Enes Kanter has apologized for punching a chair that led to a fractured forearm.

"Of course it's like a really sad thing because like, I mean because you're letting your teammates down when you make a mistake like that," Kanter said. "I mean your coaches down and stuff. But the only thing you can do is just, you know, you learn from it. The one thing you know I wish we could go back [in] time and then I could take it back. But mistake happens and we just got to learn from it and control your emotions."

Kanter fractured his arm when he attempted to punch the seat of a padded chair in frustration. The seat of the chair tilted up as he swung, with his arm catching the metal edge instead. 

"It was just frustration because I know this team, my teammates, all my coaches, these fans, the whole organization trusts in me and I was trying to not make any mistakes during the game," Kanter said, "and especially it was a back-to-back game and then like I turned the ball over a few times and then I felt like really bad and I was thinking oh man I'm letting my team down. And then I came to bench, I was frustrated because I felt like I was letting everybody down and I was pretty frustrated and I hit my arm."

Kanter will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Enes Kanter suffered a fractured right forearm punching his hand on a chair in the second quarter of Oklahoma City's win over Dallas.

Kanter could miss six to eight weeks.

The Thunder will re-evaluate Kanter and officially update his timetable on Friday.

Kanter had slapped the floor in frustration a few minutes prior, walked to the bench during a timeout and slammed his fist into the padded chair. But as he brought his arm down, the folding chair flipped up slightly and Kanter caught his forearm on the metal edge. 

X-rays confirmed the fracture.

"It's tough, man, especially to do it the way he did it, it's very unfortunate," Russell Westbrook said. "He's a strong man and he'll be back better.

Things happen. If he could take it back he definitely would," Westbrook said. "But I think now we have to look forward and try to figure out what the positive things are and get him back as soon as possible."

Vivek Ranadive previously told one league insider he aspired for the Sacramento Kings to assemble a big three with Russell Westbrook joining DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.

Before he tore his left Achilles tendon, Gay remained with the Kings because Ranadive believed deeply he would re-sign despite public and private comments to the contrary.

"Welcome to basketball hell," Gay reportedly said to George Karl upon the coach's arrival. 

Westbrook signed an extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2016 offseason in which he can't become a free agent until 2018. Westbrook is also widely expected to sign the same type of supermax extension the Kings expect to sign Cousins to as well.

Russell Westbrook is promising revenge on Zaza Pachulia for the hard foul he took in the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors' 121-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With time ticking down before the half, Pachulia knocked Westbrook down, appearing to push the ball into Westbrook's face. Westbrook remained on the floor holding his face while Pachulia stood over him.

"He hit me kind of hard," Westbrook said. "But it's all right. I'm gonna get his ass back. Straight up."

Pachulia was handed a flagrant foul 1 for the play, following a review by the officials.

"No, I didn't see that until just now, but I don't play that game," a clearly agitated Westbrook said. "I'm gonna get his ass back. Whenever that is, I don't know what it's going to be, but I don't play that game."

The Warriors visit the Thunder on Feb. 11.

"I thought it was a good steal, honestly, because I had the ball in my hands," Pachulia said. "Officials called a foul; there's nothing you can do. A foul is a foul. If it was a hard foul, it was a hard foul. There is nothing you can do. So you just move on. If he got hurt, that's fine too. It's part of the game."

Pachulia said he is not concerned with Westbrook's comments, instead focusing on what the Warriors have in front of them.

"We're thinking about this team and staying healthy moving forward and, better, getting into the playoffs and playing for the championship. That's what I'm thinking about," Pachulia said. "I'm not thinking about these kind of comments. That team is not there, so they might be thinking about other stuff, like getting back. So, you know, OK, you can get me back.

"But this is my 14th year. We all know what my game is, to play hard. Not dirty, but play hard. If it was a hard foul, it was a foul. It wasn't dirty at all, so I'm not worried about this."

Kevin Durant reflected back this week on how special the Oklahoma City Thunder were earlier in his career playing beside fellow MVP candidates Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

The Thunder traded away Harden in 2012.

“It’s easy to say we were supposed to be together for the rest of our careers, but it didn’t play out like that,” Durant said. “I think all three of us will have memorable careers. And it’ll be a journey we’ll always remember, something that’s different and unique, playing with two different guys who are doing incredible things in the league right now. But when you look back, think about the fun times instead of what could’ve been.”

Durant and Westbrook were only 23 when they reached The Finals, while Harden was 22. Oklahoma City staying together is one of the greatest what-ifs in NBA history.

“No. We never looked at it that way, like we could be best of all-time,” Durant said. “It was really AAU basketball, man. We were just having fun. We weren’t listening to anyone on the outside, media, none of that. It was just pure fun. When we did hear something about the group, it was like, what is this? That was so foreign to us because we never paid attention to it.”

Durant believes Harden could have remained Oklahoma City's Sixth Man.

“I think he’d have stayed in that role. I think so,” Durant said. “He’d have still been a really great player. You look at it, a lot of people wouldn’t have looked at him as a Sixth Man. He’d have been better. I think he’d have been better. Obviously I’m sure he loves what he’s doing now, but if we would’ve won a championship, I think the perception of him would’ve just been as a great player. ‘He’s the heart, he’s what makes us go.’ That’s what his label would’ve been, instead of just Sixth Man. He would’ve probably been the best Sixth Man that ever was.”

Durant paused, looking frustrated at himself for even entertaining the question.

“But don’t even worry about that,” he said. “I don’t even want to talk about that.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned guard Semaj Christon to the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League.

In 36 games with the Thunder this season, Christon is averaging 3.2 points and 1.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have recalled Cameron Payne from the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League.

During Payne’s recent assignment, the Blue went a perfect 2-0 as the Murray State product averaged 18.0 points, 3.0 assists and 1.0 rebound in 20.0 minutes.

Payne is returning from multiple issues with his foot over the offseason.

Russell Westbrook had two of his league-high 11 technical fouls rescinded by the NBA to drop his total to nine during the day on Wednesday. But he picked up one Wednesday night when he threw a ball at the referee.

“I would never ever disrespect the game in that type of way, throw the ball at a referee,” Westbrook said. “I’ve never done it before.”

Official Sean Corbin explained to a pool reporter that “Instead of Russell (Westbrook) giving the ball to the nearest official, he throws it in the area where Tre (Maddox) is and Tre is not looking. The ball hits him in the face, so that is a technical foul.”

“I just know that Russell felt terrible about it,” Billy Donovan said. “The official who came flying in to give a technical (Brian Berneky), I think Russell went out there and tried to explain it. I don’t know if he was shooting the ball or throwing the ball. I didn’t realize it.

“But in no way was he trying to do that."

Thunder's Russell Westbrook drills referee in the head with the ball pic.twitter.com/57PygvLNHG

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 5, 2017

The Boston Celtics were one of the teams that met with Kevin Durant during his 2016 free agency in the Hamptons.

Durant met with the Boston contingent, which included Tom Brady, for four hours. The Celtics were offering a strong core of role players plus a number of future draft pick assets to put a title contender around Durant.

Many sources around the NBA have come to believe Durant would have signed with the Celtics had the Golden State Warriors won the Finals. For Durant, the optics of joining a team that had just won back-to-back championships may have been too difficult to overcome.

Even as Durant was finalizing his decision to join the Warriors, he asked Joe Lacob and Bob Myers how they would shield him from criticism should he decide to join their franchise.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned guard Cameron Payne to the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League.

Payne, the 14th overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, averaged 5.0 points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 57 games during his rookie season.

Payne hasn't played this season as he's dealt with multiple foot injuries.