The stars came out to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tuesday, when they closed their 2017 preseason. Oklahoma City's big three had a terrific outing in its 96-86 victory over the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.
Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City's big three, and the entire team, with 20 points. The reigning NBA MVP tallied one rebound, seven assists, and a steal. Paul George followed Westbrook when it came to scoring as he had 19 points. The former Indiana Pacers star grabbed 11 boards to complete a double-double. George also recorded four assists, five steals, and one rejection.
Carmelo Anthony almost had a double-double too, as the veteran registered 16 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder.
From the looks of it, there is no issue with the big three of Oklahoma City. Earlier in the offseason, there was a concern that they might fail to coexist. They are prolific scorers, which gave the notion that each one will be asking for the ball. However, as the preseason progressed, it appeared that they already have chemistry and this is good for the Thunder. The franchise has the tools to contend in the Western Conference for a championship in the new season.
Thunder's schedule
Now that the Oklahoma City Thunder ended their preseason, they will be bracing for the 2017-18 NBA regular season.
The first four games of the Thunder are going to be interesting. On October 19, the Thunder will take on Carmelo Anthony's previous team, the New York Knicks. Two days later, they will be tested by the Utah Jazz.
On October 22, the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves are heading to Oklahoma City. Similar to the Thunder, the Timberwolves made significant changes to their roster, as they added the likes of Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford, and Taj Gibson.
Then on October 25, the Thunder will go up against the Pacers, the squad George helped to several deep runs in the playoffs.
Bad ending
If the Oklahoma City Thunder closed their preseason on a good note, the Denver Nuggets did differently. Denver dropped two consecutive contests to end their preseason run. Before falling to the Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs blew out the Nuggets, 122-100.
The preseason was an up-and-down ride for Denver. Ahead of the Nuggets' back-to-back losses, they had an impressive three-game winning streak. During that stretch, they defeated the NBA champions Golden State Warriors and shut down the Los Angeles Lakers twice.
