Sat, Nov 22 2008
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Published October 08, 2008 12:06 am - Thunder opens preseason Oklahoma City vs. Minnesota at Billings, Mont., 8 p.m. tonight TV: KSBI Thunder's road: OKC seldom at home during preseason OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates will have to wait to get settled into their new hometown.
The former SuperSonics spent the offseason relocating from Seattle but their preseason schedule hardly gives them a chance to be at home. They’ll start a road trip tonight against Minnesota in Billings, Mont., and swing through Sacramento and Golden State before returning to Oklahoma. Even then, it won’t be for a home game — the Thunder are playing what’s technically a road game in Tulsa against Houston next Monday before finally playing their first game in Oklahoma City the following night. “It’s a long trip. It’s maybe the longest road trip we have all season, and it’s in the preseason,” forward Desmond Mason said. “I think it gives us a great opportunity to bond on the road, to grow together as a team, to hang out a little bit, to get some things accomplished, to get away from home and get out of our comfort level.” The Thunder have been able to get in a week of practice, starting with a pair of marathon three-hour sessions and also holding one at the Ford Center. After winning a franchise-low 20 games last season in Seattle, there’s certainly no easing into this year. “Five (games) in seven days, it’s not something we’ll ever do again. It was one of the casualties of the move. That’s just the way it is,” coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “I think we’ve got enough bodies that we’re going to be able to get people minutes and still get something out of these games. But you’d obviously like it to be spread out a little bit more. You can play a game or two, then you can regroup, have a couple practices, then go out again. We don’t have that luxury, so we’ll just deal with it.” Carlesimo said it’s likely he’ll hold certain players out of games — particularly the back-to-back nights in Sacramento and Golden State — to keep their legs fresh. 
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