Another routine night for Russell

Monster jam

Oladipo wasn't afraid to take on Dwight Howard in the lane.

During the second quarter, the 6-foot-4 Thunder guard drove the baseline and slammed one over Atlanta's 6-11 center, rocking the rim and drawing gasps from the crowd.

Oladipo savored the moment, pumping his fists, stomping his feet and posing briefly in the lane even as the Hawks took off the other way.

Donovan made a recruiting pitch to Howard while coaching at Florida.

During his pregame chat with the media, the Oklahoma City coach recounted a visit to Howard and his father at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.

Donovan quickly gave up any hope of getting Howard to attend college.

"All I had to do was watch one AAU game and then I stopped recruiting him immediately," he quipped.

Howard, of course, went straight from high school to the NBA in the days before the rules required at least one year of college.

He was the first overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA Draft.