Thunder thrive in first ever game without Durant and Westbrook

For the first time in franchise history, the Oklahoma City Thunder took the floor on Friday missing both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

For Durant, it was just the 16th game he's missed in his seven-year career. Entering this season, Westbrook had never missed a regular season game, though he's been limited to just 25 this year. But this was the first time the Thunder had ever played without them both, a combined 52.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, 12.1 assists and 3.3 steals the lineup was missing.

Chalk it up to the quality of the Boston Celtics or credit coach Scott Brooks and the team's development of role players, but the Thunder looked just fine on Friday, steamrolling the Celtics 101-83.

Serge Ibaka becomes the team's de facto star with the others out and he certainly carried his weight, shooting 9-of-13 for 21 points with seven rebounds in 28 minutes. Reggie Jackson, who has been hot of late, could have been expected to take on the scoring mantle but struggled some, shooting 5-of-14 for 14 points with eight assists.

The big story was Jeremy Lamb, though, who came three points shy of his career-high with 19 points. The 30 minutes he played were also the second most of his young career and he made good use, shooting 9-of-17 and adding six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

Perry Jones got the starting nod in place of Durant and played 32 mostly quality minutes. He did not, however, get many touches on offense, shooting 4-of-6 for 10 points but chipping in with four rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Thabo Sefolosha also shot a perfect 6-for-6...What we're getting at is that this was largely a team effort, with nobody scoring more than 21 points or playing more than 32 minutes. The Thunder have built depth, and for one night role players got the chance to shine and acquitted themselves well.

Injuries are never a positive but Friday's absences may pay dividends for the Thunder down the line.