The Oklahoma City Thunder should have had a more difficult time closing out the defending NBA champs in last night's game four against the Dallas Mavericks. After all, they were without their physical center for most of the game, the veteran presence who helps hold things down in the middle defensively. Yet even without Kendrick Perkins' intensity, the team still won on the road at Dallas to sweep the opening series of the 2012 NBA playoffs.
For Perkins, he remains day to day with a strained right hip. There's no official word yet from anyone on the team. Given the amount of time they have to wait until their next opponent is official, it's a welcome respite to allow such injuries to heal a bit more. Having Perkins healthy for the long haul is essential, so the rest is a nice luxury for OKC at this point.
"We'll evaluate it tomorrow and see how he feels," OKC coach Scott Brooks said.
Perkins played only 8 minutes of last night's game before leaving in the first quarter.
Read more about the Thunder at Welcome To Loud City. For more on the Mavericks, check out Mavs Moneyball.