Thunder Vs. Celtics: Westbrook, Durant Give OKC A 119-104 Victory

In his latest column for ESPN, Tom Haberstroh looks at 10 things to watch in the second half of the NBA season. Given their place at the top of the NBA standings as well as the star power involved, it's not surprising to see him focus on the Thunder's place right now. However, Haberstroh does pull out some questions regarding the best overall team in the Western Conference.

Simply put, will they be able to last given the incredible amount of minutes they are all playing together. Haberstroh writes:

The Oklahoma City Thunder are rolling, and it's hard to poke holes in a team that has more wins than every team not named the Miami Heat. But how long can they keep throwing out that starting lineup with Thabo Sefolosha? It's not worth getting worked up about who starts and who doesn't, but it is worth getting worked up about who plays and who doesn't. When Sefolosha returns from injury, it'll be interesting to see whether Scott Brooks tinkers with his rotation.

So far, the Thunder's starting lineup of Russell Westbrook, Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins has played more minutes than any of their other lineups, and it's currently averaging 95.5 points per 100 possessions, the worst rate among their 12 most frequent lineups. And get this: That's still six points better than what that unit did in the playoffs last season. They've locked down on defense, but come playoff time, it's probably worth giving James Harden a few more minutes for some offensive injection.

Kevin Durant and company are young, so they have that in their favor, but given the level of minutes and the intensity of the season, it will be interesting to watch.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (26-7) are now just a game away from the All-Star break, having taken care of the Celtics 119-104 on the fourth game of a five game homestand.

Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 31 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Kevin Durant dropped 28 points and nine boards. OKC used a 14-0 run in the first quarter to take a lead they'd never lose.

All five starters for Boston finished in double figures, led by Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, each with 23 points. Boston's starting five accounted for all but nine points for the Celtics, and all five players were on the floor at least 35 minutes or more. OKC out-rebounded the Celtics 43-32.

For more on the Oklahoma City Thunder, be sure to check out Welcome To Boomtown. For Boston Celtics news, head over to CelticsBlog. For everything pro basketball, visit SB Nation's NBA page.

Kevin Durant is leading all scorers with 16 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder are ahead of the Boston Celtics 72-49 at the half. Four Oklahoma City players are in double figures already (Daequan Cook, Russell Westbrook and James Harden).The Thunder used a 14-0 run thanks to Harden and Durant to break the game open in the first quarter. Harden is averaging over 16 points a game as the NBA's most prolific sixth man.

OKC is cruising against a depleted Celtics team that did see Kevin Garnett return to the lineup after missing games for "personal reasons." The big man leads Boston with 15 points and eight rebounds. Paul Pierce has five points, and Ray Allen nine, and Boston has turned the ball over ten times.

For more on the Oklahoma City Thunder, be sure to check out Welcome To Boomtown. For Boston Celtics news, head over to CelticsBlog. For everything pro basketball, visit SB Nation's NBA page.