OKLAHOMA CITY — Thing is, there are always Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
There is no faking a win at Oklahoma City. If you are to get it done, you must survive the onslaught of the NBA’s most lethal duo to do it.
The Nuggets found themselves in position to get their biggest win of the season Sunday night. They clung to a one-point lead, at 97-96, with 8:12 to play.
But then …
Durant hits a runner with 3:17.
Durant hits another runner at 2:45.
Westbrook draws a foul and makes two free throws with 2:24 left. He had already directed a nearly flawless Thunder offense that nearly resulted in a triple double.
And though the Nuggets were game through all of this, the weight of having to hold off both stars was too much as they lost 122-112 at Chesapeake Arena. Westbrook finished it off with a thunderous dunk with 46.5 seconds to go.
“Stopping Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant is a challenge,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “They’re great players, two of the best players in the NBA. When they get off, it makes it difficult. Stopping those guys is hard. The challenge is limiting the other guys.”
Almost.
It’s a word the Nuggets have been all too familiar with this season.
“It does get old,” Malone. “I hate losing. It drives me crazy.”
Malone paused.
“It gives you a little bit of hope that you can go into San Antonio and play well, that you can come into OKC and play well,” he said. “But what is hope? When I read the sports page, it’s going to say the Denver Nuggets are 12-19, and that does not sit well with me.”
Offensively, the Nuggets were solid. They found production from different places while leading scorer Danilo Gallinari sat out because of a sprained ankle. Kenneth Faried (25 points, 11 rebounds) played one of his best games of the season. Will Barton (19 points) was his usual steady self off the bench. Jameer Nelson (15 points) and Gary Harris (16) provided the Nuggets with shooting punch.
But defensively, they were just a little too ragged.
“We’ve got to play better defense,” forward Darrell Arthur said. “Giving up 122 points, you don’t have any excuses for that.”
Oklahoma City challenges your transition defense. The Nuggets allowed 22 fast-break points. Oklahoma City challenges foes on the boards. Though the Nuggets grabbed a season high-tying 17 offensive rebounds, they ultimately lost the rebounding battle 43-37.
Oklahoma City won’t brag about this one, but a win is a win.
And in that win, Westbrook fell a rebound shy of his fourth triple-double of the season. He “settled” for 30 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Durant added 26 points and 10 assists.
They owned the night.
The Nuggets fumed that former Colorado star Andre Roberson was allowed 10 points, that Enes Kanter was allowed 21 points.
“It’s the other guys that we have to do a better job on,” Harris said. “We did great on the offensive end, but we have to bear down and get stops down the stretch.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or @dempseypost
