoff series since moving from Seattle in 2008 thanks to All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and their terrific supporting cast.
Following Eric Maynor’s lead in the opener and James Harden’s step-up performance in Game 2, Serge Ibaka was Denver’s dagger Saturday night.
“That’s what it’s all about in this league,” Durant said. “You can’t win with just one or two guys.”
Transforming from a shot-blocker into a shot-maker, Ibaka, the second-year pro from the Congo tied his career high with 22 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds in sparking the Thunder’s 97-94 win over the Nuggets that gave them a 3-0 lead in their best-of-7 playoff series.
No NBA team has ever bounced back from such a big deficit to avoid elimination.
“To beat this team four straight times in a playoff is not likely,” Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo said. “But to beat them one time is, and we’ll go from that point.”
Game 4 is Monday night in Denver.
Ibaka, who led the league with 198 blocks during the regular season, gave the Thunder a third dimension on offense to go with Durant (26 points) and Westbrook (23), and
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