Thunder 93, Suns 102

If you believe in such a thing as moral victories then last night's 102-93 Thunder loss to the Suns was certainly one. The Thunder played their best game thus far in the preseason. Better still they did it with only 9 guys on the active roster and against a Suns team that, while aging, is still a viable playoff contender.

Johan Petro continued to show that not only can he be a serviceable Center, he is threatening to become a valuable asset on both ends of the floor. He is nearly deadly from the top of the free throw circle which reminds OKC NBA fans of that same favorite spot on the floor David West has now made millions from. Johan finished with 17 points and 5 boards.

Robert Swift saw action for the first time and played real well also. He's very good and clogging passing lanes and as he gets up to game speed could be pretty valuable on the defensive end. He's a big dude that takes up a lot of space and I don't just mean his goofy hair. Also, the nickname Big Red is going on a t-shirt soon.

Russell Westbrook looked sharp in his first matchup against Steve Nash. Most encouraging was Westbrook knocking down some 3's. This team desperately needs someone besides KD with a reliable stroke from deep range. His driving to the basket is solid against anyone.

Overall the team played really solid team defense and it was great to see legitimate strides were made in the last week. Even more encouraging is the fact Phoenix had their starters out for crunch time and the bench-short Thunder hung in. Granted, Phoenix is old but I think if given some truth serum they would admit some surprise with how doggedly the Thunder played them.

Keep in mind the following regular players were out of action for the Thunder; Earl Watson, Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith. Whilst none are superstars per se they certainly are each solid veterans who could provide valuable minutes.

All in all this game for the first time showed a glimmer of hope that this team can be pretty good and possibly surprise some people. They were certainly fun to watch. They played hard on defense and looked good on the break.