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NBA Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder Will Make Playoffs With Kevin Durant Back

By @Kramerica100

Getty Images

Getty Images

Kevin Durant will make his season debut tonight after missing six weeks with a broken foot. After all of the speculation on how much time he would miss, it ended up being just 17 games. The Oklahoma City Thunder have managed to go 5-12 in those games, mostly without Russell Westbrook as well. That leaves Oklahoma City just four in a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, a far better position than most people anticipated them being in when Durant returns.

Now that their two stars are back on the court together the Thunder should be able to string together some wins. Oklahoma City is averaging less than 91 points per game, which is last in the league. Adding a four-time scoring champion is a nice way to fix that problem. Oklahoma City has been really good on the defensive end, ranking in the top five in both points per game and opponents’ field goal percentage. They will be very dangerous if they can keep that kind of defensive efficiency with the added offense.

Apart from the obvious benefits of getting the reigning MVP back, the Thunder now have a much deeper team. Guys like Lance Thomas, Jeremy Lamb and Anthony Morrow got extensive playing time in the absence of  Durant and Westbrook. They were overmatched in the starting lineup, but the experience will greatly benefit them as they fit back into their reserve roles.

It will be an uphill battle for the Thunder to get back to .500, but the early returns of Durant and Westbrook give them more room for error. I expect to see Oklahoma City in the playoffs by the end of the season which will make one of the top seeds very unhappy.

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