Denver defenders, particularly Danilo Gallinari, appeared to be more physical guarding Durant.

"He’s seen every defense," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of Durant. "It’s not like Denver is going to come up with a scheme we haven’t seen before, unless it’s, um, I don’t even know. George (Karl) is pretty clever. I don’t know if he has something we haven’t seen before. Kevin has seen all the doubles from the smalls, from the bigs, from the baseline, from the top. You just have to make plays. There’s a reason why they’re double teaming, because you’re good. They’re a reason why we can score off a double team, because they’re leaving a guy open."

AMAZING MELO

New York forward Carmelo Anthony almost single handedly won Tuesday night’s game against Boston with 42 points, 17 rebounds and six assists.

Had Anthony not been traded to the Knicks on Feb. 22 and the Nuggets still finished as the No. 5 seed, he would be facing the Thunder right now.

Brooks knows Anthony well, having served as a Denver assistant for Anthony’s first three seasons in the league.

"That was a terrific performance," Brooks said of Anthony’s effort on Tuesday. "That’s what he does. He’s a big game player. He makes big plays. He can score in a lot of different areas. Smith says Nuggets didn’t have a "pulse" as they try to rebound against Oklahoma City

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