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In the team's last nine games, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won eight including two overtime victories and two road wins against the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Durant told Nick Gallo of NBA.com on Monday that the maturity of the team was tested during the span and that the Thunder finished favorably:
"We just showed signs of a team that is growing up," Durant said. "We have to keep working every day. There are going to be tough times, but it's (about) how we get through them."
With the 8-1 stretch, the Thunder improved to 14-4 after a mediocre start to the season and are just a half-game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the best record in the Western Conference. Only the Miami Heat have a longer winning streak as the Eastern Conference leaders earned a sixth straight on Saturday with a win against the Nets.
The maturity of the Thunder will be tested again when the team tries to get a sixth consecutive victory on Tuesday in a road game against the Brooklyn Nets in the new Barclays Center.